BLACK CRIMSON (Fairy Tale Quartet #4)

10. Brick

10

Brick

About an hour after Camille Blanchette left my office with her ultimatum simmering in the air, I quietly closed the file folder containing all the guesses she had about my identity. Then I sat back in my chair, laced my fingers behind my head, and looked up at the ceiling, only to mutter, “Fuck.”

She didn’t even have to be right about her assumptions; she had enough circumstantial coincidences to publish this, and not a soul would believe I wasn’t Black Crimson.

This definitely wasn’t something I could just blow off and forget about. Rocking in my chair a couple of seconds longer, I remained at my desk, debating my options, but there was really only one thing left to do.

One person left to talk to.

And I really didn’t want to have to confess this to him. I could already hear the damn lecture he was going to drag out and heap on me this time.

Shaking my head miserably, I heaved myself from my chair and snatched the file into my hand before letting myself out of my office.

It wasn’t a very thin file either. Camille had definitely done her homework and gathered all kinds of information about me. I could tell exactly how intrigued and fascinated and fixated she’d become about my alter ego. And I had to say, it was nice to know when someone you wanted had a raging crush on you right back. Not that I was allowed to act on it, but still…

It was nice to know.

Except it wasn’t something I could dwell on at the moment.

I’d barely started down the hall before a familiar voice from behind me snarled, “I can’t believe you actually talked to that journalist.”

Slowing to a stop, I turned to find Adelyn, a designer from the Belts department.

Honestly, I couldn't believe she was talking to me. The last time we’d spoken—even though neither of us had actually said a single word to each other—she’d slapped me across the face. Hard.

Squinting at her because she was looking directly at me, so she must be talking to me, I said, “Excuse me?”

“That redhead,” she muttered with a jealous kind of sniff. “I saw her in your office with you. She tried to get into the building earlier, but I wouldn’t let her in. She absolutely reeked of reporter, sniffing around for more tidbits about your mother, no doubt. God, I hope you didn’t tell her about me. I don’t want anyone to actually know I was ever with the son of that murderer.”

Going very still, I took a moment to simply digest her words.

And you know, it didn’t really bother me that she called my mother a murderer. I mean, that was just stating a fact. I’d called Lana so much worse in my time. But being associated with said murderer, as if my hands were stained too, just because she’d given birth to me and raised me, grated against every nerve ending in my body.

“Fine,” I told Adelyn, shrugging her off. “I won’t say a word, since, you know, I’d forgotten about that, anyway.”

And I turned away, leaving her there to gape after me incredulously. Yet, all the while, this insane urge to punch something stole over me. I hated being painted with the same brush as Lana. I wasn’t her. I wasn’t like her. And I hated being associated with her in any way.

She’d been hateful and vindictive and had manipulated me my whole life. I just wanted to be rid of her.

Damn Adelyn.

She was just bitter. Which was also Lana’s fault. Mommy dearest had been upset with me for something I’d done—I can’t even remember what now—so she’d gotten all the women I’d currently been having a little recreational fun with to simultaneously hate me by telling them about each other.

It wasn’t like I’d lied to anyone. All participants knew I was not an exclusive kind of guy. And they’d been fine with that. They hadn’t been monogamous either. They just hadn’t been fine with learning who else I was not being exclusive with. But I guess women really didn’t like it when they discovered the man they were screwing was also screwing their mortal enemies.

Sure, I’d known they didn’t get along with each other. But they all went to the same hairdressers, bought their clothes from the same department stores, ordered their drinks from the same shop on the corner. How was I supposed to know they wouldn’t like having their p*****s licked by the same tongue? I wasn’t a damn mind reader.

And that had been months ago, anyway. I think Adelyn had even moved through a few different fellows since then. So what was with her attitude?

I honestly didn’t know, but she and her non-friends, who’d been provoked by my mother to despise me, were the very reason I’d been trying to stay away from women lately, especially the variety that worked in the same building as me.

