14. Casper
Chapter fourteen
Casper
Hunter gazes empty-eyed at the ceiling, and I’m not sure if he’s concentrating on the poster of the topless model he has stapled up there, or if his mind is elsewhere.
I heard what happened. Hunter got the clever idea to dress up as my older brother so he could get a glimpse of Snow, our new guest, and he hasn’t been the same since.
He's forlorn, lost, and all I can do is be there for him.
I don’t talk much, and I’m a pretty good listener.
I have never seen him like this over a girl before, so this Snow must be something special.
He's switched his angry rock music off, thank God.
Now I can hear myself think.
The good thing about being the shy one is that I don’t feel the need to fill the void with noise, which is why Hunter allows me into his sanctuary.
Though I do wish he would clean some time. His room is a mess, and there’s a pair of dirty undies hanging on his lamp.
His side table is filled with rotten food, and I think it’s time he hired a maid.
In fact, we all need a maid.
Our current one hasn’t shown her face for weeks, and I know Prince had something to do with her disappearance.
I pick up one of Hunter’s porn magazines, flipping through the pages.
I bet they’re all nice girls, but I’m far more interested in their souls than their breasts. Truly, I am.
Such as the girl on page three with the double Ds. I’m sure there’s an equally big heart beating behind them.
There’s nothing sexier than a girl with a good soul, but I seldom find women who light me up that way.
The girls Hunter hooks me up with are just not for me. Sure, they’re freaky enough, and give good head, but the spark is never there.
Hunter gives a long, forlorn sigh, peering my way. A sad smile takes over his face, and his green eyes shine.
“Oh, Casper... You’ve always understood me the most. Even more than my own brothers.”
It makes sense, considering we’re close in age.
Prince acts more like he’s Hunter’s dad, and Moth is just a big old grump.
I don’t even want to think about what Prince is doing to that poor girl.
Only the twins are authorized to see her, and Knight, too, since he’s our doctor. A shudder runs down my spine.
If Knight needs to be involved, then it can’t be good.
“Sing me a song, Casper.”
My cheeks burn, and I pretend to be interested in topless models again.
“Come on. You have a good voice. You’re so lucky you have a trade besides the family business.”
He's right, I do. I belong to a local dance troupe at the Ever After Theater right in the heart of the city, and I go by a different name on stage.
No one needs to know that I’m one of the Diamante boys.
I always play the villains in our plays, and gee, I wonder why…
They want unhinged, so I give them unhinged and then some.
There’s a monster in all the Diamante men. I’m just the best at keeping mine hidden.
One thing we all have in common in this family: we’ve all killed by age fifteen.
The memory still haunts me, and it’s why I studied theater.
It helps to play the villain and compartmentalize.
Hunter snorts. “The only trade I have besides the family one is fucking whores.”
I smile, flicking the pages of his porn magazine. “And you’re so good at it, too.”
“I know! But my fucking has nothing on your singing, Casper. Seriously, I get chills every time you serenade us with those heavenly pipes.”
“You know I only sing on stage, Hunt.”
And only after a few shots of tequila.
A shy person has to go that extra mile, after all.
I was drunk all the times I fucked a woman, too. That way, I wasn’t a disappointment under the sheets.
Drink also brings out my wild side.
“Boo!” Hunter grabs a dirty sock hanging off the side of his bed, tossing it at my face.
I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes on the naked women.
Hunter lays back down, gazing at the topless woman on his ceiling again. Is he really seeing her, or is he seeing Snow?
Someone knocks on the door, and Hunter looks at me.
I roll my eyes. “I guess I’ll get it.”
I move across Hunter’s apartment, arriving at the door, and when I open the locks, I find Knight on the other side.
His face is grave, and my heart pounds when I get a look at him.
Shit.
That bad.
My heart drops to my stomach.
Seems Prince really is hellbent on avenging our fathers.
I just don’t see why Snow has to suffer.
We can’t help who our fathers are.
I loved my own dad, but I knew he was a monster.
We all know our fathers weren’t perfect, but that has nothing to do with us. That goes for Snow, too.
“Prince called. He has summoned us for a family meeting.”
I look over my shoulder.
Knight speaks. “We can’t leave him. Prince sounded pissed, so he will want us all there.”
Still, it may be best that Hunter and Prince stay away from each other for now.
Hunter is pretending that his oldest brother doesn’t exist.
“Fine. I will get him.”
I leave Knight at the door, stepping toward Hunter’s bedroom again.
“No,” he says as soon as I walk in, and it seems his mind is set.
“It may be for the best you come to this one, Hunt. Knight said Prince sounded pissed.”
“I don’t give a fucking shit. Sorry, cuz. But you all go on without me. I don’t even want to be in a room with that asshole.”
Fair enough. Even I’m a little wary around Prince lately, but he’s our don, and we have to respect his authority.
He would never hurt us, but he will take out his frustrations on others.
So, if Prince summons me, I will make sure I’m present.
“Have it your way.”
I turn my back on Hunter and meet Knight at the door again. He sighs when he finds it’s just me.
“Prince won’t be pleased.”
I shrug, shutting Hunter’s door. “Well, we will just have to be prepared.”
I wonder who he will take out his frustrations on next.
Not Snow, hopefully.
Knight and I reach the common area of the house, and there we find our twin brothers.
They, too, have the ashen complexion that Knight has recently acquired, and I wonder how long it will be until we all look like that.
Hunter is getting there, and Moth was there before any of us, and I wonder…
He's been down since that traitor told us Leroy had a daughter.
