Where Winter Finds You (Black Dagger Brotherhood #18)- J.R Ward Page 0,82

a disaster.”

“I’m sorry to hear that—”

“Here’s what really bothered me,” he said, looking up and staring directly into her eyes. “This is what got me about Mom.” He pointed his rabbit-eared hold on the Marlboro at her. “You never gave her a chance to explain. You never got the story from her. You were so busy yelling and being all angry that she didn’t have the opportunity to tell her side of the story. What’s more, you acted like she owed you an apology for taking you in and giving you a home and caring for you all these years. That was what bothered me.”

“I was blindsided. I didn’t ever expect it. I thought… they were my parents, Gareth. You never tried to understand where I was coming from.”

“You didn’t know they weren’t your parents because they were.”

Therese put a hand on his now-thick forearm. “As you aren’t in my position, you need to trust me about how it made me feel. I’m not saying I handled things well, but I know what it felt like, okay.”

He cursed. Went quiet for a bit. “You’re right. I apologize. And I didn’t behave any better. I just was worried about Mahmen and worried about you as well. I’m your big brother. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

“I need to take care of myself.”

“No one can go it alone in this world, Milk Dud.”

Therese started to smile, remembering how they had always given each other random nicknames. “Does this mean I can call you Ricola again?”

“I got an even better one for you.” He pointed to his foot. “I dropped a weight on this thing a week ago. Right before we left to come here. Healed badly so now I’m wearing an orthotic.”

“Oh, my God. I’m calling you Dr. Scholl’s from now on.”

The slow smile on her brother’s face was so nice to see. “Good deal. Good deal.”

Therese tilted forward and looked at the double doors of the ICU. “So Dad says she’s been intubated for the last two nights.”

“Pretty much right after we arrived here. We got her admitted in a nick of time.”

“Do you think she’d want to talk to me?” Therese wondered out loud. “Maybe it would give her a reason to come back.”

Gareth shrugged. “Anything. At this point, I’ll take anything I can get. The idea of death separating those two? It doesn’t bear thinking about. If she dies, we’re going to lose Dad, too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The good thing about it being a Monday night, iAm thought, was that his fucked-up head didn’t have to function: It wasn’t required to coordinate his hands and arms, his memory or his reading skills, so he could cook food over a hot stove. He could just sit here in his office and stare at the paperwork.

Of course the bad thing was… all he was doing was just sitting here and staring at the paperwork.

“Fuck…” he said as he sat forward and put his head in his palms.

When there was a subtle beep from the security system, he looked up. The rear staff door was opening, and he reached under the lip of his desk and put his palm on the nine that was mounted out of sight—

He knew immediately who it was.

Then again, he would recognize the scent of his blooded brother anywhere. Trez’s outline, too.

iAm retracted his hand from his gun and straightened in the chair. “Trez?”

Stupid. To say the name. But he was relieved. Anytime he saw the male, it was a relief, one more night lived through. One more day, survived.

“Mind if I come in?” the guy said as the door closed behind him with a clap.

“You are always welcome anywhere I am.”

“You sure about that?”

“Down to my marrow, brother mine.”

Trez walked forward, and there was no anger in his face, but no expression to those familiar features, either. There was also a stillness to him that was eerie.

“What’s happened?” iAm asked.

The other male paused in the doorway for a moment. Then he came in and sat down in the chair across the desk, curling up and balancing his chin on his knuckles. iAm recognized the pose. So he, himself, sat back.

“Tell me when you’re ready,” iAm said quietly.

It was a long time before his brother spoke, and when the words finally did come, Trez ran his fingertips up and back on the edge of the desk like he was anxious.

“That which cannot go on will not.” As iAm’s gut clenched, Trez shrugged. “It’s a theory of economics that