by Avery, Quinn
His eyes hardened. “Where’s Father?”
“He went outside with Kellen to have a little chat.” She turned just enough to side-eye Cameron. “Seems your brother has become involved with your old girlfriend.”
He took a moment to absorb Cameron’s bemused expression. Everything he would say that night would burn, but she had been the one determined to get her revenge with the shitty scheme. She had essentially forced him to play the part of a dick brother, and bitter ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, as her new fiancé, it was his duty to make damn sure his father didn’t inflict any more pain on her. He only wished the damn dress hadn’t been such a distraction.
“Didn’t know Kellen was into sloppy seconds,” he snarled, his voice thick with annoyance.
Cameron’s eyes narrowed. “At least he knows a good thing when he sees it.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, sweetheart.” He grabbed a chair from an empty table and positioned it next to her. Under the table, he set her cell phone in her lap and grasped her knee. She trapped his hand with hers and squeezed. Hard. He was going to hear it later.
His mother took a seat across from them, throwing Lincoln a clenched smile. She hadn’t changed in the time he’d been away. Though he tried to find a trace of the somewhat nurturing woman who raised him as a little boy, money and the rush of power had hardened her features.
“What are you doing back in San Francisco?” she asked in a cheery tone, like they hadn’t just spent the better part of a decade apart.
“Taking care of an investment.”
His mother made a tsk noise with her tongue. “I wish you would’ve told us you were coming. How long are you staying?”
“I have to report to Coronado Thursday afternoon.”
“That’s certainly not enough time for us to catch up. Can’t you stay a little longer?”
“I didn’t come here to catch up with you,” he said with a grunt, wondering when she was going to understand that he was done with their family. “I’m busy visiting an old friend. I only stopped by to have a talk with Kellen.”
“I don’t think that’s a wise idea,” Cameron spat, glaring him down. “We all know you don’t get along with him, and tonight’s supposed to be a celebration of our engagement. I don’t need you ruining the night.”
With her clever play of words, he almost broke character. “You’re engaged? Congratulations.”
“I mean it, Linc,” she warned. “If you came here to make waves, you may as well leave right now.”
Even though he knew she was no longer putting on a show for his mother, and was asking him not to start anything with Kellen, he shook his head. “Mind your own goddamned business, Cameron. What I have to say to my brother has nothing to do with you.”
She threw him a confused look right as his brother called his name. Venom seeped into Lincoln’s blood with the sound of Kellen’s voice. Death was too easy of an option for all he had done. Cameron was right—the bastard needed to atone for his sins.
Lincoln stuck his hands in his pockets and stood, lips burning against a scowl. He never thought the sight of someone could make him physically ill until his stomach clenched and his chest burned. Their father stood at his side, an equal amount of anger heavy on his brow.
It felt surreal to face the men in Lincoln’s family again. Even though looking at Kellen was still like standing in front of a mirror before Lincoln grew a beard, they’d both changed in subtle ways. He assumed evil was beginning to rot his brother from the inside out. The need to beat both men to their graves crept over Lincoln’s skin like a rash.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Kellen sneered.
Lincoln tilted his head. “I can’t have dinner with my family?”
Their father vibrated with resentment. “You abandoned your family.”
“Because I’m serving my country? I think a better response would’ve been, ‘thanks, son, you’ve made us proud’.”
Howard shook his head in violent spurts. “Did you know about your brother and this girl?”
Lincoln bristled. His father hadn’t even tried to hide his contempt for Cameron.
“She just told me.” Shaking off the need to defend her, Lincoln stepped forward and offered his hand to Kellen. “Congrats. Guess the best man won.”
Kellen’s teeth clenched. “Don’t touch me.”
“Come sit down, boys,” their mother pleaded. “You’re making a scene.”
Howard pointed her way. “Grab your purse, Elaine. We’re leaving. This engagement isn’t happening.”
Despite the hateful look his father threw him, Lincoln’s stomach unclenched. He prayed his father was right.
“I’d reconsider if I were you,” Kellen called after him. “Wouldn’t want any mistakes from the past to resurface.”
The threat confirmed Lincoln’s greatest fears.
Their father didn’t falter. Their mother, always the obedient puppet, hurried over to her boys with her purse slung over her shoulder. “Why don’t we let him sleep on this? You can both stop by for brunch in the morning. It’s been so long since our family has indulged in a meal together.” Her gray eyes captured Lincoln’s. “Please, sweetheart. Don’t leave town before spending time with your family.”
Something softened deep inside Lincoln. She hadn’t always been a heartless bitch. He would’ve done anything to get a glimpse of the woman who made him crepes when he had a bad day, read to him every night, and taught him how to roast the perfect marshmallow before he attended his first overnight camp. “I’ll see what I can do,” he conceded.
After embracing Lincoln one last time, she stepped back to scowl at Kellen. “I don’t know what ridiculousness you were attempting to achieve tonight by bringing this woman here, claiming you’re going to marry her, but I would strongly suggest you don’t go up against your father. The four of us have been through enough. I don’t want to see this family completely destroyed.”
“What’s the matter, Mother?” Kellen asked, eyebrows lifted. “Jealous I actually want to marry someone out of love, and not because of their wealth?”
