Page 26 of Unmasked

The message hung in the air—his fiancée had better be there.

Damian ended the call and stared up at the ceiling. He’d figure something out—he had to. For the last four years it had felt like he was moving through quicksand. Work had kept him busy, but the other areas of his life had stalled. One beer-fuelled night a few months ago, he’d seen Jenny and Ben out together. That night he’d packed a suitcase and walked out of the apartment he’d once shared with his ex-wife. He hadn’t returned.

Movers had put his things in storage, and he’d been living in a hotel room ever since. He was in limbo. Not wanting to be living in the past, but unable to move forward. If only he could get one back at Jenny and Ben, then he might feel as though he’d levelled the playing field and be able to move on with his life.

He needed a redhead. He wanted the redhead.

“Damian?” Leila’s voice came through on the intercom. “I’ve got Corinna here for your lunch date.”

“Send her in. I need to finish up an email before we go.”

He was tapping away at his computer when his sister walked in. As usual, she looked perfectly fashionable. Her grey eyes—identical in colour to his—were accentuated by a pair of chunky black glasses that would have looked awkward on most people, but looked chic on her.

“Ticktock,” she said, dropping down into one of the chairs facing his desk. “We can’t be late. I’ve got a class at two.”

“You need to graduate and face the real world sometime, you know.”

“I’ve graduated once already.” She grinned. “No one said I couldn’t go back for more.”

“You’re a glutton for punishment.”

“There are worse vices in the world than academia. Not all of us are so desperate to become corporate slaves,” she teased.

He shook his head, refusing to take the bait. Despite the decade between them, they were as close as a brother and sister could be. Different, yes, but they had a deep bond. Maybe it was because he’d been like another parent to her. He’d cooked her meals, driven her to ballet class and cheered like a maniac as she’d received her bachelor’s degree.

But that meant she knew what buttons to push and made a sport out of winding him up. Not today, though. He had bigger fish to fry than letting his sister get under his skin.

“What are you doing with this?” She reached over his desk and picked up the compact.

“Uh...” Close as he and Corinna were, their sex lives were not up for discussion. “I need to return it.”

“No shit.” She flipped the compact open to check her appearance. “Lainey must be having kittens.”

Damian blinked. “Excuse me?”

“This is her compact. Well, it belonged to her grandmother, but it’s hers now. I’ve been telling her to put it somewhere safe, but she carries it everywhere.” She shook her head. “Like a good luck charm. Wait, no...what did she call it?” Corinna snapped her fingers. “A talisman.”

Lainey.

There’s no way she could have...

A cold fist enveloped his heart and squeezed. But her voice had been different. And her hair had been different.

She’s a fucking hairdresser. You don’t think she could have dyed her hair?

He forced himself to remain calm...at least on the outside. “You’re sure it’s hers?”

Corinna looked at him strangely. “Positive. There’s a little set of initials in the embroidery, and Lainey has the same initials as her grandmother.” She put the compact on the desk and pointed to one of the roses, where a very subtle shift in the colour of the threads revealed the letters LK. He’d never have noticed it if she hadn’t pointed it out. “She’s had this thing since her grandmother passed away years ago. I’d recognise it anywhere.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

He couldn’t flip out right now, because the last thing he wanted was to explain to his little sister that he’d accidentally screwed her best friend. He needed to play it cool.

“It must have fallen out of her bag last time I gave her a lift.” He shrugged. “I found it under the seat of the Audi when I was cleaning it, but I had no idea who it belonged to.”

“Because so many women ride in your car.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you want me to drop it off to her?”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’ll return it myself. I’m heading out her way tonight anyway. I should stop in to see her—it’s been a while.”

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