He didn’t need to turn his head to see his younger brother’s glare. He could feel it burning a hole in his temple. Rhys was here for the music and Reikart for the women, which was why Rhys rarely frequented this underground club—or any club, really—with his brother. Reikart tilted his head none too discreetly at the raven-haired woman standing beside the blonde. The two friends were a package deal apparently, and Reikart wanted to open his part of the package.
“You’re really not going to dance with me?” the blonde said, managing a perfect pout while sharing a quick what-the-hell look with her friend.
Rhys circled his shoulders, trying to loosen the knots that had formed during the board meeting earlier that day. He mentally cursed his brother for asking to tag along tonight, and he cursed himself, too, for relenting. All three of his brothers were grown men, but as the eldest, Rhys felt responsible for them, as if he had to be the stand-in parent after their mom had disappeared five years before and their dad had slid into insanity.
“I just don’t dance. Sorry.” He shrugged.
Her pout grew more pronounced. “We don’t have to dance,ifyou know what I mean.” She offered a coy smile.
He knew exactly what she meant, but he didn’t dothat, either, or at least he hadn’t in the last year. Hell, he could be a priest with his celibate lifestyle if he had any desire to, which he didn’t. “I appreciate the offer, but I have a girlfriend.”
“Just my luck,” the blonde said, raising her hand to his chest and slipping one long, pointy nail between the buttoned material. She gently raked the sharp end along his skin. “I spot the hottest guy here, and he just so happens to be the last honorable man alive.” With that, she withdrew her hand, flipped her hair over her shoulder, and motioned to her friend. “Come on, Ally.”
“Ladies, don’t rush off,” Reikart said, flashing a smile at the brunette. She looked at him like the cat who most definitely wanted to eat the canary, but her friend tugged on her arm.
“Ally, don’t you dare! You promised,” the blonde whined.
Ally bit her lip and nodded, and with one last look of longing at Reikart, the two women disappeared into the press of bodies that seemed to be swaying as one to the music.
“You don’t have a girlfriend,” Reikart snapped, then downed the remainder of his beer and slammed the bottle on the bar.
“Jenny is a girl, she’s my friend, and she used to be my girlfriend, so it’s nottechnicallya lie,” Rhys said. He finished his own beer while meeting his brother’s irritated look.
“Would it have killed you to dance with the girl? You knew I wanted to dance with her friend.”
“You want to dance with every woman who crosses your path.”
“And you don’t want to do anything with any woman these days.” Reikart eyed him. “Are you sure you still like women?”
“Do you want me to punch you in the face, Reik?”
Reikart threw up his hands. “Easy, bro. I’m just saying that maybe it’s time to face the truth.”
“You’re right,” Rhys growled. “Itistime to face the truth. I hate coming to clubs with you. You want to pick up women, and I want to listen to music. We always end up in a fight if anything like this happens. So good luck and good night, and don’t ask to tag along with me anymore.”
He turned, slipped into the opening of the crowd behind him, and weaved his way toward the dark stairs that led out to the even darker night. Beer, sweat, and smoke swirled in the air around him and only increased his desire to get out of there. He needed fresh air. Hell, he needed a fresh start, but clean air would have to do.
Three steps up the slippery stone, a hand came to his elbow. He shot a glance behind him, and Reikart grinned. “You know, fleeing is an omission of guilt. I still love your big gay self.”
Rhys chuckled at his brother’s attempt to lighten the mood. He wanted to be irritated that Reikart hadn’t just left him the hell alone, but it was hard to be mad that someone always had your back. Three someones, if he counted his two other brothers. As annoying as the three of them could be, and as heavy with responsibility as they sometimes made him feel, they were always there for him.
With Reikart by his side, Rhys pushed past the last of the clubgoers. The crowd parted easily for the two of them, who towered over most everyone else, and they went out the door onto Toulouse Street. A carriage clopped by, the sidewalk teemed with tourists, and the sweet soulful notes of a saxophone suddenly filled the night. Rhys took a deep breath and angled toward his home, but when his phone started dinging he paused to withdraw it from his pocket. Multiple texts from his brothers Greyson and Ian lit up his screen. He read them in succession:
Greyson:Come to Dad’s.
Greyson:Trouble.
Ian:Big trouble. Come to Dad’s.
Greyson:Where the hell are you?
Ian:Where’s Reikart?
Ian:You two never answer your damned phones.
A sliver of worry slid down Rhys’s spine to settle hard and unwanted in his gut. “It’s the anniversary of Mom’s disappearance,” he said to Reikart, looking up from his phone and quickly stepping out of the way of several drunk college kids.
His brother frowned at him, glancing up from his own phone. “You think I don’t know that, Rhys?” His tone was slightly hostile and sarcastic.
