Chapter 43
CURITIBA PARANá
Bryson refused to sit. The meeting room was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that revealed the emerald canopy of the Brazilian rainforest stretching to the horizon. A mahogany table dominated the center, laden with a decadent array of tropical fruits.
Adria, Seth, Kaydon, and Eric had taken their places in high-backed leather chairs around the table. All of them were eager to hear what Xander had to say.
It seemed that Bryson was the only one not lulled into a false sense of security by the flashy pretenses and colorful objects.
Even Eric was relaxing, despite his usual annoying sentinel behavior.
After about fifteen minutes of nothing, Bryson started pacing around the perimeter. The room had modern decorations with old art.
Bryson hadn’t been to Brazil before, but he had traveled to South America several times. He appreciated the deep colors that were used in the home’s design. With the climate, they were able to have no walls in some instances, so the bold rich colors didn’t confine the space.
A small dresser with faded green paint drew his attention. The item was old, antique even, and it stood out along all its modern counterparts. Bryson moved to get a closer look. It had bronze handles and a small mirror fastened on the top.
Bryson traced a carving of a mountain that was inlaid on the top. The symbol stirred something in him.
“I am so sorry to keep you waiting. Work has been brutal today,” Xander said, strolling into the room.
Bryson trailed his finger along the carving, trying to place it.
“Master Winters?”
Bryson looked up.
“Would you please sit?” Xander said.
Bryson recognized the command and part of him wanted to stay standing, wanted to show this guy that he didn’t control him. But the other part of him saw reason. Trust aside, Xander was helping them.
So, he pulled a chair out and sat next to Kaydon.
Xander stood at the head of the table, but he didn’t speak. Instead, he just kept glancing back at the door he had come through.
The tension ate at Bryson.
What was going on?
The door swung open and a woman in her early sixties, with sharp features and dark hair, glided in. A silver locket danced along her neckline, and Bryson noticed an obscenely large green stone nestled into a ring on her left hand.
“Mom?” Adria said, standing.
The entire room froze and the two women just stood in the silence for an extended moment before Adria ran to her.
The woman wrapped both arms around Adria and buried her face in Adria’s hair, rocking her back and forth.
What the fuck?
Kaydon shot him a look, telling Bryson he had accidentally said it out loud. But seriously, what the fuck?
Adria’s mother pushed her out and held Adria at arm’s length, seeming to take stock of her.
“You are so beautiful,” she said.
Adria looked at the floor, pushing some hair behind her ears.
“How are you here?” Adria asked.
Finally, someone was asking it.
Sophia waved her hand. “Let’s get to the minor details later.” She cupped Adria’s face. “I’m here now and Xander and I are going to help. We are going to get you home.”
When Adria turned, Bryson saw the wetness in her eyes, and she was glowing. The love radiating off her melted his suspicions away.
Why should he be upset that Adria had her mother back?
Xander cleared his throat. “Yes, well, while killing Jonathan was not ideal, we think we might have a way around it.”
“Who finished the job, anyway?” Sophia asked.
Adria opened her mouth, but no sound came out. All the eyes shifted around the table.
Bryson felt like everyone was looking everywhere but him.
“I did,” he said. He wasn’t ashamed or afraid to admit he had killed him.
“But I helped. It was not just Bryson,” Adria said, her voice firm.
Sophia’s eyes lingered on Bryson’s face before she squeezed Adria’s hand and said, “Of course you did, darling.”
“With Jonathan and his heir dead, Soph and I feel the best next steps are to expose the traitorous relationship between Alessandro and Callen.”
Now every eye turned to Bryson.
He blinked, trying to process what had just been said.
“Any information you can give us, Master Winters, would be helpful to your cause,” Xander said.
Bryson shook his head, mouth open. “I—”
“You expect us to believe that you have no idea that Alessandro, Jonathan, and your father had under-the-table dealings,” Sophia said, her voice harsh.
“Mom,” Adria said.
Bryson found Sophia’s eyes, saying, “If that’s true, this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Well, even without Bryson’s cooperation, I still think we can expose them,” Sophia said, dismissing him.
“I am cooperating,” Bryson said, an edge creeping into his voice.
Kaydon’s hand gripped his thigh under the table.
“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about,” Bryson said, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Of course, dear. And no one would suggest otherwise. We all understand the delicate nature of your situation,” Sophia said.
But her tone didn’t match her words, and Bryson couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being treated like the villain here.
“If Bryson’s father is taking part in double dealings, how would we prove it?” Adria said.
Sophia’s expression changed when she addressed Adria. “I have enlisted Cole to help us and he has already provided some valuable information. In a few weeks, he will fly down here with his final report.”
“Cole?” Adria squeaked.
Sophia nodded. “He works in the FBI financial sector. He has access to things even Xander can’t get a hold of.”
“I don’t want Cole mixed up in this,” Adria said defiantly, and Bryson had to fight to keep his jealousy under control.
Sophia gave her daughter an exasperated expression before speaking to her in a soft tone. “My dear, he was mixed up in this the minute you invited him into your life. That is the game. You have known that since you were a girl.”
Geez, it was no wonder Adria had trust issues.
If she had been told since she was six that anyone she spoke to she was putting in danger, then how was she supposed to form any attachments?
“And, after what happened with Maxim, we need someone we can trust. Frankly, I am surprised you didn’t contact Cole sooner.”
Adria shook her head. “No, I kept him separate. I don’t want him to get hurt because of me.”
“He will be fine,” Sophia said, but Bryson tracked the lie.
He had seen it done enough times to know Sophia didn’t give a shit about Cole.
The question remained. What did she care about?