hit list,” he teased.
She giggle snorted and tugged him through the crowded room.
“I need a favor.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m selling my place and there’s a buyer, but I don’t have another place to stay until then. Can I crash at your house?”
He squinted at her, she smiled up at him. She owned a small condo she’d had on the market for a few months. It wasn’t like he didn’t have the room, but he really didn’t want her at his place.
“Um…” he stalled.
“That would be a hard no,” a deep voice said to his right and he gave a silent sigh of relief.
The normally happy Marly went to full hateful and angry in a nanosecond. It really was amusing to see.
“Not so nice to see you, Logan,” Marly sneered at his twin.
Logan’s lip curled back, his hard, green eyes locked on Marly.
“Same. You shouldn’t be freeloading.” Logan crossed his arms against his chest.
“Unlike you, I’m not part of the one percent,” she snapped back waspishly.
“Nor are you part of this family.”
“Screw you, Logan.”
“No thanks,” Logan said flatly. “Now, go do your gold digging somewhere else.”
“Liam!” She stomped her foot.
“No, Marly. You can’t stay at my house. It was nice running into you,” he said with an amused smile.
“Oh poo. All right,” she said, completely ignoring Logan, and sidled up close to Liam. “Call me sometime.”
Logan snorted and Marly glared at him before turning her back and marching away.
“You scared her.”
“Good.”
Liam chuckled. “I wasn’t going to let her stay.”
“I couldn’t take the chance. Why do you put up with her bullshit?”
“She’s harmless.”
“You, brother, are too nice.”
“Probably.” He grinned and then turned and hugged Logan hard. “I didn’t think you got the invitation.”
“I did. I was busy setting up the new office in Denver.”
“How’s that going?”
“Slow.” The lines at the edges of Logan’s eyes crinkled.
Logan was his identical twin with a few exceptions. Logan’s hair was sprinkled with more gray strands than his and Logan was older by two minutes.
“So, how are you, how are the kids?” Logan turned that all-seeing gaze on him, the kind that only a twin could do.
“I’m okay, the kids are doing good, considering.”
“That’s good. I’ll stop by when I can.”
“Thanks.” Liam smiled at his brother and then ran his gaze over the crowd for the twentieth time.
“Where’s Spencer?” Logan frowned, searching the crowd.
“I don’t know.” His smile disappeared.
“I thought you said he was coming?”
He mustered a nonchalant shrug. “I thought so.”
“Liam -”
Liam held up a hand, cutting off Logan’s words. “Hey… you know what they say. If it doesn’t show up, it’s not supposed to be.”
“I don’t think that’s how the saying goes.”
“Me neither.” He grabbed a drink from the bar. “But I want him and I to be friends.”
Logan studied him. Liam ignored his brother’s look and took a few sips from his drink.
“So, how’s Anna?” Logan wisely changed the subject.
“You can see for yourself when you come over.”
“Fair enough,” Logan said with a smile.
Liam guided his brother over to meet more people. He made the introductions while hiding his disappointment at Spencer not showing up.
Perhaps, the information that Spencer was supposed to be here had been incorrect. Liam could admit, at least to himself, that he was jonesing. The need to see Spencer was not only preventing him from completely enjoying the party, but also distracting him from his duties during the day.
What he needed to do was get his act together and leave the guy alone, but he knew that was going to be easier said than done.
Spencer
The fucking house was a mess.
His mother’s part-time boyfriend, Carl, sprawled in the ripped and faded recliner. The familiar stench of alcohol, bad breath, and filth wafted in the air. The guy didn’t say a word, only tossed him an annoyed look when he stepped in front of the television.
Spencer did the same and kept on going through the living room. He found his mom in the kitchen with the ever-lit cigarette hanging from her dry, cracked lips.
“Where’s Wesley?” He didn’t waste his time with her. He’d spent far too many years trying to get her help.
“Brat is in his room,” she sneered. The ash hanging from the tip of her smoke fell to the tabletop along with a half a dozen others, missing the ashtray that was piled high.
He clenched his teeth and spun to open the fridge.
“Ain’t gonna find nothing in there,” she snapped, shoving back from the table. “Done spent all the money you sent.”
“I gave you that money to buy food and pay the