Home to Me (The Andrades, Book 2) (25 page)

Kane frowned. “I promise to only get as involved as you ask me to. Now, tell me, what happened.”

Rena squared her shoulders and said, “Nick and I just broke up.”

***

Nick had turned his phone off as soon as Rena’s first call had come in. He still wasn’t ready to deal with the emotions their last conversation had stirred in him. He’d spent the night walking the city’s streets, not wanting to go back to his hotel room but also not wanting to head to a club, as he once would have. He’d started off feeling angry at Rena for dismissing him, especially after he’d turned to her for comfort as he’d never done with others. For the first time in his life, he wanted to wake up next to the same person every day. And he wanted that someone to be Rena. It hadn’t been easy to hear she’d invested as much emotion in him as she would have a trip to Disney.

Not that he blamed her. His track record with women spoke for itself. What had she said—she’d be a fool to think sex with her could change him? While walking around the city, he’d thought about how could have responded instead of just walking away.

He could have told her it wasn’t the sex that had changed him, it was all the times they met in the hallway at work and talked about nothing. He looked forward to seeing her and doing absolutely nothing more than he’d ever looked forward to doing anything with anyone.

What had changed him? The way she smiled at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. The way she defended him when she thought he couldn’t hear her. Even those damn birthday cards. What kind of person keeps sending cards when the recipient never acknowledges them?

Rena. The most warmhearted, loyal woman he’d ever met.

A woman who had very sincerely told him he was good enough for sex and nothing more. The worst part was, when he looked at himself through her eyes, he had to agree with her.

As he’d continued to walk down the artificially lit streets of a city that never slept, Nick had admitted he was also angry that Rena had forced him to reassess everything he thought he knew about himself and his family.

He’d spent a good hour hating his mother and blaming her for everything that was or had ever been wrong with his life. He’d wasted some time pondering what had happened to make her the type of mother who would hurt her own children if they stood between her and what she wanted.

Finally, he’d stopped when he caught his reflection in a department store window. How Rena viewed him was a consequence of how he had lived his life until that point. He could have made better choices. He’d looked into his own eyes and acknowledged what he had been denying until then.

All of this is equally my fault.

He saw then that his mother had played on his insecurities and his pride. Both traits had been weaknesses, just as destructive to his life as his love of alcohol had been. It was time to leave them behind, as he had the bottle. Continuing down the street, he’d begun to see patterns in his life that he wanted—no needed—to break.

As the sun came up, Nick realized his seemingly random walk had led him to the high-rise building where Gio and Julia lived. He announced himself to the doorman, who placed a quick phone call upstairs. Then Nick was directed to the elevator that served his brother’s penthouse.

With his wet hair slicked back, Gio answered the door in a thick white bathrobe. Julia, also dripping wet, stood behind him dressed in similar attire. Gio said gruffly, “I hope this is important. Julia and I were—” He stopped there.

Julia added sweetly and blushed, “Showering.”

Nick ran a hand through his already mussed hair. “Can I come in?”

Gio opened the door wider, then told Nick to give them a few minutes to get dressed. Gio returned in lounge pants and a T-shirt. Julia had thrown on yoga pants and a sweatshirt. Still dressed in yesterday’s suit, Nick looked like a man on a walk of shame home—which would have been accurate if he’d had more than a hotel room to return to.

Nick shrugged awkwardly. “I probably should have called before coming over.”

Gio didn’t correct him.

Julia smiled at him again. “Would you like a cup of coffee, Nick?”

Nick waved off the idea. “No, don’t bother. I’m fine. This won’t take long.”

Gio shrugged in resignation and sat down. “You might as well have some, Nick. You look like shit, and we’re already dressed.”

