Page 17 of Contempt

“Of course, it is.”

“I know you said the dealer bought it for your profile, but if you’re looking for an actual Blackmouth, I might be able to find you one,” Kelly suggested.

That did make Christian’s attention perk. “Could you?”

“It might take a while.”

The man chuckled. “I have time.”

• • •

“John?” Lucia’s older brother gave her a wide smile as she opened the door to her apartment. At the sight of him waiting in the hallway, she almost blinked. “What are you doing here?”

John laughed. “Business.”

“You didn’t think to call before showing up?”

“Do I have to call when I want to see my sister?”

Well … not really, but still.

“Since when do you have business in California?” Lucia asked.

John shrugged one shoulder. “That’s not for you to worry about, Lucy. Are you going to let me in, or what?”

She bristled at the nickname, but stepped back to let John enter her apartment. Once he had his blazer and shoes put away, she directed her brother into the small kitchen. He stayed silent as she prepped him a cup of tea—she was trying to cut down on coffee, so the best way was to keep it out of her place altogether.

“You know,” John said after Lucia had passed his cup over the island, “had you let Dad call you back last week when Ma called you, then maybe you would have known I was coming out this way, Lucia.”

Lucia gave her brother a look. “Please tell me you didn’t come all the way to Cali just to scold me for not talking to Daddy on the phone, John.”

“No, I did have business.”

“Good.”

“But I wasn’t planning on coming to see you for another couple of days. Then, you went and acted like a brat to Ma, so I decided to speed that up.”

Dammit.

“John, listen—”

“No, I think it’s time for you to listen,” her brother interjected calmly, his familiar hazel eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that quieted her instantly. “There’s shit going on that you don’t know, Lucia. Stuff with Dad, all right. And maybe Ma’s been trying to get you to come home because of that, but without telling you all the details. Problem is, you’re so stuck in your feelings that you won’t even let her talk.”

“I let Ma talk.”

“Not about Dad.”

Lucia’s shoulders straightened. “So? I don’t have to talk about him or to him, not if I don’t want to, John.”

She had forgiven her brother. It took time, and more than one apology. It took her brother making an actual effort to understand the way he hurt her that day in San Francisco, and owning what he did. It took things her father had yet to attempt to do for her. It certainly didn’t help that her heart just wasn’t ready to let go of its bitterness and contempt, either.

John let out a sigh, and turned to peer out the kitchen window. “Are you going to keep being like this, or can you shut up and listen for five minutes?”

“Are we going to talk about him, or—”

“Dad’s sick, Lucia. He’s been sick. Stage two renal cancer. He’s been handling it privately—it’s just Ma, me, Cella, and Liliana that know. He had surgery a while back for it. Lied and told everyone else it was for kidney stones, I guess. The surgery didn’t work because the bloodwork didn’t come back clean. He’s been doing treatments for a month, now. Three times a week.”

Lucia’s heart stopped.