Total pages in book: 177
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 816(@200wpm)___ 653(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
No was the easiest answer, but it wouldn’t get him out of this conversation, and Jean knew it wasn’t true. He studied Jeremy in silence, this bottle-blond sunshine captain who could force Kevin into submission without raising his voice or hand. Chances were good Jeremy would regret digging into this, but did Jean really have a choice? Whether he told him now or when Nathan’s trial started, Jeremy was going to get the same version of the truth.
That didn’t make it any easier to say aloud, but Jean held Jeremy’s stare and said, “My parents were business partners with Nathan Wesninski.”
There was a heartbeat of startled silence, and then Jeremy asked, “The so-called Butcher? Neil’s father? That Nathan Wesninski?” At Jean’s tense nod, he glanced past them at the studio and said, “Hold that thought after all; this is not something we should be talking about here. Let’s head out before they get the wrong idea.”
Jean expected to be harangued the entire way back home, but Jeremy said nothing until they were nearing their neighborhood. When the streets started looking familiar, Jeremy asked, “Do you want to do this at home or at the stadium?”
With or without an audience, he meant, but the only thing worse than having this conversation at all was having it multiple times. “Home.”
Jeremy accepted that without argument and took the turn he needed to get them to Laila’s house. Within seconds of him parking at the base of the driveway, the front door was open. Cat and Laila stepped out onto the porch to greet them. Cat’s greeting was cheerful, but Laila’s gaze as she looked from Kevin to Jean was intent. Looking for a sign they’d made it through the ordeal unscathed, Jean guessed. A pity he was going to have to disappoint her. Her stare landed on Jeremy last, and Laila’s expression went grim.
“How bad?” she asked as they started up the stairs.
“This conversation needs coffee,” Jeremy said. “Let me set some up first.”
Kevin had gotten dressed before Jeremy picked him up at the hotel this morning, so he had nothing to change into, but Jean made a beeline for his bedroom as soon as he’d gotten past Cat. He knew it was his imagination that his clothes smelled like the studio, but he had to get out of them and into something else before he tore his skin off.
He felt a split second of resistance as he yanked the second sleeve off his arm but realized too late what had caught on the shirt’s pale buttons. The sight of Renee’s necklace on the ground had his heart skipping in his chest. He snatched it up with unsteady fingers, looking for the break. It had snapped right at the clasp, leaving both loops hooked together on the same end.
“Hey.” Cat gave the hair at the nape of his neck a gentle tug as she came up alongside him. “Are you okay? Kevin’s already drinking again, and even Jeremy looks uptight. I’m assuming the interview did not go well.”
“Hannah Bailey is a rancid bitch.”
Cat’s eyebrows went up. “Tell me how you really feel.” Her humor died as she got a better look at his face, and she gave his arm a brief squeeze. “I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. And if it was... Well, we’ve had to clean up and smooth away a few things over the years. We’ll get through this one way or another. Oh, your cross!”
He turned it over to her waiting hand, and she hummed as she inspected it. “The chain’s a loss, but Laila should have something thin enough to replace it. Can I borrow this while I dig around?”
“Yes,” he said, and she hurried away.
Jean was in no rush to follow, but he didn’t need anyone else to come looking for him. He traded his slacks for dark jeans before digging through his closet. In the end he settled on the black USC shirt Jeremy bought him in May. Maybe they would hate to see him in it when they found out the truth, but there was a slim chance the familiar logo would be a subliminal calming influence. Jean would take any edge he could get for this conversation.
The coffee maker didn’t have a large enough carafe for all of them, but it worked out. Andrew didn’t want anything from them, Kevin was drinking straight vodka from a glass, and Cat opted for a beer when she saw how much Kevin was knocking back. The kitchen was too sterile a place for this conversation, so as they got their drinks, they headed down the hall to the living room. Jean wasn’t sure if it was intentional, but he and Jeremy were the last to leave.
Jeremy was leaning back against the counter as Jean poured his coffee, and he touched careful fingers to Jean’s elbow. “I’m sorry,” he said. Even though everyone else was at the far end of the hall, he pitched his voice for Jean’s ears alone. “I hate to do this the same day she tried so hard to hurt you, but I know her type. She’s not going to edit that out if it means she’s the first to report on it this side of the ocean.”