I study the twins, and I’m not sure who looks worse—Saint or Angel.
Angel was never much of a talker to begin with, but he’s been even more solemn lately.
I take a seat next to him, as Knight takes up Saint’s left.
“You good?” I ask.
Angel’s single eye finds me, and the ice I find inside softens slightly. He nods, and he doesn’t need to say more.
I’ve always been close to him since, like me, he’s pretty quiet.
In fact, I owe him a great debt.
The reason he lost his eye was because he was defending me.
One of our enemies came for me, and my elder brother stepped in like a guardian angel to protect me.
He really does live up to that name.
He may be a monster, but he’s loyal, and I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’t for him.
“Where’s Hunter? Still moping, I take it,” Saint asks, gazing in the direction of Hunter’s wing.
Knight answers, “Yes. He’s bereft.”
“Serves him right,” Angel whispers, digging his nails into the arm of the sofa beside him, and he’s still pissed that Hunter paraded around as him.
Hunter needs to leave the acting to me, but he took it too far that day.
Angel deserves better (and that wig was ridiculous).
We all turn when Moth stumbles into the room, and my nose pricks when I get a whiff of whiskey.
Still drinking, I see.
He’s not himself lately. He barely drank before, but ever since we found out about Snow, he hasn’t stopped.
I’m worried. We all are.
Knight tuts when Moth falls into a seat across from us, his brown eyes hazy as they take us all in, and I wonder if he’s seeing two of us each.
“You need to stop, Moth. What the hell is up with you lately?” Knight scolds.
Angel and Saint watch him with probing eyes, and it’s like they can see right through him.
Moth is their opposite in looks. He has long hair too, but his is dark, and his eyes onyx.
If Angel’s the Angel of Death, Moth is the Grim Reaper.
Especially as he looks gaunt these days, like a skeleton. I don’t think he is eating much.
My cousin rolls his eyes, heading for the bar. “Save it, Knight. You’re not on duty now.”
Knight purses his lips. Sure, he may not be working at this very moment, but he’s still our doctor, still our brother and our cousin.
He cares about us.
“Maybe if you just talked to us—” Knight begins, but then Prince sweeps into the room, fixing his mismatched eyes on his brother at once.
“It’s eleven a.m., brother. Put that drink down.”
Moth eyes him evilly, then decides to drink the vodka straight from the bottle.
I almost throw up.
Prince’s green eye glows, promising silent retribution, but Moth could care less as he swigs back the bottle.
I suppose I can’t be too harsh; I can’t perform if I don’t at least have a drop of alcohol in my system, and that goes for on stage and in the bedroom.
Prince ignores his unruly younger brother and focuses on us. I spy the moment when he realizes his other brother is missing, but he doesn’t comment as he speaks.
“As you’re all aware, our maid has been absent these last few weeks, and it’s time you knew.”
We perk up. Even Moth drops his bottle, peering bleary-eyed at his brother.
“I found out that she leaked some sensitive information to Regina, so… she had to go.”
Go meaning she had to take a trip to the undertaker.
“What information did she leak?” Saint asks.
Prince settles him with his cold, iron stare. “Since she had access to my office, she managed to supply our enemy with confidential information about our top suppliers.”
Shit.
"Luckily, she didn’t find anything too sensitive. Only the names of a few of our partners, but nothing damaging.”
Well, that’s a relief.
“So, we are down a maid.”
Not that I mind cleaning up my own wing, but our mansion is huge. We have several maids, but only Trina entered our personal rooms.
I shudder.
What did she leak about me ?
I have my schedule of all the nights I perform written on the wall. What if Regina decides to send her men after me?
What if she had leaked information about my stage name, letting people find out who I really am, and now I can never show my face in a local playhouse again?
But I’m safe enough, for now.
I get an idea then. It’s not like she could hurt us under our own roof, and we already know she’s the enemy.
We could see her betrayal coming from a mile off.
If we just keep an eye on her.
“I have an idea,” I spout.
When all eyes fall on me, my cheeks heat, and my shoulders slump.
Prince regards me. “Well, speak up, brother.”
I’m his cousin, not his brother, but I’ve never seen a reason to correct him as I whisper, “Well, how about Snow? She can be our new maid.”
The whole room falls utterly still. Moth guffaws by the bar, and Prince shoots him a glare.
Then he looks at me. “Go on.”
My eyes find Knight, and he smiles, encouraging me.
I move my lips. “Let Snow clean for us…”
“And what? She will sing and summon all her little woodland friends to help her?” Moth cackles, and my eyes find his.
“How do you know she sings?”
He fumbles at that, returning to his vodka.
Prince shakes his head. “No. I already have plans for her, and not one of them involves allowing her access into my office.”
“It could work, if one of us is always around,” Saint suggests.
“And it’s not as if she could contact Regina, anyway,” Knight chimes in.
Prince narrows his eyes, and it seems he is actually considering my proposal.
His intention is to break her and make her spill information about Regina, but it's been days now.
Most men break after a day with Prince.
If he hasn’t broken her already, then he never will, and I can’t help but feel as well of pride in the girl.
I don’t even know her, yet I already have a lot of respect for her.
Prince sighs, exiting the room. “I will consider it. This meeting is adjourned.”
When he’s gone, everyone turns to me, and I can’t help but spy the pride in Knight’s eyes.
Moth snorts, opening up another bottle. “Well done, Casper. It seems you’ve found your voice.”
My heart is still pounding as I lean back, smiling.
Just maybe I can find my place in the family after all.