Fury threatened to knock Lincoln off his feet. Was he claiming he loved Cameron?
Their mother drew her hand back, prepared to slap Kellen, but glanced over her shoulder at the nearest occupied table, and seemed to think better of it. With her chin held high, she spun away to trail after her husband.
Fingers twitching against the palms of his hands, Lincoln glanced Cameron’s way. She stood stoic beside the table, arms wrapped around her small waist, watching him with uncertainty. Knowing she’d be going back to him after the charade sent heat rushing through his body.
“We should grab some drinks,” he told his brother. “Seems we have a lot of catching up to do.”
“What, like we’re old friends?” Shaking his head, Kellen chuckled. “You’re taking the news that your girl now belongs to me pretty damn well. Don’t you want to break my nose again?”
Taunting him over what happened that fateful night went beyond Lincoln’s tolerance. As he started for him, intending to crack his skull wide open, Cameron rushed in between them.
“Don’t do this here,” she told Kellen, setting her hand on his chest. “Let’s just go home.”
Home. The word festered in Lincoln’s gut until he was sure he’d paint the marble floor with his spew. She was playing the part too well.
Throwing Lincoln a prideful sneer, Kellen wrapped his arms around her stomach from behind. Lincoln wanted to break off both his brother’s legs and stuff them down his throat. “I didn’t expect our father to condone this marriage, but it’s still happening.” One of his hands slid up and down Cameron’s belly while he dusted his lips over her jaw. “We’ll be sure to send you an invite, brother.”
Cameron’s tear-filled eyes met Lincoln’s, obliterating his world. As Kellen led her away, she didn’t turn to give Lincoln a last glance—a sliver of reassurance that she’d be okay, and they were still doing the right thing.
Standing rooted in place, Lincoln vibrated from head to toe. He would go after his brother with everything he had.
* * *
A doorbell ripped Lincoln from a hard sleep. Prying his heavy eyes open, he found himself curled up with an empty bottle of his favorite bourbon in a massive bed. The last thing he remembered was an older woman hitting on him in the hotel bar as he drank himself stupid.
He was unable to shake the image of his brother smirking with the knowledge of what he’d done to Cameron, and the fact that he didn’t plan on releasing her from his web of deceit. Lincoln had messed up by crashing their dinner. From that point forward, Kellen would regard Cameron as another competition.
The suite’s doorbell rang again. He stumbled out of bed. Since no one else knew of his location, there was a good chance it was Cameron. When he opened the door, she launched into his arms, wrapping herself around him like a kola bear.
“Baby,” she gasped, pausing to kiss him, “I’m so sorry I put you through that!”
“I’m the one who should be sorry you ever got involved with my family.” Gathering her into his arms, he kissed every inch of her wet face. “I can’t let you do this, Quinn. I won’t let you pretend with that monster any longer.”
“I know,” she answered with a sad smile. “I was up all night thinking the same thing. I came here to tell you that I still plan to go after the money, but I’m leaving him.”
With a swoop of relief, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Thank you.”
“We’ll have to act fast. How long after you return to Coronado before you have another couple of days off?”
“They’re letting us off Sunday through Tuesday.”
“I should be able to get everything in order for the Caymans by then. We have to do this quickly before he suspects anything.”
Sometimes when she looked at him, he could still see the young girl he first fell in love with. But that day was not one of them. He worried he’d never see that innocent girl again now that he knew the level of suffering she’d endured at his brother’s hands.
Her fingers sunk into his beard, and her lips curled with the slightest of smiles. “Linc, you don’t have to worry about me while you’re gone. Everything will work out. I’ll come down Saturday, and book us a flight out of San Diego on Sunday morning.”
Even though he had no choice, he couldn’t stand the idea of leaving her behind with Kellen still around. However it ended, he vowed to avenge her heartache with whatever means necessary.
14
The toilet in the suite’s bathroom flushed, and Lincoln strutted back into the bedroom. With the sight of his massive body, all hard lines and smooth skin, Cameron’s mouth turned bone dry. He was so damn beautiful, especially when he broke out in a toothy grin. She wished they had more time together.
At least she hadn’t soured the mood by telling him the real reason she’d left—that Kellen had been so insistent she sleep with him after the dinner with his family that it took the threat of a large kitchen knife to get him to back down. She was sure Lincoln’s appearance was the reason for his insistence behind the rare request. The sick bastard would’ve wanted to celebrate the fact that he “won” his twin’s girl in the end.
“Are you going to your parents’ for brunch?” she asked.
His gorgeous features clouded over. “You expect me to face my brother again without rearranging his face?”
“No, but maybe he won’t show. Your mom seemed eager to see you.”
“I’ll come back to visit her another time.” Shrugging, he lowered back to the mattress, and pulled her into his arms. “I’m not wasting what little time we have left together before I have to go back. Hopefully by the time I leave tomorrow morning, you’ll change your mind and come with me. I won’t have a lot of free time, but I can at least sleep with you at night.”
Stroking his thick arm, she told herself she couldn’t entertain the idea. She had to wrap things up with Kellen, and prepare for the visit to the Caymans. “Why did you stop talking to your parents?”
