Page 29 of R Is For Revenge: Part One
I snort. “I’m your only older brother.”
“Still my favorite.” She drops the duffel on the couch and flops down like she lives here. “Nice place. Penthouse suits your whole broody billionaire aesthetic. You’ve gotvampire with control issueswritten all over you.”
I don’t answer. I’m still recalibrating. I haven’t seen Lola since last Christmas when we attempted a nice dinner of turkey, served with vodka and all the fixings. Holidays have always been hard. We managed three hours before she ghosted me and flew to Iceland with someone named Magnus. Fucking sucks. We used to be close. Tight. But then after mom died nothing was the same. I guess I spent too much time building my empire and not enough time looking after her.
Now I feel like I don’t know her. Like I don’t know how to be around her.
She kicks off her boots and stretches, her flashy rings catching the light.
“So,” she says, eyes narrowing playfully. “You gonna tell me what’s got you so wound up?”
“I’m not?—”
“Please. You’ve got that face. The ‘I just destroyed a country and now I don’t know what to do with my hands’face.”
I pour her a drink, shove it across the bar, and lean on the edge. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Clearly,” she says, grinning before taking a sip. “You always make that face when someone surprises you. Like your entire schedule just got rearranged without a PowerPoint.”
Fuck me, but I don’t know if I can handle her right now. I scrub a hand down my jaw and shake my head. “How long are you here?”
“Still not one for small talk I see,” she says, kicking her legs up. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to throw your life into chaos. Just wanted to crash for a bit. Maybe go out tomorrow. You still get into Aspen without waiting in line?”
“Is that even a question.”
She grins. “Then we’ll go. It’ll be like old times. You glowering in the corner. Me dancing with strangers. You scaring them off. Me drinking too much. You driving me home.”
Despite myself, I feel the edge of a smile tug at my mouth.
Lola’s a mess sometimes. But she’s mine. The only real family I’ve got left besides the guys. And while she might blow in like a storm, she makes life interesting.
Still.
I glance at my phone, where Cade’s latest message sits.
Still digging into Jules.
Lola has never met her half-sister, or any of her half-siblings. As far as I know, she’s never had the desire to have anything to do with the Horner’s. She hates them as much as I do.
What would she think of her half-sister working for me?
I guess I won’t be finding out, because no way am I sharing that piece of information. Not yet anyway.
I watch Lola sip her drink, legs tucked beneath her on the couch like she’s still fifteen and crashing my apartment duringschool breaks. She never outgrew that careless confidence, the kind that gets her into places she shouldn’t be. The kind that gets her into trouble and then out of it by flashing a grin and dropping the Gaines name when it suits her.
She’s been in my space for less than fifteen minutes, and already the quiet is gone. But I don’t mind because the silence I thought I wanted? Turns out I hate it.
I move to the bar, pour myself a new drink—something stronger this time—and turn toward her.
“Get dressed,” I say, eyes on the skyline. “We’re going out tonight. Why wait for tomorrow?”
Lola perks up immediately. “You sure? You look kind of tired.” She’s teasing and I flip her the middle finger.
She squints at me. “Okay, who are you and what have you done with my brooding, emotionally constipated brother?”
I arch a brow. “You want to go or not?”
Her grin is instant. “Don’t be an dick.”
