Page 15 of The Cinderella Secret
“It is,” agreed Jackson, leaning back and putting his own feet up. Aiden found himself grinning at his cousin. Jackson’s interference in his life might be annoying, but the rest of Jackson was funny.
“Heathens,” said Pete, shaking his head and leaning against the wall. “All right, can we get to the problem?”
“I’m being followed,” said Aiden. “His name is,” he fished in his pocket for his phone and checked a photo, “Chang Huang.” Jackson glanced at Pete, who grunted unhappily. “News that appears to surprise neither of you,” said Aiden, scrutinizing them. “Hm. Well, it should probably go without saying, but I dislike being followed.”
“And what condition did you leave Mr. Huang in?” asked Jackson.
Aiden debated how honestly to answer that. “In exactly the same condition I found him in,” he said. “I don’t punch people. We decided that last Sunday. Punching people is your department.”
Aiden knew Jackson didn’t believe him. Even if Jackson wasn’t a naturally suspicious person, the fist-fight on the roof deck of Aiden’s brownstone was too much evidence to the contrary.
“Uh-huh,” said Jackson, and he snapped a bubble.
“I’m glad you stopped smoking,” said Aiden.
Jackson had been sitting on the end of one of the loungers on Aiden’s deck, breathing out white puffs of smoke and watching the blinking track of the airplane in the dark sky. The air had felt cold, but Aiden had felt hot and sweaty and every part of his body ached or stung or creaked.
“Me too,” said Jackson, eyeing him across the desk with a twinkle in his eye, running a middle finger across his lip where Aiden had split it.
“It’s nice to have things settled,” said Aiden.
“Did we settle that you didn’t punch things?” asked Jackson. “I don’t think we settled on that at all.”
Aiden remembered the way his ribs had felt like they’d been pummeled by a horse and how Jackson had looked completely fine. He’d been so annoyed.
“What the fuck happened?” he had asked, using the nearby BBQ to claw his way upright.
“You drunk-dialed your sister,” said Jackson. “She sent me to get you. You tried to kick my ass.”
“How’d that work out for us?” asked Aiden, standing all the way up. The world had spun.
“Not that great,” said Jackson. Aiden focused on Jackson’s face, finally seeing that Jackson’s lip was split and there was blood on his shirt.
“Well, fuck you,” said Aiden. “You earned that.”
“Did I?” asked Jackson.
“Yes! You keep trying to steal my sister. She’smysister.”
“No one’s saying she’s not,” said Jackson.
“Yeah, then where the fuck is she? I calledher! She’s supposed to be here!”
“Unavoidably detained. She sent me,” said Jackson.
“Fuck you. I hate you. You’re ruining everything.”
“Am I? How?”
Aiden swayed on his feet. He’d felt like he was thinking through a wall of cotton balls. “Evan might have voted you in, but I didn’t. I don’t even know why he wants you here.”
“He wants a brother.”
“Then go be his brother. Stop trying to… You’re trying to make us…”
“Yes?”
“She’s supposed to be here!” Aiden fell back on what he was sure of. He staggered to the trio of chimney stacks, one of which had a cooler on top of it. He plunged his hand inside, searching for a beer, and felt the gliding kiss of ice against his fingers and the frigid sting of water on his scraped knuckles.
