Drew nodded. “I know. But you know Sebastian never accepted it. He wanted accountability. He wanted somebodypunished.”
Cam rubbed his fingers against his forehead again. It had been impossible to punish anyone, of course, when nobody had walked away from the crash. He remembered Bas’s reaction vividly, since it had involved piles of shattered glass in the living room of their parents’ home, and had preceded Bas falling off the face of the earth for a solid week. It had been the first disappearance ofmany.
“What the hell was he looking for when he hackedthem?”
“You think I’d know?” Drew snorted. “Two years ago, I could have told you every single thought in your brother’s head. We sharedeverything. But I lost him after the crash the same way I lostAmy.”
His words were so bleak, the sentiment so close to what Cam himself had felt, that Cam felt his angersubside.
“I think it was probably even earlier,” he said quietly. “You thought he was crazy when he asked Amy to marryhim.”
Drew chuckled. “True. I never understood what they had in common. Amy was… Well, you know. Flighty. And Bas wasmine. My friend, Imean.”
Cam nodded. Bas and Drew had been inseparable. He wondered for the first time if missing Bas had prompted Drew to start dating Cam in the first place. Trying to substitute one brother for the other. It had never really been aboutCamatall.
He glanced back at the spot where his Viking had been standing, but the man had moved, maybe even left for good. He scanned across the far side of the room, but there was no onethere.
Figured.
“I don’t like thinking about this shit,” Drew said, drinking deeply. “And I knowyoudon’t like thinking about it either - God, you never even visit your parents’ graves. I didn’t want the investigation to bring it all back, so I made sure it wentaway.”
“I don’t need to visit their graves, Drew. There’s nothing there but names and dates.” This was familiar territory, too - an argument they’d had a hundred times. Cam wouldn’t be baited. This wasn’t abouthim, this was about Drew keeping things fromhim.
Drew pierced him with a glance. “And you don’t need to cry. And you were fine boxing up all your parents’ shit and selling the house two months after they died. And you don’t need to hang out with your friends or volunteeranymore.”
Cam sighed. “Can we pleasenot…”
“You run away from everything emotional,” Drewconcluded.
Cam shook his head firmly. “And here we were getting along for a whole five minutes.” Why was everything with Drew so fucking complicated? He hardened his voice. “From now on, full communication.Understood?”
Drew lifted his drink in a mocking salute. “Sure thing,boss.”
Cam slammed back the rest of his own drink and straightened. It was still early, but surely he’d endured enough torture for one night. Time to go. Maybe he’d see if the sexy Viking from earlier was out in the lobby,and…
Ha. Cam couldn’t even complete thefantasy.
A guy who looked like that would want nothing to do with a man like Cam. Cam would just head home and play videogames.
“Well, if it isn’t the gentlemen of thehour!”
Cam turned to see Lydia Tyndall beaming at them, and Cam found himself returning her smile with practiced ease. “Thanks so much forcoming.”
Lydia’s smile grew even warmer. “Camden, dear, I wouldn’t miss it. SafeWater was like your mother’s third child, after all. She’d be proud to see how well you’ve done withit.”
Cam’s coughed to cover the sudden tightness in his throat. “Thank you.”God.This was why he preferred spending his evenings gaming. Emotions wereexhausting.
She turned to Drew and put a hand on his shoulder, then beamed at them both. “And now the two of you will return the favor when you come to St. Brigitte nextweek!”
The Tyndalls’ fundraiser, the one Uncle Shaw had mentioned. “No, I’m afraid I can’t makeit.”
Mrs. Tyndall looked crestfallen. “Oh, butCamden!”
Drew lookedannoyed.
“I told Lydia earlier we’d be attending,” he said in a harsh whisper, the kind of whisper that saidDon’t be childish, Cam. Don’t argue in public. We’ll discuss thislater.
Once again, Drew had made a selfish decision without consulting or considering him at all. Immediately, his anger wasback.
