11. Elias
Elias watched Kate walk away, helpless to do anything to stop her.
‘Who was that?’ Justin asked from behind him.
Elias closed the door and turned to face his friend. Was Justin a friend? Colleague? He wasn’t quite sure how to categorise him yet.
‘Just… someone.’
Justin raised his eyebrows. ‘Someone?’
Justin had the most perfectly sculpted eyebrows Elias had ever seen—apart from Theo—and he used them with precision. In the short time Elias had known Justin, he had learned to read his eyebrows as well as the words coming out of his mouth.
With that particular eyebrow raise, Justin was making it clear he knew that Kate was more than just a random someone. He probably even knew that they had slept together. Were Justin’s eyebrows psychic?
‘Yeah. Someone. Now do you have some papers for me to sign or something?’
‘Uh, no. We’re meeting with a client, remember? A very patient client who has been waiting for half an hour.’
‘Oh, yeah. Right.’
Kate had the ability to completely wipe his brain clean. And now she’d done it twice in the space of ten minutes.
Elias followed Justin through the gallery to the conference room at the back. When he stepped through the door, he very nearly turned around and walked right back out.
‘No,’ Elias said.
Justin’s eyebrows looked perplexed. ‘What?’ he hissed.
‘Elias,’ the woman said. The woman he had hoped to never see again as long as he lived.
‘Why are you not behind bars?’ Elias asked, glaring at her.
‘I was released on parole,’ Catherine Beckingsale said.
Catherine Beckingsale. His mother. The woman who had committed fraud against the government and several insurance agencies. The woman who had covered up his eldest brother’s crimes and tried to rope Levi into her schemes.
‘Why wasn’t I notified?’
‘You should have been.’
Okay, so maybe he had been notified. Elias had a habit of not opening any mail from the correctional services return address. But why hadn’t Levi warned him?
‘Why are you here?’
‘I want to buy?—’
‘You can’t afford it.’
Catherine smiled serenely, and his gut churned. He’d known, hadn’t he? The money seized by the government hadn’t been the sum total of the wealth the Beckingsales had, although it was a hefty sum.
Elias turned to Justin, who had been watching the exchange like it was a Wimbledon tennis match.
‘Do not sell this woman anything. She is an ex-convict who was incarcerated for fraud. Do not let her anywhere near my work. Understand?’
Justin nodded. His eyebrows wanted to ask him for the juicy details, but Elias ignored them.
‘I’m leaving.’
He stalked from the gallery and headed straight for his truck. If Levi didn’t already know that their mother was out, he would need to.
He pulled out his phone and dialled.
‘Where are you?’ he asked when his brother answered.
‘At work,’ Levi answered. ‘Why? What’s happened?’
‘We need to talk. Now.’
‘Fine I’ll meet you at the café in the lobby.’
‘I’ll be there in fifteen.’
Elias stabbed the disconnect button and hustled down to where he’d parked his car. It was a bitch negotiating turns back up the stupid garage, but he eventually got his truck out and into the traffic, heading for the hospital where Levi worked.
As promised, his brother was waiting for him.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘I had a visitor today,’ he said as he practically fell into the chair opposite Levi. ‘Mother dearest.’
Levi looked guilty.
‘You knew?’
‘I found out a month ago,’ he admitted.
‘And you didn’t think to tell me?’
‘You were preparing for the exhibition, and you seemed to be struggling. I didn’t want to add any more load to your stress levels.’
‘Okay, but that was a week ago.’
‘I know. I’ve been trying to find the right moment?—’
‘There is no right moment,’ Elias growled. ‘She turned up at the gallery. She wanted to buy something.’
‘She can’t afford?—’
‘That’s what I told her,’ Elias exploded, not caring that people were looking at him.
‘She’s got money hidden away somewhere, hasn’t she?’
‘Of course she has.’ Elias shook his head.
Fuck.
This was the last thing he needed on top of everything else. And why today? Why did it have to be today when he’d just seen Kate and was still all mixed up over that little encounter?
Levi tilted his head as he watched him. ‘What else is going on?’
‘What? Nothing.’
‘I don’t believe you. Something has been off all week.’
‘It’s just the aftereffects of the exhibition. You know this happens. You’ve seen it before.’