But, you know, maybe if I hadn’t gone dormant and I was still having indiscriminate s*x with any willing partner who came along, I might not be in the situation I was in now.

I wouldn’t have been feeling so starved for a nice long o****m, to begin with, so I probably wouldn’t have flirted with Mayhem so hard on the street that night. Or outside Gabby and Hayden’s place after their party. And thus, I never would’ve hit her radar as Black Crimson at all.

But, no…

My f*****g i***t c**k craved her, and now look at where I’d found myself.

Facing my big brother and confessing my mistakes, dammit.

After knocking once, I opened the door to Hayden’s office and strolled inside, shutting us in the room alone. Then I dropped into the chair across his desk from him and ran my hands over my hair before I hissed out a long, disgusted breath.

I hated having to tell him whenever I’d f****d up.

He glanced up briefly from his work, his expression shuttered as usual, before returning his attention to whatever he was typing on his computer.

“Did you want something?” he finally asked.

“Camille,” I replied.

He paused writing whatever message he was typing and lifted his gaze again, blinking in confusion. “Are we just tossing out names? Okay, fine. I’ll go next. Robert.”

“Camy,” I said with more force, sitting forward and hoping that version of her name resonated with him more. “Friend of your wife. Friend of Kaitlynn. Curvy little peach with red hair, nose ring, short black dress, Mary Jane shoes, and an ankle tattoo.” That I still hadn’t seen up close and gotten to read yet. “Ring any bells?”

“Oh! Camille,” he repeated, his brow furrowing as he frowned at me. “What about her?” Then his eyes flared with horror. “Oh God. You didn’t sleep with her, did you? For f**k’s sake, Broderick! She’s Gabriella’s friend.”

“Unfortunately, no,” I muttered and tossed her file onto his computer’s keyboard before flopping back in my chair and propping my feet up on his desk to get comfortable. “I haven’t had that particular pleasure yet. But she just dropped by my office for a visit and decided to share a copy of some notes with me that she recently gathered.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “Notes about what?”

He turned his attention to the file before flipping his gaze back to me questioningly.

I rolled out a hand. “Go ahead and take a look. See for yourself.”

Slowly, Hayden reached out and opened the folder, still squinting out his confusion as he leaned forward to read. Not too long into his perusal, his eyes flared. “Holy s**t,” he murmured as his gaze flashed to me. “She knows. How the hell does she know all this?”

Lacing my hands and resting them on my stomach, I threw my head back and then groaned. “I…might’ve run into her on the street after making my last piece, and then she might’ve recognized me, I guess, at your big wedding party.”

After I had stupidly told her I was the hooded figure from the street.

“You let someone see you?” Hayden hissed in outrage. “Dammit, Brick. How many times have I told you not to go out alone anymore?”

“Well, you’re a married man now. I didn’t want to involve you?”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t have involved yourself either. I thought you’d finally be getting over this need to tag s**t. Lana’s behind bars, justice is served. We can get on with our lives.”

I didn’t have an answer for that one. I just knew I couldn’t stop yet. He might’ve been able to get on with his life. But it still felt like she was there, involved in everything I did. I couldn’t read the damn paper without her name flashing across some headline. And now, apparently, I couldn’t even sleep with a woman without being referred to as the murderer’s son.

So I still needed…

Something—I don’t know—anything to help me prove to myself that I was me. My own person. And I didn’t have anything to do with her.

“What does Camille want?” Hayden asked, jarring me out of my thoughts. “Do you even know?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “She wants an interview. An exclusive. She works at the paper, I guess.”

“In the advertising department,” Hayden clarified on a snort. “She sells ad spaces to businesses. She’s not an actual writer.”

She wasn’t? Okay, that was news to me. Mayhem had bluffed me good on that point.

A small grin lifted my lips. I had to admire her bullshitting skills. The girl could talk a big game when she wanted to.

