The tone had Jason raising a brow. Although his friend’s tone was dismissive, there was also an undercurrent of possessiveness that surprised him. Reid was known to prefer having multiple partners at a time and never demanding faithfulness from his women.
He was very curious about the girl, but Jason knew Reid well enough not to expect any explanation. As someone born into a family with too many criminal ties, Reid had been raised to use silence as a weapon, never saying anything that would betray his innermost thoughts or feelings.
Jason’s thoughts returned to the matter at hand. “Has she said anything about Davos yet?”
“No. But she demands to talk to you all the time.” Reid’s cultured tone was underlined with contempt. Eye for an eye, life for a life. That was one of his principles in life, and for that reason he had no pity for the woman who currently resided in the basement of his home, which many likened to a military fortress because of the number of guards that constantly patrolled its perimeters.
When Jason had come to his home last month with a woman in tow, Reid had not hesitated to let them in. The woman had been badly beaten, her face bleeding from knife wounds, her legs permanently crippled by the blows from her tormentors.
One look at Jason’s face and Reid had known that his friend partially blamed himself for the woman’s fate.
Which was fucking stupid, Reid thought, his jaw clenching. The woman deserved everything that happened to her – and more. She was a bitch, a fraud, and worst of all, a nymphomaniac pedophile who preyed on young boys.
“Please keep me posted about any changes,” Jason said. “I know in my fucking guts that Davos is planning something and the more time he has to plan, the worse it will be.”
“Of course.”
Silence followed, with Reid and Jason tossing back their drinks. Noting the grimness on his friend’s face, Reid asked casually, “Heard anything from Nick and Lilac?”
“They’re still in love, if that’s what you’re asking.” Jason’s voice was just as casual.
“You’re still talking to her then.”
Jason’s head jerked sharply towards him.
Reid said flatly, “For your sake, my friend, I urge you to find a way to let her go. She is not for you.” When Jason’s lips only compressed in response, Reid knew it was because a part of Jason refused to believe his words. Most people thought that it was Jason who was the easygoing one, but they had it all wrong. Jason was the hard one, the twin whose will was inflexible once he made up his mind.
It was plain to see that Jason had made up his mind that he was in love with Lilac, and if he had, then only something short of a miracle would make him believe otherwise.
“Does Nick know?”
A sharp nod, one that spoke clearly of Jason’s feelings. He did not want to hurt his twin, but he did not want to lose Lilac in his life even more.
“You know this will not go anywhere, Jason.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“She is not the only woman capable of loving you.”
Jason stiffened. Reid’s words made him uncomfortably recall what had happened earlier, and he laughed, the sound hollow. “That’s not the problem, Chalkias.” His fists clenched as he remembered the look of hurt confusion on Keanne’s face. “I’m afraid that she is the only woman I am capable of loving.”
****
Jason woke up the next day with a hangover. He cursed when he realized it was already noon. It was not his habit to drink himself to sleep, but last night it had been his only way of escaping thoughts of---
His breath hissed out.
Keanne.
If he closed his eyes, he would be able to see her beautiful body, her lovely breasts bared to his gaze, her nipples begging to have his tongue lave them with heat.
He opened his eyes with a snarl.
This was Keanne, dammit.
He shouldn’t be thinking about her like this.
Jason grabbed his phone from the bedside table, a part of him hoping to find a missed call, an email, or a text message – anything from Keanne that would tell him they could go back to what they were in the past.
But there was none.
This had been the longest time they had not spoken, and the thought did not sit nicely with him, unease clawing at Jason’s heart. Why was it that he was only realizing just now how much he had relied on Keanne’s friendship?
A future without Lilac by his side already felt so fucking dark, but if Keanne was gone, too, he might as well be…dead.
Jason dialed Keanne’s number. He and Keanne often fought, something that was expected considering her fiery French temperament. But more often than not, Keanne would be the first to say sorry, the first to woo him out of his black mood. And on the rare chance that he would be the first one to say sorry, she had never made him suffer, never made him wait. Always, she would be wonderfully expressive, her big eyes filling with tears as she expansively threw her arms around him even as she would scold Jason in her French-accented English about being such a bastard to her.