Up to Me - By M. Leighton Page 0,29

My brother isn't dead. He's very much alive. And standing right in front of me.

His hair is longer. And blonder. His face is familiar. I'd recognize it anywhere, of course. Even with the lower half covered in a dark blond goatee, it looks just like mine. Only harder. Much harder.

I feel the presence of him in a way that no other person on earth feels it. We're part of each other in a way that most siblings don't experience. It's different being a twin.

I think, on some level, I've always known he wasn't dead. I never felt him leave, never felt him die. I never felt his absence like he was truly gone.

But what does this mean? What the hell is going on? It only takes me a few seconds to put the pieces together.

Dad.

"Dad knew. He knew all along and didn't tell me."

A slap in the face. A sucker punch to the balls. A reality check that reminds me there really isn't anyone I can trust. Not completely.

I trust Gavin for the most part, but the two people I've trusted with the most have both given me reason to question my judgment. My father obviously withheld quite a bit from me. I don't know why, but I'm damn sure going to find out eventually. Once I make sure Olivia is safe...

Olivia.

She's the other person I've trusted with a lot. She hasn't betrayed that trust, but she's been withdrawing over the last day or two and it concerns me. I know she has a lot to overcome and deal with, but now isn't the time for that. It's too dangerous for her to decide all of a sudden that I'm not trustworthy and then bolt. It could mean her life.

What that means to me is that I have to either convince Olivia she can trust me, that I'd never hurt her, or I have to leave her alone. She can't be safe if she doesn't trust me. And I can't trust her if she doesn't trust me.

Nash's words bring me back to his mysterious reappearance. "Yeah. We all had our reasons for making the choices we made. You included," he says pointedly.

He's right, but that doesn't take the sting out of being the only one kept in the dark. My temper rises, but before I lay into Nash, Gavin shifts, reminding me that I'm not alone with my brother.

I glance at my bar manager and best friend who is looking back and forth between Nash and me. His expression says he's a little confused, but not as much as I might've expected.

"I'll explain all this later," I promise.

Gavin narrows his eyes and then starts to slowly nod. "No, I don't think there's any reason for that. I think I'm up to speed." He stands to his feet and steps over to Nash. "Gavin Gibson. I don't suppose we've met before."

I'll be damned. He did figure it out.

I "met" Gavin as Nash once to add some legitimacy to the farce. If Gavin had ever had any suspicions about the identity, he'd never mentioned it. But then again, knowing Gavin, he'd probably keep it to himself in case he needed it later. I guess in this business - well, my Dad's business - everyone has their secrets. And their weapons.

I nod to my friend. No point in holding anything back now.

I turn back to Nash, crossing my arms over my chest. "So, are you gonna bring me up to speed?"

Nash watches me. It's in this moment, not when I first saw him and saw how different he looks, that I realize he's changed. He's more like me than he ever was, the way I used to be. Only much more dangerous.

"I didn't come here to catch up on the last seven years. I came here because Dad sent the message. It must be time to get down to business."

"What's that supposed to mean?'

"I've got leverage."

"So do I. But they know I have it and they're making unacceptable threats, threats I can't risk calling them on."

He stops to watch me again. It's like he's trying to get inside my head. And when he finally speaks again, it seems like he might've been successful.

"Who