Betrayed by Kelly Harper Read Free Book Online Page B

someone’s house unannounced like that,” Ethan said. “You could have gotten yourself killed.”
    “I was going to call. I figured you were at work and wouldn’t mind me grabbing a quick shower.”
    Ethan took another deep breath and tried to calm himself. He walked back out into the room and slumped onto the bed.
    “Didn’t you see the car out front?” Trevor asked. He followed him into the room and pulled some clothes from the backpack on the bed.
    “There’s no car outside, I looked,” Ethan said.
    “Dad’s Chevelle is parked right on the street. You couldn’t have missed it. You remember it don’t you? It’s practically the only thing that asshole left us when he disappeared.”
    Ethan’s mind flashed back to the car he had swerved around. A wave of frustration overcame him - he should have known something was up. He should have recognized that car - it had been around since he was a kid.
    “I’ve had a lot on my mind,” he said. Ethan watched as his brother pulled on jeans and a shirt. He’d grown up a lot since they had last seen each other. “How’d you get in here, anyways?”
    Trevor rolled his eyes. “The sliding glass door in the back was unlocked. You never were the cautious type.”
    Ethan shook his head. Leave it to his brother to find the easy way in.
    “You got a nice place,” Trevor said. “I was planning on helping myself to your liquor cabinet when I got out of the shower.”
    “Well, by all means, don’t let me stop you.”
    Trevor grinned. “I wasn’t going to.”
    Ethan followed him as he made his way to the den. Trevor rummaged through the wet bar and pulled out a bottle of Crown Royal. It was brand new, and Ethan had been saving it for a special occasion, but he wasn’t in the mood to argue.
    “Are you in some kind of trouble?” Ethan asked, bluntly.
    Trevor poured two fingers of the Crown into a sifter. His brow pinched together, but a smile spread across his lips.
    “I’m offended,” he said. He drained the entire glass in one long pull. He sputtered and coughed afterward, but the smile didn’t fade. “Good stuff,” he said to himself.
    “Then, why are you here?” Ethan pressed.
    Trevor didn’t answer immediately, instead he poured another drink. He swirled it around in the glass and breathed it in.
    “I can’t just come visit my brother for the holidays?” he asked.
    “I sent you a ticket for Christmas last year,” Ethan said. “You never showed.”
    Trevor winced. “Yeah, sorry about that. Stuff came up.”
    “You could have at least let me know you weren’t on the flight. I waited at the airport for an hour like some idiot.”
    Ethan could feel his temper flaring up. He wanted to press the issue. He hadn’t been in a mood for an argument before, but his brother had a way of getting on his nerves. And Trevor seemed to be making a point of being especially difficult at that very moment.
    But Ethan wasn’t able to launch into anything at that time. A knock at the door snapped him back to reality.
    Shit. Kayla.
    Both of their eyes shot toward the door.
    “Expecting company?” Trevor asked, the wry smile still plastered too the corner of his mouth.
    Ethan’s heart raced even faster. How was he going to explain this? He didn’t want Kayla to think he was being rude by inviting someone over when they were supposed to talk.  
    “I need you to go back into the guest room. Just let me smooth things over a bit.”
    “A lady friend, I take it?”
    Ethan let out an exasperated sigh. “Something like that. Please, just go. Take the bottle with you if you want.”
    “I think I will,” Trevor said as he scooped it up in one hand. He eyed it hungrily.
    Another knock sounded at the door. Trevor took his time loping toward the guest bedroom, and Ethan stood at the end of the hallway until he saw his brother disappear into the room and shut the door behind him.
    He realized the music was still blasting from the entertainment center. He had been so