She lifted it into the air, and one arm fell off, revealing a hollow inside. She picked up the piece, intending to insert it back into the main mobile, when a small blue chip fell out of the hollow arm and dropped to the floor.
She blinked, disbelieving what was right in front of her eyes. “It can’t be.”
She picked up the item and held it in the air. Sure enough, it was a flash drive.
“That son of a bitch!” He’d known she kept the baby stuff all along. He must have known she never opened that box, the memories too painful, so he’d stashed Bernardi’s information where nobody would ever think to look. A place that was sacred to Maxie… but why would Keith care about her feelings at all? He’d put on such a big show about her getting rid of everything related to the baby, she’d never, ever think he knew about this box or go into it if he had.
But his death had left her holding the proverbial ball, and in his arrogance, he’d never planned for that eventuality at all. The selfish bastard. She packed up the box of items, planning to donate them to Goodwill. And with the drive in hand, she waited for Lucas to come home.
* * *
Lucas walked into the restaurant where he was due to meet with Julian. Before the settlement meetings over Blink, Lucas hadn’t seen the man in years. Even when he was involved in the early stages of development, Julian had begun to move in groups that partied far more heavily than Kade and Derek’s friends.
He caught sight of Julian waiting at the bar, and he gestured as he walked past the hostess stand.
He and Julian exchanged formal hellos, and Lucas settled into a seat next to him.
Julian looked healthy. His dark hair was cut short, his eyes clear. No sign of any drug use as far as Lucas could tell. Not that he was an expert.
“I’ve been clean for years,” Julian said as if reading Lucas’ mind.
He didn’t have any reason to doubt him. “Glad to hear it.”
“So what can I do for you?” Julian asked. “You called this meeting.”
The bartender strode over and placed a napkin in front of each of them. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“No thank you,” Lucas said. He wanted to get this conversation over with. A drink was the last thing on his mind.
Julian shook his head. “Nothing for me either, thanks.”
Once the bartender made his way to another set of customers, Lucas leaned an arm on the bar and got down to business.
“You need to stay away from Kendall,” he said to Julian. “Don’t ask about her, and for God’s sake, don’t make contact with her.”
Julian narrowed his gaze. “Kade needs you to talk for him now?” he asked, his face turning an angry red.
“No. I’m here on my own, because if I let Kade do the talking, he’ll do it with his fists.” Lucas leaned closer. “Look, Julian, you used that girl. Worse, she’s got her own issues, and you didn’t give a shit.”
Julian flinched and Lucas knew he’d taken a direct hit.
“I own what I did to Kendall, and I’m fucking sorry for it. I didn’t know about her problems though.”
Lucas raised an eyebrow. “And that makes it okay?”
“No. I just said as much.” Julian frowned. “You don’t like me and that’s fine. But we both know I was entitled to the settlement I received from Blink. You guys were going to throw everything you could at me to cut me out. I did what I had to do. For many reasons, none of which I plan to explain to you.”
Great. So where did they stand? Lucas wondered. “So what do you want? What was that visit about the other day?”
Julian set his jaw, his tension obvious.
“I regret hurting Kendall, and I want to know that she’s okay. I need to know.”
Lucas recognized Julian’s expression and uttered a silent, resounding curse in his head. He saw that look on Kade’s face when he talked about Lexie. He’d probably see it in his own gaze when he looked at Maxie. Which meant that unless Julian agreed to leave Kendall alone, none of them were finished with Julian in their lives.
Lucas straightened his shoulders and tried again to make his point. “The best thing for everyone is if you live your own life. Far away from any of us. Including and especially Kendall.”
Julian winced and Lucas wondered if he’d actually hurt the man’s feelings.