Page 83 of Beautiful Lies
“Nobody,” I muttered.
“Did you sleep with her?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
Deep breaths. I had no idea why Gavin persisted in asking me about my sex life when I’d never once confided in him. He, on the other hand, gave me detailed reports of all the women he screwed. Tall tales, if you asked me.
“Not that I mind sharing…”
“She’s off-limits,” I growled. Then I realized that I was defending and protecting Keira like an older brother would. What the fuck?
Jason barked laughter. “He’s keeping them both for himself.”
Once again, I had to refrain from planting my fist in his face. I ducked my head and got back to work. Forty minutes later Jason’s tattoo was done. I’d managed to keep my mouth shut the whole time and silently conveyed the message that I wasn’t up for a friendly chat, so he’d kept himself busy on his phone. Not that he stayed silent. I got to hear all about his Tinder hook-ups.
I walked Jason to the desk and collected his money, reminding him to follow the rules on the after-tattoo care sheet I handed him. “Thanks, man. Good luck with your ladies.”
I ignored him and Claudia’s raised eyebrows.
“Hey. Connor.” I turned to look at Nico. I’d forgotten he was coming in today. He glanced at Keira who flashed him a smile, throwing him off his game. “Oh…uh…” Nico cleared his throat and dragged his gaze back to me, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “I’m early. I can wait. I just thought…I wouldn’t mind seeing the design.”
“Yeah. Of course, man.”
I returned to my station and retrieved my sketchbook from the cupboard, flipping through the pages until I got to the design I’d sketched for Nico. A lion with bared teeth and a thick mane. I struggled to keep my face neutral as I returned to the waiting area, not even hazarding a glance in Keira’s direction. But I could feel her watching me as I handed Nico the sketch.
“Oh man. Holy shit,” he said, staring at the sketch. I could tell by his voice and the look on his face that he liked what I’d done for him and that was a reward in itself. Making Nico happy was important to me. We’d started working out together on Saturday and Sunday mornings. He wasn’t a big talker, but he’d let a few things slip, enough for me to know that he was a good kid in a shitty situation. I understood what it felt like to hurt for someone else, to feel useless and guilty about it. I understood his fear and his anger at the injustice of it all. Bad shit happened to good people all the time.
“You good with that design? I can change—”
“No. I’m cool with this.”
“Good. I want you to be happy.” Killian had asked me to take care of Nico and to make sure he got whatever tattoo he wanted. It was Nico’s eighteenth birthday present and Killian told me he’d cover the cost. I had no intention of charging Nico or Killian for this tattoo. “Claudia will give you the paperwork. Fill it out and I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Yeah. Sure. Take your time. I’m cool to wait.”
I looked toward the back of the shop at the office area. No Ava.
“She’s making tea,” Claudia said. My gaze snapped to her and she narrowed her eyes at me in accusation and lowered her voice. “If you fuck her over, it’ll be my turn to kick you in the balls.”
This goddamn place. Everyone was up in everyone’s business. And apparently, Claudia and Ava had bonded. Time to face Keira. She stood and took a few steps closer, opening her mouth to speak. I didn’t want her to say a word in front of Nico or Claudia or anyone else. “Let’s go outside.”
I strode to the door with Keira on my heels, feeling Claudia’s eyes on my back. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
“Connor… why didn’t you tell me?” she asked when we stopped by the side of the building.
“Tell you what?” I asked, playing dumb.
“That you’re my brother.”
“How did you find out?”
“I was thinking about you. Actually, I thought about you a lot. So I Googled you. You can learn a lot about a person from social media.”
Fuck. “And what did you learn?”
“I found photos of you…you must have been like eighteen or nineteen. You were in Vegas with Killian and the blonde in your shop. I found tons of stuff about Killian too. From his UFC days. And the break-in at your house in Greenpoint. When your father was killed? I found out you owned this shop and that you have an art exhibit in three weeks.”
Jesus Christ. This was why social media was dangerous.
“So anyway, I did some digging on your father because I had a weird feeling…like I should have seen it. You look so much like my mother. And sure enough, I found out that he was once married to Maggie O’Rourke. I can’t believe my parents kept this from me.” She shook her head. “What am I saying? I can believe it. My father’s a control freak and my mother is…”
