37. Levi
‘Are you ready for this?’ Levi asked, looking across the Jag’s armrest to Alexis in the passenger seat.
She smiled and nodded. ‘I’m looking forward to it.’
Levi grimaced. If Alexis thought his family were all like Elias—or him, for that matter—she was going to be sorely disappointed. Elias was the black sheep of the family by design. And Levi was… honestly, he didn’t know anymore. In the past he’d strived to be just like his father and brother. He’d wanted to be accepted, and he thought he needed to be a Beckingsale clone in order to do that. Now he wondered what was just so great about being accepted by a family he didn’t respect and compromising his beliefs to do so.
‘Last chance to run,’ Levi said.
She reached for his hand. ‘I’m not going anywhere.’
He searched her eyes one more time before nodding. ‘Let’s go.’
They walked into the house, and Alexis didn’t even balk at the chandelier hanging from the foyer ceiling. It always gave people a moment of pause. That was its intention. His parents entertained a lot in their house, and it was designed to establish their status. The chandelier in the foyer, the original art on the walls, the carefully curated collection of ‘knick knacks’ (although calling them that was a grand understatement). Levi looked at it all warily. How much of what he had taken for granted had come at the result of his parents’ fraud?
Elias was behind the bar, as usual. His eyes widened when he saw Alexis, and then he smiled in disbelief.
‘You brought her into the lion’s den?’ he asked, snapping the lid on a martini shaker and gave it a good shake.
‘I volunteered,’ Alexis said, crossing to lean on the bar and watch him. Levi’s gut clenched at seeing her so familiar with his brother.
‘Brave woman,’ Elias said. ‘But then I always knew that.’
Levi snorted, coming to stand beside Alexis and putting his arm around her. Was he staking his claim in front of his brother? Yes. Yes, he was, and he wasn’t the least bit ashamed of it.
Elias noted the message and acknowledged it with a twitch of his lips. ‘Looks like Theo owes me a hundred bucks.’
‘What?’ Alexis asked, looking between Elias and Levi.
‘Nothing,’ Elias muttered with a sigh, pushing the martini across the bar top to Alexis. ‘Have a drink. You’re going to need it.’ He looked at Levi and quirked an eyebrow in question.
‘Not tonight,’ Levi said. ‘I need to keep a clear head.’
‘Suit yourself. I intend to get wonderfully, ecstatically drunk.’
Levi frowned. ‘Is something going on with you?’ He’d been too caught up in his own drama to realise he hadn’t heard from Elias since they’d returned from Nimbin.
Elias picked something off his jacket and held it up to Levi. ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That bloody cat won’t leave me alone.’
‘You haven’t even seen her for a week,’ Alexis scoffed.
‘And yet she seems to be following me everywhere,’ Elias said, plucking another cat hair off his clothes. ‘The stupid thing must have gotten into my duffle bag.’
‘Aw,’ Alexis cooed. ‘She wuvs you.’
‘Oh God,’ Elias said, a look of horror on his face. ‘Please don’t ever use baby talk in front of me again. That was… just… no.’
Alexis giggled, and it helped settle Levi’s nerves.
‘Brothers,’ Jonah said, waltzing into the room and then stopping when he saw Alexis. Catherine obviously hadn’t told anyone they would be having a guest. ‘And who might this be?’
Jonah’s face broke into the smile that had gotten him into a lot of trouble over the years. It didn’t even matter that Levi still had his arm around Alexis’ waist. Jonah didn’t care. Not when he saw something he wanted.
Alexis turned slowly and looked him over before turning away. Elias choked on his drink.
‘This is Alexis,’ Levi said, pulling her a little closer. ‘My girlfriend.’
Ugh, that was a terrible word to describe what was going on between the two of them. Partner sounded too sterile, and lover was just too much information.
Alexis sipped her drink and then beamed a smile up at him.