“Well,” I said to Hayden. “I guess she wants to become one, then, because she’s definitely hot and bothered to make me her big break.”

“Christ,” he muttered, rubbing his forehead as he skimmed through the folder, growing broodier and more Hayden-like with every page he flipped. Finally, he sighed, disgusted enough to shut the entire folder so he could scowl at me. “You know, it doesn’t matter if she gets an interview from you or not. All she has to do is publish this, and everyone will know. Or they’ll believe it enough that you’ll be guilty anyway. You’ll be exposed.”

“I know,” I grumbled, sending him a hard look. “So what do I do?”

“How the f**k should I know?” he exploded, lifting his arms in exasperation. “Do I look like our mother? I don’t know the first thing about how to get rid of unwanted problems like this.”

“She doesn’t know about you, if that makes you feel any better,” I tossed out casually. “Camille. She thinks I’ve done this all alone.”

My brother paused from running his hands through his hair to scowl my way. “Why the hell would that make me feel any better? Would the fact that you’d probably get off scot-free while I took the fall for everything we’d done together make you feel better?”

I shrugged. No, but…

“I started this by myself,” I reminded him. He technically hadn’t painted as many walls as I had. And he’d never done a job alone as I had.

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Well, instead of joining you when I found out about it, I could’ve just shut you down. But I didn’t, so I’m in this just as deeply as you are. Got it? Besides, hitting Pestle and the mayor’s house were my ideas. I wouldn’t just stand aside and watch you go down for this alone.”

“Does your wife even know?” I asked.

As Hayden sighed and pinched his nose, I lifted my eyebrows. “She doesn’t? Wow, man. That’s quite a secret to keep from your other half.”

Hayden dropped his hand and glared at me. “It wasn’t my secret alone to reveal to anyone.”

“Alright, then.” I nodded, making the decision for him. “I’m giving you my permission to tell our secret to your wife. If you want any chance to stay married to her, you better tell her before that redheaded friend of hers does.”

“Dammit.” Hissing out a shaky stream of air, my brother bowed his head and nodded. “You’re right. Thanks. I’ll tell her tonight.”

I watched him steadily before asking, “How do you think she’ll react?”

He glanced up. “Gabby?” When I nodded, he smiled slightly. “Finding out about a little lawbreaking isn’t going to scare her off, convince her to turn us in, or expose us if that’s what you’re worried about.” Then he winced. “But I can’t imagine she’ll be very happy that I’ve kept it from her for this long.”

I shrugged. “As long as you don’t think she’ll leave you over it.” He’d been different since Gabriella had come into his life. Still broody. But a better broody. A brighter broody. It was a good look on him. I didn't want his happily-ever-after to end too quickly. Even if I did think marriage and commitment was stupid; it didn’t seem so stupid on my brother.

His lips shifted into a quasi-smile. “No, she won’t leave. I’ll have to do a little penance, I’m sure, but she’ll stay. She’s going to have too much fun making me suffer for this to go anywhere anytime soon.”

With a grin, I nodded. “I knew I liked that woman.”

Hayden grunted and sent me a short scowl. “Maybe we can get Gabriella to talk to Camille and get her to back off.”

But I shook my head. “No. Don’t tell her about Camille. Or at least ask her not to tell Camille what she now knows. I want to see if Little Red goes to either Gabby or Kaitlynn about this first. I’m starting to think I want to deal with her and her research myself.”

“Oh Jesus,” Hayden groaned. “Please don’t tell me you’re going to try to seduce her into keeping your secrets. Because the moment you leave her high and dry, it’s all going to come back to bite you in the ass. That is the worst idea ever. Trust me.”

I sent him a dry scowl. “No, I’m not going to seduce her into silence. Really, bro?” But my glare almost immediately switched into a grin before I added, “Besides, I’m pretty sure I could get her to sleep with me apart from convincing her to drop the Black Crimson bullshit.”

