My brother sighed heavily. It was then that I noticed the bags under his eyes. He looked as if he’d lost weight, which wasn’t good because Thomas couldn’t afford to lose any weight. I was muscular, but he was lean. I worried about him.
“Lindsey wants a baby. She says if we have a baby, it will secure my reelection bid.” He leaned closer. “She wants it the old-fashioned way, Bailey. I offered to donate and do IVF, but she refused.”
It was no wonder Thomas looked like hell. “Have you had sex with her at any time?”
Thomas sighed. “Inaugural night, we had a threesome with Boyd. We were all drunk after the party. Boyd fucked me, and I fucked Lindsey.”
It was my turn to sigh. “So, Lindsey knows about Boyd?”
Thomas glanced at me before his face flamed. “Yes. I didn’t want to keep him a secret from her. She was always supportive of me and only asked if she could be part of my life. She wants to know who I might be involved with, and I’ve told her the same thing, but she’s never wanted to be with anyone else.”
That was interesting. He’d tied himself to his best friend, who was female and straight, and she hadn’t taken a lover like they’d agreed?
“Did she ask for a repeat performance? Did you use condoms that night?”
“I can’t remember if I used a condom. Boyd did though. You know, with his job and all, he’s required to use them. I must have worn one because Lindsey didn’t get pregnant.” Wait… He didn’t rememberfuckinghis wife? How could that be possible? As a gay man, I remembered everything I’d done with women. What happened that night?
“Thomas, have you had sex with Lindsey before or after that night?” Something was coming together in my head that I didn’t like.
My brother stared at his shoes. “I don’t know. I have these weird dreams where we’re having sex, but I wake up in bed alone. I’m… I’m not sure what’s going on.”
Okay, that was something to investigate. “Does Lindsey ever hit…?” Fuck if I could say it to him.
“She’s not hurting me, Bailey. She loves me.”
I couldn’t take this shit any longer. “Is she loving you to death, Thomas? Is she drugging you and getting you to fuck her in hopes of getting pregnant? What the hell is going on?”
Thomas turned toward me, anger flaring in his gaze. “You know what, Bailey? You’ve never been in love. You’ve never had a fucking relationship. You know nothing about what you’d do for someone you love.”
I chuckled at his defensive lashing out. “No, Thomas. You know nothing. You know nothing about me. I have a goddamn relationship, which I left to come check on your bullshit.
“Boyd isn’t the one blackmailing you, little brother. From what I can confirm, it’s his body double, Danny Bolls. I can’t find the fucker, but he’s the one who sent the text, and he’s the one I beat the fuck out of in the park. I can’t find him, but I’m not done looking.”
“Danny Bolls? No. Danny wouldn’t do that,” Thomas protested.
I wanted to punch my brother in the throat. He wasn’t making any sense at all.
“You know Danny Bolls?” My voice lifted an octave.
“Not really. Only what Boyd has told me about him. Why would he try to blackmail me?”
I exhaled. “He was the one who came for the money, Thomas. He was the one who picked up the duffel in the park and tried to take it. Who are these fucking people you have in your life?”
That was the question, wasn’t it? Who the fuck had Thomas allowed into his life?
I drove to my apartment after leaving the mansion with no more information than when I’d arrived. Thomas wasn’t giving anything up, and Lindsey hadn’t come out of her room.
What more could I do?
I decided to figure out what I wanted to take with me back to Vegas and what I wanted to donate. Not much of it was worth anything, but it was mine to deal with.
As I went through the cabinets in the kitchen, my phone pinged. I pulled it from my pocket and saw it was Jagger calling me. I swiped to answer.
“Hey, babe. How are you?” I wished to fuck I hadn’t been so damned stubborn and had asked him to come with me to Carson City.
“It’s been a long day. How about you?” There was tension in Jagger’s voice that I didn’t like.
I chuckled. “My brother’s fucked up right now. I’m still trying to figure out what the hell is going on with him. It’s a real mess.”