‘What is she doing here?’ Chloe said, following her mother into the room. Ebony looked at Jonah and then at Alexis and sniffed.
‘She’s with me,’ Levi said. ‘Alexis, you remember my niece, Chloe? And this is her father, Jonah and his wife, Ebony.’ Levi looked around to see Beau sitting on the settee absorbed in a handheld game console. ‘And that is their other progeny, Beau.’
‘Lovely to see you again, Chloe,’ Alexis said with a bright smile. She nodded to Ebony first and then to Jonah. ‘Nice to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you.’
‘All good, I hope,’ Jonah said with a wink.
Alexis didn’t answer. Instead, she sipped from her martini and looked him dead in the eye.
‘Negroni,’ Ebony ordered, barely looking at Elias before settling on the settee beside Beau.
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Elias said with a mock salute.
‘I’ll have what she’s having,’ Jonah said with a nod to Alexis.
Levi gritted his teeth to hold back his anger. His own brother was flirting with his girlfriend in front of his spouse. Levi had never wanted to punch Jonah so hard in his life.
‘Is that a good idea?’ Catherine said as she swept into the room. ‘You’ve just gotten off a plane after flying for nine and a half hours. I don’t think alcohol is advisable before you get some sleep.’
Jonah pouted but went to sit in a wingback chair, obeying their mother’s command like a good little soldier. It didn’t mean Jonah wouldn’t drink. He would find a way, just as long as Catherine didn’t catch him at it.
Catherine turned to smile at Alexis, and Levi felt a chill go down his spine. What was that calculated look in her eye?
‘Alexis,’ she said, extending her hand. ‘It’s so lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.’
Alexis smiled and shook Catherine’s hand, shooting a querying glance in Levi’s direction. Levi gave her a subtle shake of his head. No, he hadn’t told his mother anything about her.
Catherine chuckled. ‘Oh, I’m sorry, you must not have realised it yet. We’ve actually met before. Your father has told me all about you. You’ve grown up well.’
Alexis’ face paled at the mention of her father. Levi frowned. Sure, he knew his parents must be acquainted with Alexis’ father, but he didn’t know they still kept in contact.
Meanwhile, Elias put a finger to his nose and pointed at Levi. I told you so. Levi wanted to give him the finger in return but refrained. Now was not the time.
‘You’ve… spoken to my father?’ Alexis asked, her voice rising at the end.
‘Just today, in fact,’ Catherine replied, taking the drink Elias handed to her. ‘I invited him to come?—’
Alexis paled further, and Levi was pretty sure she stopped breathing. Just exactly what had happened between them?
‘—but he had a prior engagement.’
Alexis tried to smile before lifting her glass and draining the rest of the martini.
‘But I’m so glad you could make it.’
That sounded vaguely like a threat, and Levi bristled. ‘I didn’t know you were still connected to Alexis’ father.’ His voice sounded strange to his own ears.
‘Oh, yes,’ Catherine said. ‘He’s a dear friend.’
‘Want that drink now?’ Elias muttered.
Levi was tempted to take it but shook his head. It would be easy to give up and numb himself with alcohol, but he was done with the easy road.
‘Rupert,’ Catherine said, turning to greet Levi’s father. ‘Come and meet Alexis.’
Dinner wasan exercise in passive aggressive one-upmanship—mostly. Elias wasn’t passive aggressive about anything, especially when it came to family dinner and the bottle of Jack he brought to the dinner table with him. It was the most belligerent Levi had ever seen him, and he wanted to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on with him, but there were other more immediate fires he needed to put out.
Jonah continued to flirt with Alexis, and she continued to give him the cold shoulder, which probably only made him double down. Also, he’d gotten his hand on a flask and was sneaking sips whenever Catherine’s attention was elsewhere.
Had his family always been this fucked up? Or was he just seeing it now because Alexis was with him? He couldn’t even imagine what she must be thinking.
‘Those laser machines,’ Jonah said.