“f**k,” he muttered, shaking his head sadly before sending me a stern glance. “Or you could just keep your d**k out of the situation entirely,” he suggested.

I sent him an incredulous scowl and decided not to tell him that his wife had already warned me away. Instead, I said, “What the hell kind of fun would that be?”

“Brick...” He sighed.

“Hayden,” I countered, setting my hand on the desk and arching a single eyebrow. “Relax. I got this. Now tell me everything you know about her, so I can figure out how to play my cards right.”

He grumbled under his breath and ran a hand through his hair again. “I don’t know much. She started some book club that only Gabby, Kaitlynn, and Nash’s sister are in. And she likes romance novels.”

“I knew all that already. What else you got?”

Hayden shrugged, looking clueless, which I’m not sure was an expression I’d ever seen him look before.

It was...weird.

“Come on, man,” I encouraged, snapping my fingers. “You gotta know more than that. How did Kaity and Gabs even get to know her in the first place in order to start a book club with them?”

“Oh!” Hayden sat up suddenly and met my eyes. “Her grandmother. Camille’s grandmother lives in the same building as the girls used to, right across the hall from Kaitlynn’s old apartment, I believe.”

One of my eyebrows lifted. “Really?” Now we were getting somewhere. “Directly across the hall from Kaity?”

“Mm-hmm,” Hayden affirmed with a nod of his head as his eyes glimmered with triumph. “And Camille’s extremely close with her grandmother from what I’ve heard, as in, I believe they’re the only family either of them has left.”

“Well, now, isn’t that just interesting?” I murmured, tapping my fingers in excitement against the top of his desk.

Wasn’t that interesting, indeed?

I liked how Hayden didn’t feel the need to warn me not to hurt anyone. He knew I wouldn’t. He knew I wouldn’t do anything too immoral or in any way harm another living soul. I mean, I wasn’t entirely sure yet what I would do with the information, but at least my brother knew which lines I’d cross and wouldn’t cross with it.

At least he knew I wasn’t our mother. And I had to admit, it was nice to have someone in my life that had so much faith in me.

Giving him a nod of respect, I rose to my feet and started for the door, saying, “I’ll check back later.”

“Sounds good. But, uh, hey. Before you go…”

I glanced back, frowning slightly over the uneasy wince on his face. “Yeah?”

He sighed and scrubbed his face. “Maybe you should sit down for this one.”

“Okay.” I slowly moved back to the chair and sat but didn’t slouch like I had been before. Remaining on the edge of my seat, I waited for him to drop whatever bomb he had. Because from his expression, it looked like a big one.

“Since I’m going to be telling Gabby something I should’ve said a while back, I guess it’s time to tell you something I’ve known that I haven’t told you about.”

“About what?” I asked.

“About Isaac,” he said, lowering his voice even more as he spoke our older, half brother’s name. “Gabby and I found a letter from him in Lana’s things when we were working to bring her down. And…” Shaking his head, he looked down at his hands before hissing out a long breath.

I glanced at my own hands. When I found a hangnail on my thumb, I brought it to my mouth and bit off the sliver of skin before spitting it out. Then I glanced toward Hayden. “If you’re trying to tell me he’s actually my biological father, not my brother, I already know, bro.”

“What?” His gaze shot to me. “You do? Since when?”

I shrugged and made a face. I didn’t really like thinking about this, so talking about it was worse. Gut tensing with unpleasant memories, I said, “I don’t know. Since I was, like, twelve or something.”

“What?!” Pushing to his feet, Hayden stood over his desk to gape at me. “How the hell did you figure it out?”

“I didn’t exactly figure anything out,” I admitted, rolling my eyes. “It was in the middle of my wild stage, so Mom dragged me to his place one night and tried to pawn me off on him. Knocked on his door and pushed me forward to say, ‘he’s your son; you take him,’ the moment he answered.”

