Chapter 4: Bloodlines of Strife
I refused to care. He'd stopped being my father four years ago. "Why are you here, Ez?"
"You have to come home. The family needs... He paused and lifted the glass to his lips, tossing back what was in it. "Ineed you."
"No. Lock the door when you leave." I groaned as I lifted from the chair. My brother didn't move.
"You'll deny me? Stand by and watch me lose everything I've worked so hard to gain. You would do that, Lyle?"
It's his. I don't want any parts of what that man stood for."
"You don't think I know that. I wouldn't be here if that were the case. It's been mine since you left. My name, my voice, my leadership"
"Then I don't know why you're here."
"I won't bore you with all the details. I know you don't care. There has to be an alliance. One that proves that we can uphold the expectations placed on our family."
"I don't know what that has to do with me." I started down the hallway, and my brother said two words that I damn sure didn't expect.
"A marriage."
I chuckled lightly. "Go home, Ez. You wasted your time."
There was no way I was marrying anyone. Least of all for some fake ass alliance that would never truly eradicate any of the existing issues. My brother's failed marriage was proof of how disastrous those unions could be. I hadn't been in touch, but I knew what my family had been up to. I always had hands-on connections that gave me insight into what Ez was into. If it came to it, I would be there to make sure he lived through any of my father's bad decisions.
"It's Jona Devereaux."
My body stilled. I turned, catching the shadowy image of my brother standing a few feet away. His hands were in his pockets, and his body was stiff with tension.
"You want me to marry the sister of the man who killed our brother."
"I do."
"I thought you said your voice and your leadership. Not much has changed. You're just as fucking twisted as he was if you think I would marry anyone from that family."
"I'm a businessman, Lyle. We have worked too hard for too many years to lose everything. You were selfish then, and you're selfish now. How the fuck can you say you love me in one breath and then walk away from me like you did four years ago? Stop fucking running, Eirik. You're hurt? Well, I'm hurt too. He wasn't just your brother. He was also mine. I lost him too, and I lost you."
I turned and charged my brother until we were face-to-face, our noses almost touching. "You let him make me the villain, and I accepted that because I understood your position. You were his. You were the leader he groomed to walk in his light. Not me. It was never me because I didn't want it then, and I don't want it now. You need an alliance, then you fucking marry her," I gritted through clenched teeth.
"I'm already married, Lyle."
I laughed hard. "To a woman you don't love, hell, I'm fairly certain you don't even like the woman. You married her because he needed her family in his pocket. How did that work out for you, Ez? Not great, right? Why the fuck would you think I want any parts of that same dysfunction in my life?"
"Because it's different. Your marriage will be different. If I could be the one, I would."
"Divorce your wife, and then you're free to marry her. Problem solved."
I turned to walk away, and he caught my arm. A pain shot through my shoulder, and he quickly let me go of the grimace on my face. "My marriage is complicated. There's too much to sort out, and by the time I do, it will be too late. This is bigger than you and me. This is bigger than just our family. I need you, Lyle. I fucking need you. Come home."
"No."
He lifted his chin and slipped his hands into his pockets again. Pride. We both had the same quality, or curse, depending on how you looked at things. My brother would ask me, but he wouldn't grovel. I had to respect him for standing his ground.
"I'm going home tonight. The jet will be here tomorrow at noon. The pilot will wait for you until nine. Chapter House Eleven p.m. Dress respectably. When you get to the door, give your name. They'll let you in. I'll be waiting. Two days, that's all I need. Come home for two days and give me time to plead my case. If you still don't agree, I'll let this go."
"I'll think about it."
"Good enough."
"But it won't change my mind."
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