Page 133 of Fraud
WHENI’D IMAGINED RETURNING TONew York, I always thought it would be a quick trip.
Empty out my apartment, tie up loose ends, and return to my new life in Oregon.
I’d never expected this would be a one-way flight.
But, as the plane touched down at JFK, I knew I was here to stay.
Leaving Kate, knowing I’d hurt her beyond repair, haunted me. I could still see her face, that look of shock washing over it as she’d discovered the truth.
I only hoped my letter helped restore her faith in the love we shared even if she decided to never speak to me again.
Maybe it would help her heal.
Move on.
Without me.
Grabbing my luggage from baggage claim, I hailed a taxi and headed for my apartment downtown. With a dozen unanswered phone calls to my brother, I was hoping I could find him here.
In the city he loved.
Seeing the familiar sights of my hometown pass by the window, I was filled with a sense of regret. Usually, New York brought me nothing but joy and unending pride. Today, however, it only served as a reminder of my failures.
My failures to her.
I paid the cabbie as he pulled up to the curb and thanked him for the help with my bags. Staring up at the tall building, I remembered the last time I’d stood here just a few months earlier.
After a year of crappy freelance work, I’d been delirious for something…anything to get me back into the game.
Enter Laura Stone.
I’d thought she’d be the key to my success.
I’d had no idea she’d be the ultimate key to my heart.
But, like everything in my life, I’d screwed up, and so here I was, back at square one, picking up the shattered pieces of my life.
Dragging my stuff up several flights of stairs, I pulled from my pocket the set of keys that hadn’t been used in months and unlocked the door.
There, on the couch, looking like he’d been pulled through a dumpster, was my lousy cheat of a brother.
Our eyes met.
My bags dropped to the floor.
I lunged.
“You son of a bitch!” I roared, tackling him to the floor.
“Killian! Wait, I can explain,” he cried as he ducked away from my fist.
“Explain how you stole twenty-five thousand dollars from Kate? Explain how you ruined my fucking life?”
“I was going to pay it back, I swear.”
I picked him up by the collar, shoving him away from me. I wanted to kill him, make a few swings at him with my fists, but he was still my little brother.
Still family.
