Chapter Three
Drew
Boston, Massachusetts
What made this woman think I would tell her anything, even if I knew something?
Any association between your sister and my brother is a bad idea.
Who the fuck does she think she is?
Not that I liked the idea of Nora fraternizing with Brady any more than she did. I stood where I was, hands loose at my sides, replaying the image she’d painted. Nora. A college campus. Arms around Brady Holliston.
How had I not heard a whisper of this?
Nora had said nothing.
And I didn’t like that.
I didn’t believe for a second that Nora had been sneaking around with a Holliston.
Not because she wasn’t old enough to make her own choices, but because she wasn’t stupid.
She knew exactly who the Hollistons were.
She’d grown up hearing the stories. The lawsuits.
The quiet sabotage. The way Gabe Holliston had taken shots at our father every chance he got—and smiled while doing it.
If Nora had been anywhere near Brady Holliston, she had a reason, and it wasn’t what Bella was afraid of.
“What makes you think,” I said, my voice steady even as something sharp twisted low in my chest, “that you’re the authority on how my sister lives her life?”
Bella didn’t flinch.
I had a reputation for being intimidating, not only because I towered over most people, but because I spoke bluntly and with intention. Bella held her ground in a way that was uncomfortably impressive.
I shook my head. “To be clear, Nora would never choose to be with a Holliston. Not with everything she knows. Not with everything that’s happened between our families.”
Bella’s expression flickered.
“But,” I added, “if she did, she wouldn’t need your permission. Or your father’s. Or anyone else’s.”
The words landed hard between us.
I stepped closer, close enough that she couldn’t pretend not to hear the truth under my anger. “My sister doesn’t owe your family distance. Or explanations.”
Her jaw tightened.
Would my father hate the idea? Sure. But he had never stopped her from believing she could do anything she wanted.
And the Hollistons?
“Are you afraid of what your daddy will do if they are friends?”
Bella’s gaze sharpened. “This isn’t about my father.” She swallowed visibly. “Not solely him, anyway.”
“What does that—” I waved a hand. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I don’t know anything, and even if I did, I certainly wouldn’t tell you.”
“So, she hasn’t said anything?”
That landed. Hard.
“If there’s a problem,” I continued, “I’ll handle it. If there’s a misunderstanding, I’ll clear it up.”
Bella looked like she was forcing herself to stay calm. “It might not be that simple,” she said.
I smiled, but not in a friendly way. That was the moment she realized she wasn’t getting what she wanted. “If my father decides this is an issue—” she began.
“If your father decides anything about my sister,” I said quietly, “his issue won’t be with her. It’ll be with me.”
That wasn’t a threat. It was a fact.
I’d spent my entire adult life standing between my family and people who thought money made them untouchable. Gabe Holliston wasn’t special. Nor was his daughter.
“I’ll ask Nora about the video,” I said, already turning away. “I’ll hear it from her. And then I’ll decide what comes next.”
“And if you see a reason to contact me?” Bella asked, returning my phone. Our hands brushed accidentally, and we both pulled back quickly.
I paused, hand on one of the curtains. “Then I’ll contact you,” I said over my shoulder. “But don’t hold your breath.”
I pushed one curtain aside and exited.
“Drew,” she called after me.
I stopped just long enough to glance back.
“Don’t talk about The Beacon,” she said quietly. “Not to anyone.”
The way her voice cracked, as if she were afraid, nearly made me pause. Was a reveal like that strategic? An attempt at manipulation?
When it came to a Holliston, there was no way to know.
“Places like this are irrelevant to my life,” I said. “So I have no reason to mention them.”
I walked through the open curtain and in the opposite direction from the staff rushing toward me.
“You don’t understand,” she said softly. “Don’t put yourself in danger.”
I stopped and met her gaze. “Don’t worry. I’m the ‘find out’ part of the ‘fuck around and find out’ equation.”
Behind me, I could hear the staff scrambling. Voices sharp with warning. Feet moving too fast.
I smirked as I headed straight for the front doors.
Out of curiosity, I’d let them lead me through the mirror maze once.
Only once.
Burkes didn’t follow rules.
We made our own.