Page 114 of The Wrong Sister
“Yeah. I remember their two kids. Two boys. The eldest was stiff like a stone wall.”
I nod because that sounds about right, and nothing has changed since then.
“The father was on this poor boy all the time. ‘You’re not sitting right. Not talking right. Not looking straight. Not smart enough. Not tall enough.’” He shakes his head with disgust. “At one point, I got so fed up with that, that I told him to leave the poor boy alone.” Jeff quiets down, scratching his chin. “I never played again.”
“What?” My heart stops beating. It stops beating for Jeff whose life was changed that day for worse. And for the poor boy who was forced to think he was not good enough.
“Yeah. That was the last time I played music as a paying job. No one ever hired me after that. Not even in a shitty café.” He looks ahead of him with glassy eyes. “The King blacklisted me from the entertainment industry.”
“Oh, Jeff. What happened to you after?”
I’ve never heard his story. Never actually asked because I didn’t want to overstep, hoping he’d tell me his story eventually. But this story just can’t be true. There’s no way the universe weaved us all together like that. It just can’t be happening.
“Music was all I’ve ever known. All.” He bumps his fist tohis chest, his voice breaks. “It’s my heart and my soul. When it was taken away, I couldn’t do anything else. I’ve tried. Trust me, I’ve tried. But my whole desire to live was taken away.” He stops talking, withdrawing into himself. “So here I am,” he finishes. His shoulders drop forward. “Still playing. Just on the streets.”
“Oh, Jeff. I’m sorry.” I cover his hand, which is resting on the bench with mine.
“Don’t be, kid.” He pats my hand with his other. “I have zero regrets. I wish more people would have stood up for those kids. But Mr. King was a powerful man. I think he still is.” He shrugs. “I’m just glad his son turned out to be okay.”
“How do you know he’s okay?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood with some humor.
“You’d have to be if he was able to put that smile on your face,” he says with a wink.
“Yeah, he’s okay.” Saying it out loud makes my heart flutter like wings of tiny butterflies. Oh crap, I’m in trouble if the mention of his name makes me giddy.
“What about that piece of shit father?” His eyes narrow.
“I guess he’s still a piece of shit. He brought a board in instead of passing on his company directly to his kids.”
“Yeah, he’d do something like that,” Jeff confirms, nodding.
“And now the board wants to take the company away from them.”
“Why did he marry you then?” he asks with raised brows. “You just told me you came with a side of voting shares.”
“I do,” I sigh. “But as it turns out, the city wants the King brothers to fall, so the board can take over the company.”
“The city?” Jeff’s brows draw together.
“Yeah. The senior inspector who keeps the building closed?” I wait for him to nod to continue. “He’s the brotherof one of the board members. And apparently they’re the ones who started this whole scheme.”
“Well, damn.” Jeff whistles. “What’s his name?”
I blink at his question, not sure how this information is relevant, so he asks again.
“What is his name, kid? Did you swallow your tongue?” he chuckles.
“I—” I start mumbling. “I actually don’t know.”
“Well, you’d better find out because I’ve been living on the streets of this city for a long time. And I know things. And I also know people who know things,” he adds with a wink.
I blink some more before calling Ezra. He picks up on the second ring.
“Wife.”
My legs turn into jelly. I didn’t expect one word could hold such power over my body, but it does. One word, and I’m reduced to a mess whose sole desire is to run home and wait for him with legs spread right in front of the elevator.
“Wife?”He repeats the magic word.
