Wretched (Never After Series)(10)

Warmth spreads through my limbs and I shrug out of my hoodie before placing my hands on my hips and soaking in the sight. Out of all the places I’ve been in my life, right here is where I truly feel at home. Maybe it’s because this is the only time I’m not constantly looking over my shoulder as I sink into my favorite pastime.

Solitude.

And botany, of course, although that isn’t really a passion as much as it’s a means to an end.

My eyes flicker to the thousands of pods growing beautifully, almost ready for lancing.

Another day… maybe two.

See, what Dorothy doesn’t realize—what nobody else knows—is while our father may be the face of the family business, he’s not the brains.

He needs me for that.

So she may have his attention and get showered in his love, but she doesn’t truly have his favor.

I do.

And it starts right here, in my greenhouse full of poppies.





5





NICHOLAS





I’ve never spent so much time looking at shiny rocks.

The past month has been spent in isolation, distancing myself from “Nick Woodsworth” and becoming “Brayden Walsh, thief extraordinaire” while subsequently learning the ins and outs of rare jewels. I’ve been hiding away in my new apartment smack-dab in the center of Kinland; courtesy of the DEA. The only people I’ve talked to are Cap, Seth, and Desmond Dillam, the top jeweler in the tristate area. I’ve been living and breathing cuts, clarity, colors, and everything in between until my eyes bleed and I dream of sparkles.

When I’m not learning that, I’m drowning in all I can about Farrell Westerly and his influence, although, there isn’t too much I can find out. While Farrell clearly runs the streets of Kinland, the city itself is tight lipped, and the inner workings of their operation are locked up better than Fort Knox. All I have to go on are grainy surveillance photos that prove nothing, and “a hunch.”

Add to the fact that Farrell is apparently a modern-day Robin Hood who shares his wealth with the community, and it makes gaining insight like ripping out a tooth with no Novocain.

He has two living daughters, but it’s clear his older one, Dorothy, is who likes to live in the spotlight. My files have dozens of photos; walking around town, going to brunches with friends, sitting in the cart with her father while they play rounds of golf with his “business associates.”

His other daughter, Eveline, seems to be more reclusive. There are a few photos, but always taken from a distance. I know she’s incredibly intelligent, graduating early as valedictorian of Kinland High at the tender age of sixteen, but the clearest photo we have on file is old. Light-brown hair, dark-brown eyes, and a face that hadn’t lost the roundness that comes with youth. The newer photos are all surveillance.

I tense my fingers while Seth blabbers in my ear. He’s my point of contact—the one I’m assigned to check in with every week. Other than that, there will be no outside interaction with my real life.

“Shame we didn’t go out one last time,” Seth sighs.

“We did,” I reply, closing the old and weathered book in my hand.

It’s a book of poems; the only thing I have left of my mother, and while I can’t stand to so much as think about her these days, for some reason, even when I’m pretending to be someone else, I hold on to it. Maybe because it reminds me of why I do what I do. Some of the only sober moments we had were when she’d lain down in my bed and read these poems until I fell asleep.

“That hardly counts, bro. You didn’t even spend it with me, you prick. Disappeared to get your dick wet instead. What kind of a friend does that?”

Flashes of the feisty blonde and the way she lit my body up from a single look race through my mind. My cock jerks and I shake my head, grinning as I stare down at the high-end chestnut-colored coffee table in my temporary living room.

I should have gotten her number. Or her name.

“Miss me already, buddy?” I ask, trying to clear my brain of things that don’t matter.

He chuckles. “Please. You know how much easier it is to get a woman when I don’t have to compete with your pick-me smile?”

“That’s not very nice.” I stand up and walk over to the wall of windows leading to the deck overlooking downtown. It’s a beautiful city, about half the size of Chicago, but far more grand in appearance. Silhouettes of skyscrapers kiss the stars, thousands of green-tinted windows sparkling even in the moon.

And maybe if I was a sentimental man, I could find the beauty. Instead, I just feel hollow.

“Hey,” I interrupt as Seth continues to ramble. “You’ll check on Rose for me, yeah? While I’m gone?”

The line goes quiet for a few seconds. “Of course. I’ve been going over every couple of days. I’ll keep her safe.”

Nodding, I bite the inside of my cheek. “Good.” The knots in my stomach tighten. “Well, that means there’s only one thing left.”

“What’s that?” Seth asks.

“Tell me you miss my smile.”

He groans. “Fuck off, Nick.”

“Don’t,” I retort, the name ringing in my ears. “Don’t call me that. I don’t want to get confused.”

He hesitates, the silence buzzing in my ear. “You ready for this, man?”