Chapter 49
CURITIBA PARANá
Bryson watched as Seth left the table, and shortly after, Adria excused herself. That left him, Kaydon, Eric, and Sophia alone together.
Thanks a lot, Seth.
“So, Bryson, what was it like growing up a Winters?” Sophia asked, her voice innocent.
Bryson finished bringing his fork into his mouth. Needing a minute to decide what he was going to say.
He brought his eyes to meet Sophia’s, chewing deliberately, studying her face. She was smart, hungry, and most certainly not to be trusted. No amount of arguing from Kaydon or Adria’s feelings could change that.
It wasn’t something to be argued. And it wasn’t a matter of opinion; it was just the truth.
“It was okay. My mother died when I was thirteen,” he said, wiping his face with a napkin. “Like actually died, along with my older brother Luca.”
“Bryson,” Kaydon whispered under his breath.
Sophia’s eyes glinted across the dinner table. “I suppose our story must seem a little silly to you. But I assure you, I didn’t force Ivan to host a funeral or to pretend to bury me. He did that all on his own.”
“You have a very nice situation here now, though, right?” Bryson asked, forcing his voice to sound just as cordial as hers.
She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. “Xander has been very good to me.”
“And how long have you been here, exactly?” Bryson shot at her.
Eric coughed into his plate, before shooting Bryson a look and saying, “The food here is delicious ma’am.” Eric looked back to Sophia before continuing, “I can’t remember the last time I’ve tasted such full flavors.”
Suck up.
Was no one going to acknowledge the fact that Adria’s mom had pretended to be in the Triune’s clutches for how long?
Made Adria worry about her night after night. Made her risk her life for her.
Were they all just going to ignore it?
If they were, Bryson sure as hell wasn’t going to play along.
“Thank you, Eric, it’s an old family recipe,” Sophia said, and for some reason it had Bryson thinking about the dresser from the night prior.
The green one with the carving that he knew he had seen before but couldn’t place. The item was so different from everything else in the estate. An antique orphaned in this modern home.
“I was admiring that dresser, Miss Farias. The old one in the meeting room. Where is it from?”
Sophia glanced at him, recognition flickering across her face, before she said, “I can’t take credit for that one. That’s got Xander written all over it.”
As if summoned, Xander came into the room. He kissed Sophia on the cheek before taking his spot to her right.
Bryson could feel Kaydon eating vigorously beside him. Obviously, he was trying to eat the tension away.
“I was just asking Miss Farias about that antique green dresser in the meeting room,” Bryson said.
Xander looked off into the distance, trying to place the item, and Bryson didn’t miss the way Sophia tried to speak.
“Oh, that’s not mine, that’s Soph’s.”
Bryson raised an eyebrow in Sophia’s direction.
A murderous shadow crossed over Sophia’s face before she smoothed her expression and hit Bryson with a huge smile.
“My mistake, I own so many things.”
Bryson smiled back at her. “Completely understandable.”
“The Serras were a powerful family back in the day. When she saw it up for auction, Soph insisted we bid on it.”
Serras.
The name licked at Bryson’s mind.
“I always liked furniture with a little bit of history,” Eric said, taking up the conversation.
Meanwhile, Bryson pushed food around his plate. It was clear that Adria and Seth weren’t coming back.
Why did the family name Serra stir something in him? Bryson rolled the name around in his mind, before a flicker of something came to him.
“Bryson, I’ve been thinking about your little problem,” Sophia said, drawing Bryson’s attention from his thoughts.
“My problem?” he said.
“Yes, your issue with Jonathan aside, we also have the small matter of Rolland, your father’s man,” Sophia said.
Bryson nodded.
“Well, I understand there is some history there. Perhaps it’s deep enough that you would like to take care of this matter yourselves?”
Bryson tensed.
“I wonder if a quieter approach might be more prudent,” Eric said, interjecting.
“My daughter’s safety is my top priority. And Adria has led me to believe that she is important to you three as well. No?”
Sophia kept her gaze on Bryson.
“I thought, given the circumstances and the danger you have put her in, you might want to put things right.”
“We would be happy to,” Bryson said without hesitation.
“What the hell, Bryson? We are going after Rolland now?” Kaydon hissed in his ear as they walked down the hall.
“I didn’t think you of all people would have a problem with it,” Bryson said.
“Of course, I want to kill him. But we have more than ourselves to think about,” Kaydon said.
And Bryson rounded on him. “You don’t think I know that. I care about Dri too. But when her mom is calling me out like that, what do you expect me to do?”
