Michael lookedrough.
Dark circles under his eyes, rumpled suit, stubble overgrown in ways Noah hadn’t seen since their dad died. He was swaying slightly, and Noah couldn’t tell if it was on purpose or not.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show up at work when you don’t have to,” Noah said as he pulled his office door closed behind him. “Must be pretty important, Mikey.”
He waited for Michael to sneer at him. But Michael just stood there, the swaying coming to an easy stop.
“He calls me that,” Michael said flatly. “Your sugar… guy. Calls meMikey. You tell him he could call me that?”
“He doesn’t need my permission,” Noah said, feeling deeply fond of Benji as he imagined Benji getting up in Michael’s face, defiant and hissing. The nickname would have been harsh andmocking coming out of his mouth. Noah only wished he’d heard it.
Michael sniffed. He looked… different, Noah noticed. Before, he was wide-eyed and desperate, even when drunk. This version of him was quieter. More still. Like he’d accepted things a little more.
“Am I invited to the wedding?” Michael asked dryly. He said it with an eyeroll, but Noah could see the genuine question behind it. He wanted to be invited. And suddenly, Noah even wanted to invite him. He was his big brother. Despite all their differences, despite what a stupidshitMichael had been, Noah loved him.
But Benji came first. Benji would always come first, now.
“Are you going to stop trying to ruin my fiancé’s life?” Noah replied. “I haven’t even talked to you about Chet yet. You brought hisdadinto it? Can we expect his mother to appear out of Vegas anytime soon?”
“Thought about it. Couldn’t find her.” Michael smiled, like he was making a joke.
Noah sighed. “Get out of my building, Mikey.”
“Wait, I didn’t mean it.” Michael reached up as if he were going to grab him. But before Noah could step back, Michael stopped. Dropped his hands. He even stepped back, bowing his head. It made Noah remember something about their childhood: their dad taking them to their first game of golf, igniting a lifelong passion in Michael and a lifelong hatred in Noah. Their dad had been talking to a caddy, who had been avoiding his eyes the whole time. And after he left, their dad had turned to them and said,Never drop your head when talking to another man. It shows weakness.
Michael never showed weakness willingly. Except now, apparently.
His mouth moved wordlessly. For a shocking second, Noah actually thought he might apologize. As if that could make up for the mess that he’d dragged them all into.
Then Michael stepped back again, rubbing his mouth in embarrassment. “I’m still not getting sued, right? For the…”
He motioned at nothing, encapsulating the millions of dollars he’d embezzled from clients who trusted them.
“Not to my knowledge,” Noah said coldly. “And if someone tries, I’ll handle it.”
Michael gnawed at his lip. Noah watched him struggle against the words, something Michael was deeply unused to. Usually, he blurted out whatever was on his mind and hoped he had the charisma to make them sound charming.
There was no charisma in his voice as he admitted, “I still think he’s using you.”
“I don’t care what you think,” Noah said. “He’s mine. Do you understand? And you do not come after what’s mine. Not Benji, not Max, not Tia?—”
Michael scoffed. “Tia’s fine. She got that fashion job, right? Didn’t she always talk about that? If anything, I did her a favor.”
Noah gritted his teeth and stepped closer, watching as Michael forced himself not to flinch back.
“None of them,” Noah said quietly. “Do you hear me? I’ve protected you this far. But I can start taking away safety nets.”
“Protectedme,” Michael repeated with a thin, resentful smile. “Youfiredme. You ruined mylife.”
“You ruined your own life,” Noah told him. “For fuck’s sake, Mikey. You’re a criminal. You had everything, and you wrecked it for no fucking reason. And because I’m too soft for my own good, I let you keep your money. Your contacts. You can go do something else. So go do it and leave me and my people alone.”
Michael’s eyes went hard. His upper lip curled, and Noah braced himself for his older brother’s vitriol.
“Yourpeople,” Michael said. He took a deep breath…
And then wilted. Just a fraction, the movement so small Noah wouldn’t have noticed it unless he was watching closely.
Michael averted his eyes. “Fine.”