‘The HIFU?’ Levi asked. ‘The ultrasound machine?’
Jonah waved his hand dismissively. ‘Yeah, that thing. It’s pretty amazing. We should definitely get one… or two.’
Levi gripped his knife and fork as he glared at his brother. He was tempted to throw them, except he couldn’t guarantee he would hit his mark, and he might hit Alexis, who was seated beside Jonah… unfortunately. How on God’s green earth had Jonah gotten through medical school? The guy couldn’t even tell the difference between a CO2 laser and HIFU, completely different technologies. Not to mention, it should have been Levi who went to that conference. At least then they might have gotten some useful information instead of the gossip Jonah had returned with. He had more to say about other doctors and other clinics than anything presented at the conference.
‘We will,’ Catherine said. ‘We just need to deal with a little—’ she glared at Levi ‘—issue first.’ As if it just occurred to her, Catherine turned to Alexis. ‘You’re a lawyer. Maybe you can help Levi out with a small client… problem.’
Alexis wiped her mouth delicately and turned a polite smile on his mother. ‘I’m not a lawyer anymore,’ she said.
Catherine disregarded her statement. ‘Your father told me you were taking a break, but he was confident you would return. Besides, all that training? It would be such a shame for it to go to waste. Your father spent a fortune on your education, and from what I heard, he took you under his wing and trained you himself.’
‘Imagine that,’ Elias said. He was slouched in his chair, not even pretending to eat and instead drank straight from the bottle. ‘A parent who supports their child.’
Catherine ignored Elias, and Rupert? Who the hell knew what his father was thinking? He barely spoke these days. He might still sit at the head of the table, but they all knew who was steering the ship.
‘Like you haven’t been supported,’ Jonah sneered. ‘Just how much of your trust fund have you burned through while ‘discovering’ yourself? Don’t you think it’s time you got a job?’
‘Like you?’ Elias retorted. ‘Where it doesn’t matter how bad I am at what I do because Mummy will always cover for me?’
Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. How much did Elias know? As far as Levi was aware, Elias stayed as far from the family business as he could. Maybe he was more observant than Levi gave him credit for.
‘At least I finished university,’ Jonah grunted.
‘Just,’ Elias spat back. ‘And how much did that pass mark cost Mummy dearest?’
‘Fuck you,’ Jonah said, standing, and swaying on his feet.
‘Language,’ Catherine said, shooting a pointed stare at her two grandchildren.
Beau was too wrapped up in his computer game to notice what was going on around him, but Chloe was watching with wide eyes. Family dinners had never been pleasant, but they’d also never eroded to outright fights. They were a classy family. Veiled insults were usually the weapon of choice.
‘Sit,’ Catherine commanded, and Jonah sat.
Whether it was from the long flight or the alcohol he’d consumed—both the alcohol on the flight that Levi surmised his brother had ingested and the alcohol he’d been sipping from the flask—or just because Jonah was an arsehole, he leaned heavily to the side and rested his head on Alexis’ shoulder.
‘Wanna get out of here?’ he asked.
Levi didn’t know what possessed him—or maybe he did. He stood so fast that his chair tipped over with a crash. Not even bothering to right it, he stalked around the table, pulled his brother up by the collar and punched him in the face. He broke something, but he didn’t know if it was the bones in his own hand or Jonah’s face. He didn’t particularly care.
‘We’ll see ourselves out,’ Levi growled through a clenched jaw, grabbing Alexis’ hand, and pulling her from the table.
He didn’t stop until they were in the car.
Alexis was quiet, and he didn’t know what to say. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel and then winced as pain bloomed. Fuck. Maybe he had broken his hand. It was worth it though, to see the shock, horror, and blood on Jonah’s face. So worth it.
‘Let’s go home, Rocky,’ Alexis said. ‘Do you need me to drive?’
He hesitated. ‘Yeah,’ he breathed. ‘It would probably be best.’