Lucky Stars (Ghosts and Reincarnation #5)(93)

To make matters worse, Lila chose that moment to descend the staircase and she did this quickly.

Her eyes were on Jack and for once they didn’t look filled with dislike or rebuke. He didn’t spend much time assessing her look but the time he did it looked like she was silently offering him moral support.

Therefore, he knew that she also knew Miles was there.

He also knew that somewhere along the line he’d earned Lila Cavendish’s acceptance and, possibly, her regard.

Jack didn’t have time to consider Lila’s acceptance or regard nor did he have time to make it to the doors and intercept his brother.

One was already opening so Jack moved to Belle and got close, curving an arm around her shoulders and tucking her front to his side. She immediately wrapped her arms around his middle.

Miles barely got the door closed before Jack said, “I thought we had an understanding.”

Miles turned from the doors and walked to them, stopping well away. The bruising and cuts on his face that Jack had given him hadn’t entirely healed but they were far less noticeable. He carried a magazine rolled in his hand.

Jack couldn’t read his expression.

Miles’s gaze went to their mother.

“Mum,” he said.

“Miles,” she whispered.

Then his eyes moved to Belle and Jack watched them change.

He did not like the way they changed, not in the slightest.

“Belle,” Miles said softly.

Belle pressed closer into Jack’s side and breathed, “Miles.”

“Miles –” Jack began but Miles looked at him and started speaking.

“I’d like a word.”

“You’ve had your words. Too many of them as I recall and none of them good,” Jack returned.

Miles looked from Jack, to Rachel, to Lila.

“You’re Belle’s family,” he said, a polite smile forming on his lips.

Rachel and Lila were cautiously silent for once and Jack spoke again.

“Miles, we had our conversation. I thought I made my feelings clear.”

“A word, Jack. Five minutes of your time,” Miles requested.

“Jack,” Joy urged softly, he knew his mother wanted him to concede and Jack’s mouth went tight.

“In the study,” Jack clipped.

Miles nodded and moved toward the study.

Jack let go of Belle but Belle didn’t let go of Jack so he looked down at her.

“Are you going to be okay?” she whispered her sweet question and the even sweeter way she uttered it cut through him sharply but pleasantly.

He nodded.

Then he bent his head to brush his lips against hers, gently disentangled himself from her arms and followed his brother to the study.

Once there, he closed the door behind him and walked into the room.

Miles was at the window staring out to sea.

Jack moved to the side of his desk, stopped and crossed his arms on his chest.

“Miles, say what you have to say and then I want you gone,” Jack demanded and his brother turned to him.

Then he unrolled the magazine, opened it and held it out to Jack.

Jack took it and saw it was a celebrity rag. The pages Miles showed him were a spread of “the history” of Jack, Belle and Miles.

The title of the article pronounced, To the Victor Go the Spoils.

Jack’s mouth tightened with irritation at the title and he flipped to the next page, then the next. The article was six pages long but barely had any text.

However, there were a goodly number of photos.

All the ones of Miles had been chosen to make him look the fool. Shots captured when he’d looked angry or impatient, either emotion contorting his face in an unpleasant manner. They’d also managed to get a photo of him, what Jack guessed was several days ago, his face battered, his eye blackened.

On the other hand, the photos of Jack and Belle were chosen for different reasons.

There were pictures of Belle before she met Jack, head bowed, looking stylish and regal, ignoring the cameras.

There were pictures of Jack, head up, strides wide, also ignoring the cameras.

There were also pictures of Belle and Jack recently, kissing in his car, walking close together, clearly an item. They looked close, they looked smitten and it appeared they were lovers even before that was again true.

Jack looked from the magazine to Miles and asked shortly, “Your point?”

“I can’t bear it any longer, Jack. I look like a f**king fool.”

Jack thought, rather unkindly and not for the first time, that his brother was, indeed, a fool. He’d had Belle for a month and he hadn’t done everything in his power to keep her. Instead, he’d mistreated her, actively and with mal-intent.

Jack didn’t share this, instead he repeated, “Again, your point?”

“I’m asking you to do something,” Miles told him.

Jack leaned a hip on his desk, threw the magazine on it and put his hand to it, saying, “I have no control over the media, Miles.”

“No, I know you don’t, but…” he stopped, looked away then went on in a voice where Jack knew what he said next cost him. “This can’t go on with you and me. It hurts Mum and if Belle is going to be in your life for any amount of time, which it appears she is –”

“She is,” Jack cut in firmly and watched Miles’s body jerk.