His chest heaved. “A big part of it has to do with the fact that my mother wouldn’t stand up for me. Ever. The night they found you in my father’s office was the last straw. She’s nothing more than a slave to him…always doing what he wants in exchange for all the money she could ever want. And she knows he’s not a good man. I got fed up with her shit.”
She leaned down to kiss his thick bicep. Regardless of what he said, if she had stepped up and done the right thing, everything would’ve turned out differently. She winced with the dismal recollection of that night.
She passed through the open door of Howard Farrington’s office, breath held. Everything about the obscene mansion made her think of happier times with Lincoln. Part of her hoped he’d wake and find her, and somehow everything would be okay. Since their breakup, she’d become nothing more than a shadow of the happy girl she’d been when they were together. It felt like he had cut her in half and left her to bleed out.
She stared up at the jersey safely preserved inside a lit glass case, wondering why anyone was willing to pay obscene amounts of money for something dirty and used. She had no idea what she would do with it other than hand it over to Rebecca’s drug dealer, and beg him to sell it to settle the debt. As much as she often resented her mom back in those days, she didn’t want her to leave Cameron the way her dad had. With Lincoln out of her life, it would leave her utterly alone.
The case was locked. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her heart seize with every little noise in the otherwise still house. She had to act fast, before she lost her nerve, or someone caught her. Clutching a giant stone sculpture on his father’s desk, she launched it at the glass.
Red lights flashed. A wailing alarm sounded. Her heart slammed still. Rebecca was as good as dead if they sent her to jail.
Yelping, she snatched the jersey from the broken display, and started for a window overlooking the backyard. Unless she wanted to get caught, she only had seconds to escape.
All at once, the alarm and flashing lights stopped. Then she heard, “Quinn? What are you doing?”
Relief swooshed through her. She spun around to face Lincoln in low-slung pajama bottoms, hair mussed. There was no mistaking the warmth behind his baffled stare. He still cared.
The need to run into his arms and confess her actions came to a screeching halt when Howard Farrington burst into the room wearing a black robe over black pajama pants. He wielded a gun.
“What the hell is going on in here?” he demanded, scowling between Cameron and his son. His eyes slid over to the broken case, then to the jersey in her hand. “Nothing about this situation should surprise me, you conniving thief.” His lips quirked with a smirk. “Set it down and back away. The cops will be here soon to take care of you.”
“What are you going to do, shoot her?” Lincoln roared, anchoring himself in his father’s way. “She wasn’t stealing anything. It was me. I handed it to her while I was trying to silence the alarm.”
Cameron gasped. Why would he shoulder the blame?
“You can’t expect me to believe that,” his father snickered, lowering the gun.
“Cameron and I are running away together. I love her, and I won’t let you stop us. I’m done letting you control me.”
Tears thickened in her throat. She placed her hands on Lincoln’s bare back, feeling the muscles in his shoulders twitch. He said he loved her with so much conviction that she believed it with all her heart. She watched over his shoulder as his father raised the gun again. “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re not going to throw your future away for a junkie’s daughter.”
Lincoln’s mother and Kellen scrambled into the room, eyes equally wild as they tried to piece the scene together.
“I just buzzed the police in through the front gate,” Elaine informed her husband. Lips curled, she set her hand on his forearm. “Put the gun down, Howard. Let them take out the trash.”
“She
didn’t do anything,” Lincoln insisted, pulling Cameron tight up against him. She foolishly believed everything would be okay. Maybe his parents would let it slide, and leave the incident behind. Lincoln took the jersey from her hands. “I needed the money so her and I could start a new life somewhere else.”
Elaine’s mouth dropped. Kellen cackled loudly. The police announced their presence from the front door, and Howard lowered his gun.
“Back here!” he hollered over his shoulder.
Two uniformed officers entered the room. Cameron clutched Lincoln when she noticed their hands rested over the guns on their holsters.
“I’d like you to arrest my son,” Howard told the men. “I caught him trying to steal that jersey. It’s very valuable.”
“No!” Cameron cried.
As the officers exchanged a questioning look, Lincoln squeezed her hand. “I’ll be okay, Quinn.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” the older of the two men questioned Howard.
Lincoln’s father nodded with conviction. “He needs to learn a lesson.”
Elaine clung to her husband’s arm, and Kellen’s lips spread with a wide, menacing smile. Cameron couldn’t believe his family was going to stand there and let it happen.
As the officers started for Lincoln, she jumped in their way. “You can’t do this! He didn’t do anything!”
Lincoln tugged her back before one of the officers stepped behind him with a pair of handcuffs. “I’ll be okay,” he repeated. His dark brown eyes held hers, begging her not to say anything more as they cuffed his hands and guided him toward the door.
Cameron spun around to glare at Howard. “How can you do this to your own son?”
“Please escort this young lady on your way out,” he told the officer trailing behind Lincoln. His dark eyes blazed with hostility. “She’s trespassing.”
She heard Kellen snicker as the man hauled her away. She wanted to run back to claw the bastard’s eyes out. Instead, she waited until she saw Lincoln getting into the back of a squad car to shake the officer’s grip.