Page 93 of Never the Same

I almost forgot about that relationship. While I crossed paths with a lot of people, I wasn’t one to draw family trees in my head.

“So that means your nephew is the one who helped with the rave tip?” Hollis asked him.

Easton smirked, obvious pride in his eyes. “That’s right.” He unwrapped a stick of spearmint gum. “And I know you from before New Zealand as well. We operated together a few times back in the day before Falcon Falls formed, when Carter—” He faltered, jaw tight, then shoved the stick of gum in his mouth.

“—was searching for his late wife’s killers,” Gwen finished for him.

“My condolences to him,” Hollis said softly. She stepped closer, sliding between Alex and me. “How’d I help him?”

Easton rubbed his jaw with his knuckles, gaze lowering to the carpet. “We needed intel on smugglers. Traffickers of antiquities and shit like that. You gave us leads.”

“Why are you being so weird?” Gwen asked him, and apparently, we were on the same concerned page even though I barely knew the guy.

“I’m not.” Easton dropped his hand, chewing harder, eyes darting anywhere but to any of ours. “Just trying to be careful with what I say. It’s gotta be rough, learning about yourself from people who feel like strangers.”

“Tell me about it,” Hollis muttered. Her fingers skimmed my arm like she needed an anchor.

Easton noticed and edged a step back.

Not suspect at all.

“What’s really going on?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

“Nothing.” He shoved another piece of gum into his mouth.

“Two sticks to shut yourself up? Now I’m really worried.” Gwen folded her arms, leveling him with a glare.

“What aren’t you telling me?” Hollis pressed, arms crossing.

“Nothing you’d want to learn from me.” Easton shifted toward the door, but Gwen caught his arm.

“Oh my God, E. Did you two sleep together?” Gwen asked in a low voice as if we couldn’t hear her whisper.

“What?” Easton winced. “No!”

Gwen let go of his arm and cringed toward Hollis. “Sorry, no bloody filter. Meant that to remain in my head.”

Too late now. My pulse spiked, and every emotion crossed Hollis’s face, warring for control. She settled on disturbed.

Easton pierced Gwen with a hard look, like she’d just set the room on fire.

I forced my pulse to chill out, telling myself not to be a hypocrite. That didn’t stop me from imagining ten different ways to kill him if he admitted they’d had sex.

There had to be a shovel on the property.

A tomato garden somewhere already full of dead bodies. What was one more?

Also . . . was this jealousy? I didn’t actually want to murder Easton or the guy she may have been with in Rome last week, but damn.

“I’d rather not share this.” Easton chewed on his gum like his life depended on it.

“Rip off the Band-Aid,” Hollis requested, reaching for my hand.

Easton clocked the movement, then caught my eyes. His regret was plain. That wasn’t helping. Wouldn’t save him from me, either.

Hypocrite. That was me. The dark part of my mind countered, And I don’t give a flying—

“We’ll take our stuff to the suite next door,” Ryder cut in, breaking through my thoughts and the tension. “Where’s Carter? Sebastian?”