Julia leaned over the back of the couch, wrapped her arms around Gio’s shoulders, and kissed his neck. Gio smiled and leaned into her caress while warmly rubbing her arm. Their obvious affection for each other was touching to witness. Julia straightened and said, “I’ll make a nice big breakfast, which will give the two of you time to chat.” She started to walk toward the kitchen, then turned back and said, “I’m glad you’re here, Nick. Gio is, too.”

When she was out of earshot, Nick said, “She’s really sweet, isn’t she?”

Gio’s expression remained guarded. “Cut the shit, Nick. What are you doing here? What do you want?”

Nick sat in the chair across from Gio. “I need to ask you a question, and I don’t want you to sugarcoat your answer. Give me the unfiltered truth.”

Gio rubbed the back of his neck like the idea gave him a headache, then said, “Ask away.”

“Do you consider me a full partner at Cogent?”

Gio clenched his hand on his lap. “That’s an interesting question. If you’re looking to cash out your share, we don’t have the liquid assets right now to do it.”

Nick sat forward. “I’m not talking about money, Gio. I’m asking if you’re including me in what’s really going on there, or if you’re feeding me projects that don’t really matter just to keep me occupied.”

“What do you want me to say, Nick? You want to take over one of the big contracts? Is that what you’re looking for? I can’t simply hand those to you. I won’t risk the future of Cogent just because your ego needs bolstering. You’ll get those contracts when you’re ready for them.”

Nick ran his hand through his hair again. “This isn’t about that either.”

“Then for God’s sake, Nick, don’t dance around whatever it is you’re trying to say. It’s too fucking early in the morning for me to play twenty questions with you.”

“Gio, I know there is something going on that has you worried. I don’t know what news came in last week, but it wasn’t good, was it?”

Gio took a deep breath before answering. “No, it wasn’t.”

“What did you find out?”

“I’m handling it,” Gio growled and stood.

Nick also surged to his feet and blocked his brother’s path. “Alone. Like you handled everything that happened when Father died.”

“Yes.”

“But you don’t have to. I’m right here, Gio. You said you wanted me working at the company with you. You said we’d run it together. If something is jeopardizing it, tell me. I can help.”

Gio shook his head. “Nick, this isn’t like a broken fax machine or a stubborn politician. I need to handle this one.”

“Because you’re trying to protect me, or because you don’t believe I’m as committed to Cogent’s success as you are? You may have worked there longer, but I am now just as invested as you are. If it’s a problem with raising capital, use
my
trust fund. I’m not going anywhere this time, Gio. I’m all in. But you’re going to have to trust me.”

Gio stared at Nick for a long, silent moment before saying, “It’s something I thought I had resolved a long time ago. I found the issue when I first took over the company. Money we should have had was missing. Large amounts of money. That’s why we were teetering. Someone had falsified accounting records to try to cover it. Bills were recorded as having been paid that weren’t. Big payouts. I couldn’t find who was responsible. I was afraid it was Father and that if the truth came out our family would be ruined. So I covered it up by pouring money into the company. My name is all over enough false documents to incriminate me if it were ever investigated.”

“Why would anyone investigate it now, after all this time?”

“I don’t know, but I received an anonymous letter last week from someone who said if I didn’t pay them twenty million dollars they were going to leak the original accounting records, along with an accusation that I was somehow involved in the original disappearance of the money.”

Nick silently absorbed the enormity of what Gio was saying, even as his brother continued to explain. “Nick, our stocks would plummet if such an accusation became public—especially if it sparked an investigation. Cogent is doing well, but we’re extended pretty thinly right now. We could lose everything.”

“We won’t,” Nick said, and as he voiced the words his confidence grew. “You’re not alone this time, remember? I know people who could help us solve this. We’ll find out who wrote that letter.”

Gio’s house phone rang. He picked it up, listened, and looked across the room at Nick with an odd expression on his face. He hung up and said, “Kane’s on his way up. He wanted to know if you were here.”

Oh, shit.

As Nick often did, he made a joke in the face of something unpleasant. “Did he sound homicidal?”