Kaydon took in a breath.
Bryson glanced over his shoulder, ensuring they were alone, and continued, “I need to do something, Kay. The running is killing me. It’s not who I am. If there’s a problem, I fix it.”
Kaydon considered his words. “If we tell Adria, she is going to insist she come with us.”
Bryson continued walking. “That’s why we aren’t going to tell her.”
Kaydon fell into step behind him. “I don’t like it, but I don’t like her coming with us more.”
As they crossed the grounds to their faux home, Bryson said, “So you’re with me on this?”
Kaydon nodded. “Always.”
Bryson felt Kaydon’s arm wrap around him, pulling him into a hug.
“Seems like Seth and Adria are having some fun somewhere. Wanna have some of our own?” Kaydon said.
Kaydon nuzzled in close. Bryson could tell he wanted to kiss him, but as he leaned in, Bryson turned at the last second.
His skin crawled.
He didn’t want to be touched.
Twisting out of Kaydon’s grip, he joked, “Rolland’s a tricky fucker, we’re gonna need some rest before trying to turn him off.”
Kaydon tilted his head, and Bryson felt himself closing down.
Not wanting to lie to Kaydon, Bryson whispered, “I’m just having a hard time right now.”
Kaydon nodded. “It’s okay. I’m here.”
“Wanna go for a walk instead?” Bryson asked.
“Fuck yeah.” Kaydon grinned.
The sun dipped below the tree lines, transforming the jungle paths from welcoming corridors to shadowed tunnels, but Bryson enjoyed the darkness. The evening’s coolness washed away the day’s stifling heat, clearing his mind.
Kaydon matched his stride in comfortable silence, and Bryson absentmindedly twisted the ring on his finger.
“Sophia is a piece of work,” Kaydon said.
Bryson pivoted, walking backwards to face him. “Right? I thought I was the only one who saw through her bullshit.”
Kaydon shrugged. “Sometimes we aren’t ready to see our parents’ flaws.”
Bryson stumbled. “We aren’t talking about Sophia anymore, are we?”
“Nope.”
Turning forward again, Bryson sighed. “If Adria gets to put it on hold, so do I.”
He gestured ahead. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
Deeper in the jungle, they reached a small pool fed by several streams cascading over surrounding rocks.
Bryson kicked off his shoes, and Kaydon raised an eyebrow. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? We’re taking a swim.”
“We?”
Soon they were shoulder-deep in the water, and Bryson let his feet leave the stone floor and floated on his back, watching twilight claim the night sky. Kaydon mirrored him.
“I could kill him for you,” Kaydon said. “If you want.”
Bryson contemplated ending his father, truly considered it.
“You can kill him,” Regan’s voice whispered in his mind. “You don’t need Kaydon. You’re a monster just like me.”
Kaydon’s hand brushed against Bryson’s chest, fingers nearing the Picana scar Regan had left. Bryson thrashed in the water, recoiling as if burned.
“Fuck, Bryson, I’m sorry,” Kaydon said.
Already halfway out of the pool, Bryson fought to control his breathing, desperate to keep Regan’s phantom smell from his nostrils. This was supposed to be getting better with time, not worse.
“No, it’s alright, Kay. It just scared me, that’s all,” Bryson said, trying to force some normalcy into his voice.
Except none of this was normal.
Adria was in the room when Bryson and Kaydon returned. She and Seth were freshly showered, and Bryson didn’t miss the deep purple hickey on Adria’s neck.
He shot Seth a look, and Seth paled slightly before blushing ferociously.
Bryson pulled him into an embrace and ran his fingers through his freshly washed hair. “Have a good time?” he murmured in Seth’s ear, and Seth turned an even brighter shade of red.
“Somebody had a good time,” Kaydon said, pulling Adria into him and kissing her marked neck.
She murmured something intelligible before locking eyes with Bryson. “Seth and I had an eventful evening. I was thinking maybe after you and Kaydon shower and wash up we could all just watch a movie.”
Bryson felt Seth nuzzle against him, and his heart started to pound in his chest.
He wanted more than anything to lay in bed and relax with the three of them. But he felt like Regan was close. Felt him in the back of his mind. Saw him painted on the walls and ceiling that were currently closing in all around him.
It didn’t matter what he did. What he said. Or who surrounded him. What happened in that room was never going away.
“You three hang out. I need to go for a walk.”
Her voice carried behind him. “But you just had one.”