Chapter Twenty-Four
Alex rubbed his hands against his thighs and took a deep breath as a truck pulled in the driveway.
Through the windshield, he locked eyes with Samael.
For all his talk about reaching out to his brother, he’d kept postponing it.
This meeting had been weeks in the making.
His brother wasn’t smiling, but he’d come.
Beside him, Cilla gave his arm a reassuring squeeze. “Whatever happens, we’ll be okay.”
“Stay here.” Hoping he wasn’t making a gigantic mistake, he walked down the steps to greet their guests.
One eye on him, Sam held Adrianne’s door. As she exited the vehicle, he leaned down and whispered something in her ear before starting forward alone. It seemed his brother was as hesitant about their meeting as he was.
Alex damned the loss of his preternatural hearing. It would have come in handy right about now. Being fully human had major drawbacks.
“Sam.” He nodded and peered over his brother’s shoulder. “Adrianne. Thank you both for coming.”
“You said it was important.”
There was a time when he’d have known what his brother was thinking, but those days were long past. It wasn’t only his life at risk but Cilla’s.
There was no telling how Sam would react when he learned the truth, if he’d view Alex’s protection of Cilla as betraying his duties as a reaper.
It was a gamble, one he hoped didn’t come back to bite him in the ass.
“For heaven’s sake, this is supposed to be a family lunch, not a showdown between two gunslingers at high noon.
” At Cilla’s sharp admonishment, his brother’s lips twitched.
It was only a small gesture, but it was a start.
“Adrianne, come inside. These two can continue their staring contest. I have sweet tea and lemonade.” She canted her head toward them.
“Or maybe you’d prefer something stronger. ”
Adrianne shot Sam a look Alex couldn’t interpret, squared her shoulders, and marched up the walkway, sidling past them. “I could do with a glass of wine.”
“Red or white? I’ll open a bottle.” Cilla held the door open, allowing her guest to enter first. “Don’t be long.” She followed, the screen door closing with a snap behind her.
The insurance company had come through at record speed; the repairs had been completed at an almost unheard-of rate, taking weeks instead of months.
Bureaucracy never moved that swiftly. It had to have had a push from a higher power.
Whatever the reason, Alex wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.
They’d also had plenty of local help. Everyone in Redemption had pitched in where they could, some donating their services for free. Ivy House was an institution in the small town. Cilla was well liked in the community, and everyone was outraged over what had happened.
Joshua Franks at the hardware store had given them a discount on materials. The local contractor, plumber, and other tradespeople had shown up to offer their time and skills at a cut rate. With them pitching in, the repairs had gone faster than he’d anticipated.
Ivy House would start accepting reservations as of tomorrow, which made it important to get this first meeting with his brother over with. He’d used being busy as an excuse to put it off, but the truth was it had taken him that long to work up the courage to reach out to Sam.
There was no telling what their relationship would be like after today, assuming they still had one.
He studied Sam from head to toe. “Embracing the local fashion?” Like Alex, he was wearing jeans, boots, and a T-shirt, a far cry from hisusual bespoke suit, designer shirt, and handmade shoes.
“I’m blending.” The sardonic reply made Alex grin. That was the brother he remembered.
“Bet it’s not easy.” Unlike him, his older brother had always embraced a more formal appearance. He hadn’t seen him this laid-back since they were kids.
He shrugged. “Adrianne likes it.”
“And that’s important to you?” It was time to get the lay of the land.
Sam’s eyes narrowed. “She’s everything.” The warning was clear.
Those two words loosened the knots in his belly. “Cilla is everything to me.”
There was no change in Sam’s expression, but the menacing tension radiating from him diminished slightly. Alex motioned toward the house. “Might as well join them before they drink the entire bottle of wine.”
Sam gave a curt nod. “Lead the way.” When they were at the door, he spoke again. “Don’t make me regret this.”
“I could say the same,” Alex shot over his shoulder. He released the screen, letting it close in his brother’s face. With a curse, Sam opened it and followed.
The women weren’t in the kitchen, but their voices drifted in from the back porch. “You want a beer?” When he got a nod, he retrieved two from the fridge and held one out.