Gio’s eyes narrowed, and he took an aggressive step toward Nick. “Should he?”

Shrugging, Nick said, “I did have one other topic I wanted to discuss with you, but it can wait until after breakfast—if I live through it.”

“Tell me you didn’t sleep with Rena,” Gio growled.

“There was no sleeping involved, ever,” Nick said then, instantly regretted not answering more seriously when Gio’s face turned bright red. “Gio, it’s not what you think. Well, it’s pretty close to your worst fears, but I really care about her.” Gio took another angry step toward Nick, and Nick backed away while continuing to voice the thoughts that were coming to him. “I really care about Rena. I think I love her. Oh, my God. I think I love her.”

Gio grabbed Nick by the front of his shirt and hauled him forward onto his tiptoes. The doorbell rang, but both ignored it. “Get that fucking stupid smile off your face, Nick. I can’t believe I trusted you with her.”

Julia swept into the room, paused beside them, and said, “Gio, put your brother down, someone is at the door.”

Gio released Nick with an audible snarl.

Nick suddenly didn’t care that Gio was upset with him. He couldn’t stop smiling.

Julia opened the door and looked from Kane to Nick.

Nick pointed at Kane for emphasis and said loudly, “I love your sister.”

Kane strode up to Nick until they were nose to nose. “That will not save you, Nick. Gio, I am not allowed to tell your brother how much I want to wrap my hands around his scrawny little neck until he turns purple. I promised my sister I wouldn’t get involved, so I’m not here. I am not threatening to rip your brother limb from limb if he doesn’t find a way to stop your mother from leaking photos of him with Rena to the tabloids.”

Unfazed by Kane, Nick waved a hand at Gio. “Shit, the photos. That’s the other reason I came here. We have to stop Mother. I don’t know what exactly she has photos of, but Rena and I have done some pretty wild things that you wouldn’t want made public.”

“I don’t care what I promised, I’m going to kill him,” Kane declared.

Julia linked arms with him and cheerfully said, “Let’s have breakfast first. Everyone’s in a better mood on a full stomach. I made plenty. It’s already set out. Come on.” When no one moved, she looked across the room at her fiancé and prompted, “Gio, ask everyone to join us in the other room.”

Gio threw an angry hand up in the air and started walking toward the kitchen.

Julia put her other arm through Nick’s. With a smile on her face, she threatened both him and Kane. “I am not above throwing either one of you out. You’re not animals. You’re grown men, and you will act like gentlemen when you’re in my house. Am I clear? Gio has had an awful week, and he doesn’t need whatever drama the two of you brought here this morning. You’re a family. Work it out.”

Gio turned as he approached the kitchen door. His expression changed as he caught the tail end of his fiancée taking his brother and best friend to task. He actually smiled.

The doorbell rang again. While Gio strode off to answer it, Nick smiled down at Julia. “Whatever you say, Julia. You’re my favorite sister-in-law.”

Julia blushed. “Gio and I aren’t married yet.”

“You will be soon enough,” Nick said.

Kane grumbled. “If you think being nice to her will save your—”

Nick dropped Julia’s arm. “Kane, I understand how you feel. I’ll admit I sometimes make light of things I probably shouldn’t. It’s part of my charm. But I was serious when I said I love your sister. I’ll do whatever it takes to protect her, even if it’s from my own family.”

Kane held Nick’s eyes, obviously not won over yet.

Nick continued, “And I’ll stay away from her, not because you want me to, but because I want her to be happy. Whether she dates me or not is her choice. Not yours. Not mine. And if she doesn’t believe I’m the man for her, I’ll respect that. But don’t threaten me. Don’t ever threaten me again.”

The newly arrived Luke followed Gio into the penthouse and gave Julia a kiss on the cheek. “Gio called and said Nick was looking a little ragged around the edges.” Luke looked Nick over and whistled, “He was right. Now he says you’re making breakfast? Mind if I join you?”