Page 75 of Fraud
I’D BARELY FINISHED BRUSHING MYteeth when there was a loud pounding at my door.
Wondering if the cleaning staff had suddenly taken a turn for the worse, I grabbed a towel and headed toward the sound of the banging.
Whipping the toothbrush from my mouth, I opened the door. “What the fuck?”
“Is that any way to greet your brother?” Liam said, pushing past me to drop a giant duffel on the ground. “This place is a shithole.”
I watched in shock as he quickly made himself at home, taking a seat on the comfy chair by the bed. Knocking off his boots, he lounged out like he owned the damn place.
My mouth hanging open, I found myself asking, “You want to tell me what you’re doing here?”
“Visiting,” he answered.
“You’re supposed to be in New York. You know, that apartment I let you borrow.”
He grinned. “You mean, that apartment you had me park my ass in while you were over here, wining and dining some hot little number.”
My temper boiled. “She’s not—”
He chuckled. “Damn, you’re in over your head. Obviously, I arrived just in time.”
Warning bells and alarms were going off in my head. “Come on, Liam. Tell me why you’re really here. It’s not just to pay me a visit.”
I watched as one leg folded over the other, and he casually leaned back. His dark blue eyes bore into me as I tried to discover some clue buried deep inside him.
“Can’t a younger brother want to spend time with his older, more mature sibling?”
“No,” I deadpanned. “And whose money did you use to fly out here?”
“My own, okay?” he spit, showing an edge I recognized.
He was in trouble.
“Fine,” I said, holding up my hands in a display of cooperation. “Hurry up and get unpacked. Then, we’ll go find something to eat.”
He perked up. “It’d better be something nicer than the crap you’ve been eating.”
I opened my mouth to ask but instead said, “I don’t even want to know.”
He just laughed and pointed to the top of his head. “Jedi powers, Killer. It’s all in my super Jedi powers.”
“Mmhmm. Be sure to tell the cops that the next time you’re arrested for hacking.”
He shook his head, rising from his spot in the corner. “Like they could catch me.”
He might have acted as if it was impossible, but I saw the glint of fear creep across his face.
What have you gotten yourself into, little brother?
“So, tell me about her,” Liam said after we’d been seated at a local diner.
“No,” I replied, not bothering to look up from my menu.
“What do you mean, no?”
“I thought the word was fairly explanatory.”
His fingers pulled down the top of my menu just as I had started reading all about the various types of pancakes they offered.
