Page 14 of Brutal
I push the door open.
My younger brother Nathaniel is already inside. He stands near the window, one hand in his pocket, the other resting lightly against the back of a chair. He turns as I enter.
“Hey, Sam.”
“Hey, Nate.” I close the door behind me.
“Nice work,” he says. “I’ve already heard from Preston Darnell’s people. They’re caving.”
I don’t respond. I don’t need to. There was never any question.
For another moment, neither of us speaks.
Then—
“I met a woman at the club,” I say, keeping my tone flat.
Nathaniel’s gaze sharpens, but only slightly. “Nothing unusual about that.”
“She was watching.”
“Who?”
“Everyone.”
He pauses. “And you.”
Not a question.
I don’t answer right away.
“She didn’t belong there,” I say instead.
Nathaniel shifts his weight. “But she stayed?”
“Yes.” Another pause. “She had a way about her. She looked at me differently than most do.”
“And that bothered you?”
“No.” I press my thumb into the face of the ring. The edge bites slightly into the skin.
Nathaniel drops his gaze to my hands.
He notices.
He always notices. Even when we were kids, nothing got past him. He’s been observant since before he could walk. That’s what makes him a good lawyer. A good brain to my brawn.
“You know,” he says, “that kind of woman rarely appears by accident.”
“You think?”
“I think she chose to be there.” A slight tilt of his head. “Which is more interesting.”
I don’t respond.
“Someone’s been asking questions,” he says.
“About what?”
