I hurried out the bedroom door to meet my little brother in the kitchen.
“Hey,” he said happily, eyes widening in delight to see me. “I was hoping you were home. Do you have any idea who that big guy is standing in the hallway?”
“He’s a… uh… a friend,” I answered.
“Myfriend,” Nate added, walking out of the bedroom and shrugging on his jacket. “He’s keeping an eye on the place. No need to worry.”
Gael’s eyes widened again. “Nate? Wow, hey. Where are you guys going?”
“I’ve got an appointment,” I explained. “Nate’s going with me.”
“Okay.” Gael shrugged. “Can I go play video games?”
I crossed my arms and cocked an eyebrow. “Do you have homework?”
He lowered his eyes. “Yes,” he muttered.
“That first, then games. Scratch that—homework, then dishes,thengames. Got it, mister?” I pointed at the sink in emphasis.
“Ugh,” Gael said, throwing his head back as though I’d told him he was going to the front lines of a war to die in the field of battle. “Fine.”
“Good. Thanks, little buddy,” I said, mussing his hair.
Once Gael was settled at the kitchen table with his homework and a snack, Nate and I headed outside. Julius nodded to us, his eyes downcast and somber.
“Hey, guys,” he said. “All good?”
“Hi, Julius,” I said. “Are you all right? I, uh, heard about Sam.” I’d never actually met the man, but he’d put his life on the line to try to protect me, and that made it hard to accept that something awful had happened to him.
Julius looked away, obviously uncomfortable, and nodded. “Yeah.” He cleared his throat. “Alec and the others found him. His body was dumped in a storm drain about a mile from your office.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned, putting a hand to my mouth. “I’m sorry.”
“Just make sure those fuckers pay. Okay, Cameron? Sam was a good man. He didn’t deserve this.”
“I will,” I said. “I promise.”
“I appreciate that,” he said. Doing his best to return to his professional demeanor, Julius nodded to the apartment door. “We’ll watch the little guy while you’re gone. Word is, your momis on the way home from work as well. Someone is tailing her to make sure she gets back safe.”
“Thank you,” I said.
“You guys are doing good work.” Nate clasped Julius’s shoulder. “I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for Cameron and her family.”
Julius nodded, but smiled bitterly. “Wish we could have done more.”
Leaving him behind, Nate and I walked down the stairs to the front door. When we stepped outside, the cool air refreshed me, cutting away some of the stress.
“You know,” I said as we waited for the car, “I think Rick is as much of a victim as I am.”
“What?” Nate demanded, snapping his head around to look at me. “Are you fucking serious?”
“I am. It was something he said in the office today. He’s so fixated on getting what his father wants, onbeingwho his father wants, it’s twisted his mind. He’s doing anything he can to live up to this standard Lincoln created. I know he was on something when he attacked me today. Personally, I think he’s used to dealing with the stress of his father’s iron fist. That’s my opinion, anyway.”
“You might be right,” Nate admitted. “But that doesn’t mean I need to pity the asshole. Lots of people have had shit lives. You and I both had it rough, and we didn’t turn into psychos.”
“True.”
All I could see was the tortured look in Rick’s eyes as he was talking about his father. We’d had some good times when we dated. Rick could be nice and sweet and funny. What kind of a person would he have been without his father’s influence?
