Page 46 of Texas Scandal

“Be careful, Coop,” Melody said, not budging from in front of her brother. “I don’t just mean legally.”

“I’m fine,” came the response.

“One more question before we go,” Melody said before taking a step back and reaching for Tiernan’s hand. He had a premonition that she was about to drop a bomb.

“Shoot,” Coop said.

“What do you know about Jason Riker?” she asked.

Coop’s mouth fell open before it snapped shut. “Pretty much everything everyone else knows. A kid was murdered in a nearby county and there aren’t obvious signs as to the reason.”

“Really?” Melody’s disappointment in her brother was apparent by the expression on her face and tone in her voice.

“What?” Coop asked, trying to play innocent when he clearly knew more. “Should I know more about him?”

“Other than the fact he’s our half-brother?” Melody asked.

“No way,” Coop said. “The only people who belong in our family have the last name Cantor.”

“It wasn’t his fault that he didn’t,” she countered, much to Coop’s disgust. Anddisgustwas the only word to describe the look on his face.

“How could you betray us and claim this kid as a relative?” Coop asked.

“Are you kidding me right now?” she asked, fist on her left hip. Tiernan squeezed her right hand. It was time to go. The conversation was getting heated and that wouldn’t go anywhere useful. They had the information they needed to move forward. Anything more than this was going to be pure frustration, like beating a dead horse. But Tiernan had no plans to interfere with family matters. He squeezed Melody’s hand again in an attempt to ground her. A look passed behind her eyes that told him she understood.

Rather than debate her side, Melody held a hand up to stop her brother from responding. “Look, I didn’t mean to offend you. I agree that the Cantor name is special and worth protecting. Our dad shouldn’t be in jail if he’s innocent. You’ll get one hundred percent agreement with me on that point. And, Coop, I truly hope that he is innocent. I can scarcely think about another outcome. Iwanteverything to work out the same as you do. So, I’ll leave it at that.”

Coop nodded. The man was going to great lengths to protect his family’s legacy. Was Duncan Hayes any different? Probably not. And it was the main reason Tiernan was unable to respect Coop. He’d experienced firsthand a person who cared more about image than substance. Tiernan would take a hard pass on believing in someone like them. He and Melody got what they came for. Now he needed to get her out of there.

THEREWERESOmany thoughts running through Melody’s head right now it was like a pinball machine on full tilt. The only tether to reality was Tiernan. The way he squeezed her hand said it was time to go. She listened. They walked away.Disappointmentwasn’t nearly a big enough word to describe how she felt about her brother right now. Why was she so surprised, though? Coop acted exactly as she’d feared he would. Sketchy.

The way he’d initially pretended not to know who Jason was sickened her.

Melody walked away with Tiernan after a quick goodbye to Coop. Disappointment sat heavy on her chest because she also realized her brother was hiding something.

Once she was settled inside the truck, she stared over at her brother. He was hastily moving to his SUV while having a conversation on his cell phone. She had no doubt he was covering his tracks.

“What do you think of Coop?” she asked Tiernan as he drove away. Her brother’s house quickly filled the rearview.

“Probably the same as you,” Tiernan said honestly. She appreciated him for it.

“He’s guilty as sin,” she said, hating that she had to say those words about her own brother. Facing things head-on had been an acquired taste for her, having grown up in a family famous for sweeping everything under the rug, including her father’s infidelity.

“I know,” Tiernan confirmed. “He lied about not being gone this morning. His Lincoln was hot to the touch. There’s only one reason for that.”

Melody gasped. “He was driving it before we even got there.”

“That’s right,” Tiernan confirmed with a frown. He clearly didn’t enjoy bringing her bad news about her family member. In fact, based on his expression, he didn’t think it was his place at all. Except that he must realize she deserved to know what was going on and that her brother was trying to pull the wool over her eyes.

“I had a bad feeling the whole time we were talking that he was lying to me or hiding something. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it,” she confirmed. “You’re right to tell me your observations, by the way.”

“It’s not what I wanted to see, if that makes a difference,” he said.

“Actually, it does,” she said. “I’ve never been all that close to Coop. He’s always been the older brother who was more into his friends than staying at home on a weekend night to be with me. However, I did idolize him for a long time and I felt that instinct kicking in.”

“He made no secret about trying to play that card with you,” he continued. “For instance, the whole ‘little sis’ bit was contrived.” He glanced over at her as he navigated onto the highway. “I’m sorry.”

“No. Don’t be,” she argued. “I need to hear it because I’m always going to have a soft spot for my brother. We grew up together. He’s my family.”

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