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She thought about my question. “Not really. He mentioned he wanted to pick up something for dinner and said he’d only be a few more minutes. I knew something was wrong. I just knew it,” Gilly half whispered.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Gage said as he placed his arm around her. “We’ll get through this.”
“I know. I’m so glad all three of you are here.”
“Can I do anything, maybe make some coffee or tea?” Selena asked her.
My brothers already had a drink in their hands, but Gilly was too distraught. However, I definitely needed a drink just to try to tamp down my anger.
“You’re very sweet. Why don’t we go into the kitchen?” Gilly asked. “I admit my hands are pretty shaky.”
Selena looked at me and I nodded. As the two women started to head into the kitchen, I moved closer to my brothers.
Gilly stopped short, turning around and looking at all three of us. “You do realize your father was murdered. Don’t you? He was in perfect health. Yes, he was tired. That worried me but nothing was out of the ordinary. To just keel over isn’t right.”
None of us knew how to answer that. Fortunately, Selena guided our stepmother out of the room. Only then did I take a deep breath.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Braxton said.
“Yeah, you look like shit,” Gage added. “Then again, my guess is we all do. Pops called her?”
“I know,” Braxton huffed. “Something isn’t right. I can feel it.”
“No, it’s not and I do feel like shit,” I told them and headed to the bar.
“Your plane landed over an hour ago.” Braxton wasn’t accusatory, just curious.
“I went to the morgue,” I told them and pulled down my dad’s favorite bottle of scotch, the one he only opened on special occasions. Well, this seemed like a good enough reason.
“Jesus. You’re a morbid son of a bitch,” Gage said. As soon as I poured liquor into my glass, he was there taking the bottle from my hand. I couldn’t help but notice his entire arm was shaking.
For all our complaints that our father was the most insufferable man out there, we’d loved him. Just each in our own way. Maybe there was something to be said for blood being thicker than water.
“I want answers. Gilly isn’t the only one who believes Pops was murdered.” I headed to the window, staring out at the pristine backyard, our father’s favorite place on the estate.
“And the medical examiner said?” Braxton pushed.
“That the tests Selena demanded he take won’t come back for a week, maybe more. He’s not finished with the regular autopsy either. So, we won’t learn anything definitive for days, maybe over a week.”
“Selena was with you?” Gage seemed surprised.
“She’s my fiancée and my new business partner. She also had an innate sense of things, more so than I believed when I met her.”
“Wow, our brother is in love,” Braxton teased.
“Don’t go there. This is business. Remember, Pops wanted it.” Our marriage had suddenly become the man’s last dying wish.
“So, you’re going through with the wedding?” Gage pressed a few seconds later.
I nodded. “That’s what Dad would have wanted. He had his reasons and I’m beginning to think he was onto something. In the meantime, we are going to hunt down the asshole responsible. I won’t take anything less than success. Plus, if I had to guess, the moment our father’s death hits the presses, the New York firm will be crawling all over the board members to sell.”
“True,” Braxton snarled, shaking his head.
“What will we do when we find him or her? That is if your suspicions are correct,” Gage asked as he rejoined the two of us.
A smile slid across my face. “I’m never wrong, brother of mine. We practice the art of extermination.”
“I like his way of thinking,” Braxton growled and lifted his glass for a toast. “To becoming kings.”
