Page 47 of Hart of Vengeance
He folded his arms over his bare chest as though he dared me to get by him.
I didn’t know if I would beat him in a fight or not, but I was willing to try. Years of pent-up anger boiled to the surface, causing heat to sear my cheeks. I opened my arms. “No hug for your baby brother?”
His sandy-brown hair was rumpled as though he had been sleeping or maybe rolling around in bed with some hot chick. He studied me for a second then padded across the expansive open floor plan to a bar tucked into the corner near an ornate fireplace framed in stone.
The more I looked around, the more anger swirled like a pile of hot ashes in my gut. My own blood didn’t give two shits about me, but he’d put all his energy into building his life.
“This is a new place,” I said almost to myself.
Pristine stainless appliances shone beneath the recessed lighting in the gourmet kitchen. Before I went to prison, Duke had lived in a modest apartment in the south end of Boston. However, I did remember Dillon telling me Duke’s new place was snazzy.
“Do you even use the kitchen?” I asked. Duke was a terrible cook. He’d tried to fix dinner for Dillon, Grace, and me several times growing up, but he’d burnt everything he made.
He poured amber liquid into two short glasses. “Want a drink?”
I skirted the buttery leather couch flanked by two wide leather chairs and ambled up to the fireplace. A geometric painting of reds, greens, and blues decorated the wall. “Since when are you into art?”
“Since when do you make deals with the Feds?”
My blood turned to ice as I spun around. “Come again?”
He handed me my drink. “You heard me.”
I took the crystal glass and commandeered one of the two chairs.
Duke took the other and sipped his amber liquid, glaring at me.
But I wasn’t about to back down. I took a swig of my drink, and the expensive bourbon exploded on my tongue. I would probably be drunk in a matter of minutes since I still hadn’t eaten anything, not to mention I’d gone six years without a drop of alcohol in my body.
“What’s true is I’m out on good behavior.” My mind swirled like a major hurricane, trying to figure out how he knew. The only one who knew other than Kelton, Jade, Dillon, and me was Stew, the prison guard, unless word had spread that I’d talked to the Feds. Of course, that wouldn’t surprise me since prison was like high school. Rumors spread like wildfire. Regardless, it was clear Duke had an inside man.
Suddenly, Jade’s words flashed before me. “What if the person trying to kill you wants you to believe it’s Tito?”
Fuck me sideways.
What if Duke hired Costa to kill me?
I had to ask. “Did you put a contract on my head?” If he said yes, I was throwing my drink at him.
He eyed me over the rim of his glass. “Now why would I do that?”
I shrugged. “You tell me.”
The fire crackled. The air became thick. My body vibrated.
Duke continued to sip his drink.
We were in a silent standoff, and he wasn’t about to tell me squat. I knew my brother. He was untrusting, cold, calculating, and intimidating, and those were only a few of his flaws. He had no reason to trust me, nor I him. But I was realizing why he’d never bothered to pay me a visit. He was as much a stranger to me as I was to him.
I figuratively scratched my head at how we’d gotten to this juncture. I’d always looked up to him. He’d been the father figure in our family. He’d worked hard to find jobs so he could put food on our table. He’d shielded Dillon, Grace, and me from our drunken father, who’d cared more about his booze than his own kids.
It was obvious Duke wasn’t going to answer me. It was best to change the subject, or maybe I should leave. But I wasn’t ready to give up yet.
I settled into the chair, resting my ankle on my knee. “So, Savannah is in the hospital, fighting for her life.”
His glass froze midway to his lips. “Come again.” His shrewd facade cracked as his brown eyes became as big as basketballs.
“I was just at the hospital with Jade.”
