Raine Down by CB Samet

Author:CB Samet [Samet, CB]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781950942312
Publisher: Avant Star Publishing

Chapter

Sixteen

To Will’s relief, the dinner conversation turned to sports, followed by politics, without ever cycling back to his FBI work.

He’d planned to coast through this meal like he had in the past, keeping the family interactions superficial as no one acknowledged the tension beneath the surface. Raine, though, had brought the conflict to a head.

They should cherish you.

He wanted to kiss the lips that uttered those words. No one had ever said such a thing to him.

When they finished eating, Walt and their father went into the library for cigars. Winston and Will set to work cleaning the kitchen.

His mom took Raine for a stroll through the garden in the backyard, probably to see her elaborate rose collection. The idea of the woman he liked spending time alone with his mother frayed his nerves.

“Serial killer?” Winston loaded leftovers into plastic containers.

Will washed dishes. “That’s right.” Close enough to the truth anyway, he thought.

“And Raine—your partner—is helping with that?”

“That’s right.”

“It doesn’t bother you to sleep with your partner?”

“That’s none of your damn business.”

Would it bother him if he was? A relationship with someone he saw day in and day out would be a new endeavor for him. Part of him was interested in finding out what that layer of complexity would feel like.

“Hey, don’t get touchy. She’s the one who mentioned it.”

“She only said that to prove a point that you were being rude in front of her. As always, you missed the point.”

“So, you’re not sleeping together?” He rolled the pork chops in tinfoil before putting them in the refrigerator.

“Again, none of your business.”

“Did she turn down the irresistible Will Dick-her?” Winston asked.

“That nickname’s been old a long time. Let it go.” Will shoved the silverware into the dishwasher rack.

Winston loaded another storage container into the refrigerator. “Are you trying to keep work and relationships separate? Because that’s not what I saw in the kitchen… judging by the fuck-me eyes she was giving you.”

“Hey!” Will snapped, shaking a soapy ladle in his brother’s direction. “Watch your mouth. That’s my partner you’re talking about.”

“Oh, yeah? You didn’t seem to care when you were screwing up my relationship.”

“Shit, Winston. That was ten years ago. You’re happily married now.”

“You slept with Nicole.”

Like he needed a reminder.

“I did you a favor,” Will said flatly. “If not for me, she’d have slept with someone else.”

“But it was you!”

As Winston started to lunge forward, Will braced for a fight. The key would be to humble his brother without outright hurting him.

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.” Walt stepped between them.

At the kitchen threshold, Raine appeared, holding a red rose and standing beside his mother. They both looked surprised at the near eruption of a physical fight.

Will dried his hands on the dish towel and tossed it on the counter. “I’m so sick of this feud. We’re leaving.”

He kissed his mom’s cheek goodbye. “Dinner was delicious. Thanks, Mom.”

She stared at him, wide-eyed and sad, as he led Raine out of the house.

When the front door shut behind them, he said, “I’m sorry you had to witness all of that.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.