Sam took it and headed outside with Alex hot on his heels.
Cilla glanced at him, lines of worry between her brows. He shrugged, unsure how this was going to go. Summoning a smile, she waved at Sam. “Pull up a chair and join us.”
There was enough room for the four of them at the new patio table. Like the porch, it had been replaced. He took the seat next to her while Sam joined Adrianne on the opposite side.
Alex cleared his throat. “I imagine you’re wondering why I invited you for lunch.”
Sam’s shoulders tightened, his beer unopened on the table. His gaze flicked to Cilla and back to Alex. “I’m curious about why now—why it took you so long to reach out.”
“Not like you picked up the phone and called,” he pointed out. “How much have you told Adrianne about our upbringing?” He didn’t want to spill secrets better left unsaid if she was unaware.
“Everything.” He placed his arm around her and glared at Alex.
That surprised him. His big brother had always been a stickler for the rules, for living up to their father’s expectations.
Leaning back in his chair, he caught Cilla’s hand and twined their fingers together.
“That makes things easier.” Taking a deep breath, he cut straight to the chase. “I’m human, in every way.”
Sam’s brows lowered, his expression grim. “Even your senses?”
He swallowed heavily, still trying to come to grips with that reality. A couple of small mishaps on the house rebuild had driven the point home. Nothing like spilled blood and five stitches to remind him he was no longer immortal. “Yes.” His gaze narrowed. “You don’t seem overly shocked.”
Sam raked his fingers through his short dark hair. “I’m in a similar situation. My senses aren’t what they were, but they’re better than a human’s. I’m stronger, too, but not as strong.”
Lifting his beer, he took a long swig, fighting the resentment stirring inside him.
It seemed that even in this, his older brother got preferential treatment.
“I was told you’d completed your assignment.
If that’s the case, why are you living in Redemption?
Why are you being punished? That day at the diner, you said you couldn’t leave. Did you mean that literally?”
Sam’s hand tightened around his beer bottle. “I completed the assignment all right, just not in the way Dad expected.”
Alex gave a low whistle. “Big brother breaking the rules. Seems we have a lot to talk about.” Ice broken, they shared their experiences over a spread of cold cuts, cheese, pickles, sliced tomatoes, crusty rolls, and other sandwich makings.
The platters were mostly empty and the women had finished the bottle of wine by the time they were done.
Cilla excused herself and went inside, only to return with coffee for everyone along with a chocolate torte with a thin layer of rich ganache they’d picked up at the Baker’s Dozen.
Adrianne took a bite of the torte and groaned. “This is delicious.” She licked her lips. “I’ve been meaning to ask if there’s been any news on the fire investigation.”
“Like the renovation, it’s powering forward at lightspeed,” Alex told her.
“The police found a fingerprint on one of the smoke detectors. They’d been tampered with and didn’t go off during the fire.
They matched it to a man with a violent criminal past who’d also done some work for Cilla’s ex-husband. ”
Cilla chimed in, “Christopher, of course, downplayed his connection with the man and disavowed any knowledge of his checkered past. He admitted to hiring the guy to do the occasional delivery—no way to deny it—but is claiming to have no knowledge about the arson attempt. He also dropped the lawsuit he was bringing against me to try to take a share of Ivy House. Guess he couldn’t risk having his name linked to an arson case, not with a new fiancée and political aspirations. ”
Alex picked up the story. “The arsonist’s body, and that of another man, were found in an abandoned car, along with incriminating evidence.” It was all very neat and tidy.
“Dad’s work?” Sam asked.
“Has to be.” Why he’d done it was a puzzle Alex hadn’t figured out yet. Whatever his reasons, he was grateful for anything that made Cilla’s life easier.
Cilla raised her wineglass in a toast. “It’s a huge relief.
The threat of public scandal not only got rid of Christopher, it made my brother, Richard, see reason.
He was genuinely shocked by the fire and the realization that I could have died.
While he’ll never believe Christopher had anything to do with it, he did agree to my offer to sell him the land he wanted, minus the house and the property it sits on. Ivy House is safe.”