“I knew there was a chance I’d get the dose wrong. I prepared for the worst-case scenario, Luc! Doesn’t that prove I’m well? I just didn’t want this whole rigmarole.”
I didn’t tell him that I’d acted as the guinea pig multiple times while developing the compound.
The only person who knew that was Sofia Voronova and I highly doubted she was in a group chat with my brother and sister.
“You shouldn’t be testing your own drugs.”
“I’m not suicidal. I know what I’m doing.”
“That’s what terrifies me. You think you do but you don’t.” Shoulders slumping, he muttered, “I miss when you were my dumbass baby brother. Pulling stunts that almost got us killed, not that almost took your own life?—”
“Excuse my prefrontal cortex for needing to fully mature.”
“Thatis what I’m talking about. You’re too in your head now.” He sighed. “Never mind.”
In silence, I got to my feet and finished collecting my things. Eventually, I asked, “Have you heard from Alina?”
His mouth tightened, which was all the answer I needed.
No.
Alina was Evangeline's mother and Luc’s one-time housekeeper, but she'd quit last year to open her own restaurant. An ultra-traditional kind of woman, it had taken losing her daughter to change her perspective. Which was a bitch because she’d been against Evangeline getting a career of her own.
A part of me was sure that I grieved her loss too. Especially as I couldn’t visit her restaurant. Not when I knew I’d come face-to-face with her disappointment in me—she’d wanted me to propose to Evangeline and I hadn’t.
My focus shifted onto his phone when he shoved it in front of me. “What’s this?”
“Read it.”
The recent passing of billionaire ‘philanthropist’ Graham Brackton Sr. may not have been as clear-cut as the authorities wish us to believe.
My eyes bugged.“Wait, Brackton Sr.’s dead?”
“You hadn’t heard?” He shook his head. “I’m not sure why I’m asking. I’m surprised you even know his name.”
“He’s that dipshit who pushed hard for Devere to become Davidson’s running mate, then has been funding Devere’s reelection campaign, right? The one who’s all about Christian values but’s a regular with our escorts? And whose son snorts more coke than a gaggle of 90s supermodels?”
Luc chortled. “That’s the one. Whale spenders. The pair of them.”
I’d never had the patience for hypocrites, but I sure as fuck didn’ttoday. “When did he croak, and why is it relevant to us? Aside from affecting our bottom line, of course.”
“Two nights ago. It’s taken over the headlines.”
“Ah, that’s why I’ve missed it then. I’ve been steering clear of things that irritate me. Including my siblings.”
Ignoring my grousing, he ordered, “Carry on reading.”
According to my sources, a long-range bullet killed him. One that traveled from such a distance only a professional could have pulled off the hit.
The type of professional that our alphabet agencies train…
This isn’t the first time I’ve brought up the bromance between Brackton and our president. You know, our commander in chief?
He’d have perfect access to the records of agents with that kind of experience.
But what could have triggered a breakup between these two? Especially when Brackton’s super PAC is heavily backing Devere’s reelection campaign…
During Brackton’s final hours on this planet, did the pair argue?
