Page 10 of King of Deception

I love Luke. He’s my cousin who is really like a brother. We grew up in the same house. He gave me noogies and beat up the kid who stole my lunch money in fourth grade.

But Luke and Mason are about to kill each other and if Luke understood how much pressure Mason was putting on me, Luke and Mason’s relationship would explode, never to be repaired.

I press the screen. “Hello?”

“Hey, Bug,” Luke chuckles at his nickname for me. “How’s Hawaii?”

“Roman told you?”

“He did. Just like he told me you got engaged.”

I nip at my lip. Roman is my youngest brother. Both Roman and I lived with Luke and Luke’s mom when my parents died. Even though Roman is my real brother, Luke reads me way better. Of all my male relatives, I’m the closest to him. Which is why, I’ve been avoiding him. He’ll see right through me. “Sorry, Luke. It’s been crazy.”

“Funny,” he rumbles into the phone. “But I can tell that it’s not crazy fun.”

Shit. Even through the phone, he knows. “It’s not that. I was up all night with Cici and Maggie and they kept giving me champagne. I’m just…”

“You? Hungover?” He sounds even more worried.

“Something like that.”

“We’re going to chat about that one later…” He clears his throat. “When do I get to meet this man who is marrying my best girl?”

“We both know that Kate is your best girl.”

“No. Kate is my woman.”

That’s Luke. Black and white. “I’m a woman too, Lukey.”

Luke pauses for a second, tension filling the line, before he says. “I know, Bug. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not still looking out for you. I want to meet this man you’re marrying.”

I shake my head. “Soon. Promise.”

“Bug.” He says, almost sounding like he might plead. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I say, my throat almost feeling raw. The words well up. I could tell Luke everything. Beg for his help. He’d hide me in his very big shadow, he’d get rid of Preston, and he’d force Mason to make other plans without me.

But then… I really would be a little girl. Luke and Mason would never recover and me, I’d be the domino that caused an empire to fall.

“You mean it?”

“With all my heart.”

“Then how come we don’t talk? How come I haven’t met this guy?”

I nip at my lip. Luke isn’t taking no for an answer. “You will. I’m seeing his parents tonight. Once that happens…”

“Tonight? Aren’t you in Hawaii?” Luke’s voice gets harder with every word.

I sink down lower in my seat. “Flying back to Vegas today.”

“Is Mason going to be with you when you see them?” Luke thinks he’s not as smart as the other Kincaids. But he’s sniffing me out like a detective.

“I think so.”

“At the charity event?”

“You know about the event?”

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