“Holy s**t,” Hayden murmured, shaking his head slowly. “And what did he do?”

“He shut the door in our face,” I answered. “Refused to have anything to do with me.”

My own mother hadn’t wanted me, and apparently neither had my biological father. I was ready to continue to the next topic because this one sucked ass.

But apparently, my brother needed time to process.

“Motherfucker,” he growled before reseating himself and running a hand through his hair. “So he knew. Holy s**t, that pisses me off. All these years, and he knew you were his.”

“How could he not know?” I asked, wrinkling my face into an incredulous expression. “He f****d our mother, and nine months later, I was born. Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.”

“But Dad never knew,” Hayden insisted. “My dad anyway. He never treated you any differently than he treated me. So he and Lana must’ve been…” He shook his head, declining to use the graphic terminology.

So I did for him, finishing with, “Bumping uglies about the same time I was conceived? Yeah, she was probably screwing both father and son around the same time frame. Classy, huh?” As Hayden grimaced, I added, “But it was definitely Isaac’s sperm that stuck because I look a hell of a lot more like the Rossi side of the family than I do Charles’s side, and I shouldn’t look like the Rossis at all since that was Isaac’s mother’s branch of the tree and not connected to us in the least.”

“You’re right. I never saw it before, but you do take after the Rossis.” Shaking his head, my brother finally asked, “So why did you never tell me any of this?”

“I don’t know.” I tried to shrug it off. But he looked so concerned I decided to just put it out there. “I guess I didn’t want you looking at me differently and slamming a door in my face, like Isaac had.”

“Brick,” he started, shock clear in his voice.

I waved a hand, cutting him off. “Before Arthur and Kaitlynn came along, you were the only solid, dependable thing in my life. And I just couldn’t take the chance of finding out what you’d do if you ever learned we were only half brothers…” Cringing, I belatedly added, “As well as uncle and nephew.”

“Jesus, man,” he murmured in a low voice and his eyes filled with surprise. “Listen to me.” Leaning forward, he looked me straight in the eye before saying, “You are my brother. Half, full, adopted, it wouldn’t matter. You’re my brother. I’d never give up on you.”

“Yeah, well…” Clearing my throat because it suddenly felt like it was full of s**t, I pushed my way to my feet. “Good to know.” I started toward the door, ready to get the hell out of there because I’d revealed way too much.

Except Hayden softly said, “Hey.”

Dammit. Gritting my teeth, I tapped my toe to bring myself back under control, and then I glanced back, my voice thick when I said, “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking me steadily in the eye. And then he repeated the words that felt like an anvil on my chest. “I’m sorry I never made that clear enough to you before. But you’ve always been able to count on me to stay. No matter what. And you always will. Alright?”

I nodded to let him know I heard him. There was no way my voice would be in any condition to talk without cracking up, so I didn’t even attempt to speak.

But, hell, hooking up with Gabby had truly softened my brother, hadn’t it? He was able to look me straight in the eye and open up about emotional crap without batting a lash. It was eerie as hell. And, great, now I was really going to have to respond, or I was going to look like a pansy who couldn’t keep his s**t together.

My knee started to bob. Facing the door, I reached out to trace the surface of it with my fingers. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t like we could ever show how we truly felt with Lana around. She always found a way to use it against us. So…no worries. I get it.”

“I still could’ve tried more with you. When she wasn’t around.”

I sent him an incredulous glance. This man was already my role model and personal hero. I looked up to him like no one else. He was one of the most important people in my world. I probably had more respect for him than anyone.

I wasn’t sure what more he thought he should’ve done to have any bigger of an impact on my life. I was who I was because of him.

I should be thanking him, not forgiving him. Jesus.

Rolling my eyes, I answered, “You did plenty. Trust me.” And I left him there to chew on that before he said something really crazy, like he loved me.

Gah, Gabriella and I were going to have to have a little chat about her giving her husband his damn spine back.

But until then, I had a grandma to visit.