Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
E zra
Their kisses stayed with him the whole time he got ready to go meet with Ezekiel. They’d left a warm feeling in his center, one that was laced with a smidgen of longing he couldn’t get rid of no matter how he tried. There was just something about Alaric that told Ezra that the elf would change everything he’d ever believed about himself. That maybe, just maybe, he was in some way…worthy.
Alaric had certainly looked at him as if he was.
But all that needed to be set aside in his mind. They were about to talk to someone who’d spent his life making Ezra feel about an inch tall.
“I’ll warn you,” he told Alaric. “My brother is a real asshole.”
Alaric just looked at him and raised an eyebrow as they entered the building that housed Ezekiel’s office.
Ezra grinned. “Runs in the family.”
Since he doubted his brother could see past magical glamours, Ezra had asked Alaric to ditch the headband permanently. It had looked silly as hell, but he also just was sexy as hell with those high, pointed ears. And his eyes? The bright purple and gold gave him an otherworldly beauty. But then he was otherworldly. Or was he?
“Do elves come from another realm?”
“No, we are as natural to this world as you are. We’ve always been here, just like all of the other preternaturals.” They’d reached the elevator, and Alaric pushed the up arrow. “Does your brother know we’re coming?”
“I couldn’t get him on the phone. And you’d better prepare yourself. Ezekiel’s hard to deal with. Doesn’t say much, but what he does say comes with very sharp edges.”
“I can handle him.”
His brother’s law offices were on the top floor, of course. Nothing but the best for Ezekiel Forsberg. Everything inside Ezra tightened as he strode down the hallway. As someone who was also used to the best, he had no room to talk. But Ezekiel…well, he was most definitely the epitome of a wealthy man. He even lived in a mansion all by his lonesome, if one didn’t count the various houseworkers in his employ. How could one man make enough of a mess for three maids? Of course, Ezekiel had an almost obsessive problem with dust, so maybe he employed them to fight that continuing issue.
Ezra walked up to the new receptionist. “I’m Ezra, Mr. Forsberg’s brother. Is he in?”
“Hold on, he’s pretty busy,” she said softly as she picked up her phone and told him. When she put down the phone, she frowned. “He only has a few minutes, but you can go in.”
“Who is that?” Ezekiel barked out when Alaric and Ezra entered his office.
“What, no hello first? Aren’t you glad to see me, brother?” Ezra sat in one of the chairs across from the desk.
It took a moment for Ezekiel to look away from Alaric. “Of course. How are you?”
“You mean since I was nearly beaten to death and the hospital couldn’t reach you?” Ezra took a deep breath to settle his stomach. It had twisted up at the memory of nobody but Corbin showing up. “Or did they reach you? Why didn’t you come?”
“I never heard from a hospital, Ezra. But I did recently change my number.”
“That I knew because I did try to call you about coming to see you today.” He let out a heavy sigh. “Whether you like it or not, we are family. I should know when your number changes.”
But Ezekiel was ignoring him as he narrowed his eyes at Alaric. “Is this a new boyfriend?”
“No, he’s my protection.” Ezra looked at Alaric, who was close to glaring at Ezekiel, an expression that surprised him. Alaric usually kept his feelings masked. “Which is why I’m here. Those men who hurt me let me know they’d been hired. I need to know about our father’s enemies and why one of them would target me. Like you, I had nothing to do with his business.”
“I’m aware.” Ezekiel ran a hand through his dark hair, and Ezra was surprised to see a few hints of gray in it. His brother was only three years older, so was it stress from his job?
Ezekiel cleared his throat, aiming his piercing hazel eyes at Ezra—same color as their father’s. “I’m not prepared to discuss family business with a stranger here. Tell him to step out.”
“Sheesh, Ezekiel. You can talk directly to him. But he stays. I feel safer with him close.”
“You don’t feel safe with me?”
“I don’t feel safe anywhere. I’ve been attacked twice now.”
His eyes widened. “Twice?”
“Yes.”
His gaze flicked over Ezra. “Yet you have no bruises from either attack. Maybe you’re making this out to be more than it was. You always were one for drama.”
Ezra’s lip curled up as he forced himself to lean casually back in the seat. “Heard from our mother recently?”
“I had lunch with her yesterday.”
It took all his will not to show the instant surprise—and pain—that hit him mid-chest. “She grew tired of Italy already?”
“She’s been back a couple of weeks. You didn’t know?”
“You know I didn’t. If it weren’t for society parties where she has to pretend to know me, she’d much prefer if she didn’t.”
“Maybe if you hadn’t been such a difficult child…”
“Or maybe if she’d remembered she had more than one son.” Ezra glanced at Alaric, who was silent as usual, though there was still a hard edge to his expression. Ezra needed to move this along. Plus, an uncomfortable, solid knot had formed in his gut. Alaric was seeing a little too much about his family—and after all his drunken confessions last night. “This isn’t getting me the information I need. Were you aware of any of our father’s enemies?”
“You mean besides your husband, Kemper?”
“He’s on my radar, of course, I just don’t think he’d offer two million to see me dead.”
Ezekiel raised his eyebrows. “That much? How do you know that?”
Ezra shrugged. “I have my ways.”
“So use those ways to figure out Father’s enemies. I have no information to pass along, since I was never a part of what he did.”
Studying him, Ezra worked to accept this was another dead end. And also that he and his brother would never have any sort of relationship. He’d thought he’d long ago accepted that, but Ezra had a feeling the hospital had gotten in touch with Ezekiel, and he hadn’t bothered to show up.
And now, he knew that his mother had been in town, and even she hadn’t bothered.
He was alone.
Standing, he straightened his jacket, making sure no emotion showed on his face. “I can see this is a waste of time.”
“Next time, no strangers, Ezra.”
“You don’t have to worry. There will be no next time.” He walked out of his brother’s office, knowing it would be the last time he ever went there.
Alaric was silent in the elevator but stopped him in the lobby. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, why?”
Alaric’s lips tightened. “If that’s an example of your family, no wonder.”
“No wonder what?”
“I just understand more about you now.”
Anger, with a heavy dose of embarrassment, made his cheeks feel hot. “You know nothing about me, so don’t think you do.
Alaric just stared at him a long time before finally giving a curt nod. “Let’s go.”