Chapter Twenty-Four Damion
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“Liars lie, and that’s the truth.”
—Remington
Damion
We were in the middle of our tutoring session when I came face-to-face with Bernard Elizando.
“Miss Julia,” he said as he walked into the kitchen, looking down at a piece of paper in his hand. “I was thinking perhaps this evening—”
His words stopped when we made eye contact, and I felt like I was going to fucking pass out as no less than a thousand emotions and panicked thoughts shot through me.
For starters, holy shit.
I hadn’t known Bernard had come back and was working with the Lowells. How did I not know that? His last known location was Nebraska, and I’d just assumed he was still there.
Hell, I’d almost sent letters to him at that address.
But it hit me like a ton of bricks what his appearance was capable of.
Holy shit, he could ruin everything with Julia.
The second she saw we knew each other, it’d be all over. She’d realize my connection to Remi and I’d be done.
But as these thoughts sprinted through my panicked brain, I also wanted to bawl like a baby at the sight of Remi’s best friend.
Bernard had always been right there alongside Remi, working with him.
Being beside him.
In S?o Paulo, Paris, Madrid, Nebraska—if Remi was there, so was Bernard. If they’d been in an old mob movie, Bernard would’ve been Rem’s consigliere.
“Oh hey, Bernard,” Julia said, her eyes moving between me and him. “This is Damion—he’s my tutor.”
I jumped to my feet and held out my extended hand, meeting Bernard’s gaze, hoping he’d go along with my deception while knowing he probably wouldn’t. “Nice to meet you, Bernard.”
He took my hand and shook it, but he didn’t say anything. Those sharp eyes stayed on me, like he was assessing my presence and drilling into what I was actually doing there.
“You are Miss Julia’s… tutor,” he said, doing that whole it’s-kind-of-a-question-but-not-in-the-form-of-a-question thing that he did.
“Yes, sir,” I confirmed.
“That is admirable work,” he said, “Helping other people. The last time I checked, it’s an unpaid officership at the academy. Is that still the case?”
I swallowed and gave a nod, knowing exactly what he was doing. “That is correct.”
“It’s nice that there are still honorable organizations,” he said, “where young gentlemen like yourself put the greater good above their own time. Altruism over selfish machinations.”
“Chill, Bernie,” Julia said, glancing at him out of the side of her eyes. “He gets extra credit for it or something.”
“Yes, you’re probably correct,” Bernard said, and it was clear by the way he looked at her that Bernard liked her. That he saw her the way he used to see me, like she was a priority in his life. “Miss Julia, your mother is looking for you upstairs.”
“Oh, she is?” Julia asked, crinkling her nose.
“It’s why I’m here.”
“Oh, okay,” she said. Then she looked at me and said, “I’ll be right back.”
She got out of the chair and left the room.
Immediately, Bernard stepped closer to me and lowered his voice. “What exactly do I need to know here?”
“What do you mean?”
His shrewd eyes narrowed and I felt like he could see into my very soul. “Do not pretend you’re unaware of what I’m saying, and please know that I refuse to lie for you.”
“Listen, Bernard, I—”
“Do not mistake my silence regarding our previous acquaintanceship as a willingness to deceive. I am simply trying to assess this situation.”
“So you’re going to tell Julia that I’m Remi’s—”
“Stop,” he interrupted, holding up a hand. “You are going to tell Julia, of this I am certain. It’s simply a matter of when your good conscience decides to kick in.”
He didn’t get it. I said, “I don’t know—”
“Yes, you do,” he interrupted, again giving me a knowing stare. “I believe we’ve both been fortunate enough to know some very honorable people in our time, people who left behind a lot of invaluable lessons for us to learn.”
Shit, shit, shit. “Yes.”
“People who exited the world with more lessons still to teach. It’s not up to me to understand or translate those lessons for you, but merely to guide the steps of—”
“What does that mean, Bernard?” I snapped, wanting to hug him and punch him because he reminded me so much of Remi. “Stop talking in Bernard Elizondo and give it to me straight.”
“It means that I have faith in you. In your ability to do the right thing.”
I don’t know why, but all of a sudden the sight of him in the kitchen, their kitchen, hurt me. “So are you on their side now, is that it?”
“There are no sides, Damion.”
“Bullshit there aren’t—”
“I can’t find her,” Julia said as she walked into the kitchen. “Where’s my mom?”
Did she hear us?
Bernard adjusted his cuffs, his eyes on his sleeves. “She just left for a committee meeting.”
“I thought you said she was upstairs and was looking for me,” Julia said, looking confused.
“She was but she left,” Bernard said in that Bernard way that left no question whether or not his words made sense. Because if he said them, they made sense.
“This whole season thing is nuts,” she said, looking over at me. “Your mom and my mom, planning the insanity together. So weird.”
“Your mother is also on the committee?” Bernard asked me.
“She actually is,” I said, positive he already knew that because the man knew everything.
“Perhaps they’ll become friends,” he replied.
I looked at him, my mind racing. I wasn’t sure if he was threatening me or dropping one of his proverbial pearls of wisdom, but I didn’t like the way it felt, regardless.
I snuck a glance at Julia, her eyes all bright and shiny in that very Julia way. My chest squeezed.
No. I didn’t like how anything was feeling lately.