Levi shook his head slowly, keeping his eyes on Elias. ‘No, this is different. This is something else. I would say it was relationship problems but you’re not seeing anyone right now… or are you?’
‘No, I’m not.’ More’s the pity.
‘But you like someone?—’
‘Stop,’ Elias said, holding his palm up. ‘Just… stop. I’m not here to talk about my love life. I’m here about being blindsided by our criminal mother because you were too chicken shit to tell me.’
‘What would you have done differently if you’d known? She still would have come to see you.’
‘But at least I would have been prepared.’
‘Would you, though?’
He hated it when Levi was right. It wouldn’t have mattered if he’d known Catherine was out of jail. He wouldn’t have expected her to make an appointment to see him at his gallery. Seeing her there would have come as just as much of a shock, regardless.
‘Whatever. You still should have told me.’
‘That’s on me,’ Levi acknowledged.
After a long silence where Elias stewed, Levi eventually spoke again.
‘So… there’s someone you like?’
‘Yeah, but it’s not going to happen.’
‘I’m… sorry?’
‘Ugh, this is awkward.’ Elias shook himself and gave Levi a smile. ‘It’s okay. You don’t have to try to make me feel better. I’ll deal with it.’
‘Who—’
‘Nope. Not telling you. You wouldn’t know her anyway.’
That was a lie, of course, but there was no way he was going to tell Levi he had the hots for his medical school buddy. He would most likely get a lecture on staying in his own lane.
‘What do you think she wanted?’
It took a moment for Elias to realise Levi wasn’t talking about Kate, although it was a valid question. What had Kate wanted? And why hadn’t Elias been the one who could provide it?
‘Our mother,’ Levi clarified. ‘What did she want? Why would she go to you?’
Elias didn’t know whether to feel offended by that comment. It was true Catherine Beckingsale had had little interest in Elias once she realised he would never become a doctor. And yes, if she was going to go to anyone for help, it would probably be Levi. Jonah, their other brother was still in prison and would be for a long time. Their father had pretty much become a recluse. The only person who was still connected to the medical world was Levi. So why did Catherine come to him?
‘To fuck with my head, probably,’ Elias said. ‘Or maybe she was hoping I would give her a piece of my work so she could sell it for a profit. Who knows with that woman. No doubt she has some scheme brewing, and I want absolutely nothing to do with it or her. As far as I’m concerned, I’m an orphan.’
Elias saw the pain in Levi’s eyes at his declaration. He knew Levi had tried to keep their family together, but to Elias, it was a lost cause. Whatever Catherine wanted, it was definitely not in Elias’ best interests. Or Levi’s, for that matter.
‘Has she contacted you?’ Elias asked.
Levi shook his head. Did he look disappointed?
‘I wish she hadn’t come anywhere near me. Do you think I can get a restraining order or whatever they’re called?’ Elias said.
‘Do you think we should contact Valentina?’
Valentina had been their lawyer throughout the process… well not exactly their lawyer because neither of them had been implicated in the charges—multiple charges. But she had advised them, and Elias had even gone to see her about keeping his money—his trust fund and his income—out of his family’s reach.
‘Probably wouldn’t hurt to give her a call. Even if it’s just to give her a heads up… although, she probably already knows.’
He said it as a dig to his brother as much as a dig at himself. If he’d checked his mail, he probably would have known about Catherine’s parole. He probably would have known about her parole hearing and possibly would have had something to say about it. It probably wouldn’t have made a difference, though. Catherine might be disgraced in the medical world, but Elias couldn’t help wondering if maybe she had connections elsewhere. Her sentence had been pretty light, considering.
‘Have dinner with me and Alexis tonight,’ Levi said looking at his watch before standing. ‘I know Alexis is dying to see you. She won’t tell me why, but she keeps asking about you.’
Elias thought he knew why Alexis wanted to see him. If he was right, she had noticed the chemistry between him and Kate that night, and she probably wanted to hear what happened. Definitely a reason to avoid her.
‘Thanks, but I’ve got plans,’ Elias lied. ‘Maybe next week?’
Levi narrowed his gaze at him. He probably knew Elias was lying but Elias didn’t care. He was not in the mood for company, and he definitely didn’t want to be grilled about that night.
‘I’ll hold you to that,’ Levi said before he left to go back to work.
‘Great,’ Elias muttered under his breath, heading back out to his truck.