“What you up to now, puppet master?” Lance caught up to me on the dock as we began to board the yacht behind the girls who had gone ahead chattering away with excitement.
“Why are you calling me that?” He snorted and looked at me side-eyed.
“Because I know you. You’ve been on that computer the whole time we’ve been here, and I know it’s not for school. Tasha has been broadcasting every little thing you and Gia do online until I want to bury her in the sand, and you haven’t stopped her. I know how much you hate that shit, so I came to the conclusion that you’re up to something.”
He’s another one I have to keep at arm’s length. If he knew what I was up to, he’d stick his nose in my shit and make my life difficult. I hate the thought of leaving him almost as much as I do her, but I’m going to make sure they’re both taken care of no matter what, so hopefully, that will make up for it.
“Lancelot!”
“What’s up, brother?” I slung my arm around his shoulders.
“You know I love you, right?” He stopped walking and stared at the side of my head while I dragged him along beside me.
“What’re you planning?” The worry in his voice almost made me regret giving him those words.
LANCE
I couldn’t wait to get back home. Ever since Gabe made that statement, something dark and ugly has been gnawing away at my gut. I’d spent the last day on the island pretending for the girls’ sake, but my mind was in turmoil. As soon as we landed, I hot-footed it to his house in search of Unc. I had to wait for the reunion to end before I could get him alone, and by then, I was a mess of nerves.
“Gabe’s up to something. Do you know what he’s planning?” Even I could hear the panic in my voice.
“What did you see?”
“Nothing, as usual, he keeps everything hidden, but I get the sense that he’s about to make a move. He had his special computer with him on the island.” That got a rise out of him.
“So it’s not about Gia? It’s about the other thing?”
“Looks like it.”
“Why are you so stressed all of a sudden? You knew about the secret computer long before this.”
“Yes, but… he told me he loved me. Although I know it, Gabe isn’t one to say it like that just out of nowhere. It’s as if he was saying goodbye.” I hated having to tell him this; I hated the look of almost fear that came into his eyes.
“Let’s not panic, let’s not panic, we have time. Shit, I knew this was going to happen.”
“What? What’s going to happen?”
“Lance, you’re coming to Paris with us. I’ll talk to your dad. I was going to invite you anyway; somebody has to escort one of the twins since Gabe will be with Gia, and I’ll be with the other.
“I don’t understand. Aren’t they going to Paris for a coming-out ball? What could he be planning for that?” I could see he was struggling to find the right words. I’ve known for some time that there was some well-kept secret between the two of them, something that neither has ever shared; I’ve known it since Unc asked me to all but spy on Gabe, but not knowing why had never bothered me more than it did right now.
Unc paced the room back and forth, scaring the heck out of me the more he kept silent. “Don’t be scared, Lance; nothing’s going to happen to him.” Yeah? So why do you look so worried?
“Pop, you in here? Oh, hi Lance, I thought you left without saying goodbye.” Gabe knocked and opened the door to the home office before stepping inside.
I felt guilty, but that only lasted about a second. I’d much rather have the guilt than the fallout from whatever he’s up to. He should know what saying those words would do to me. Not because there’s anything wrong with an almost adult male saying I love you to another; that’s bullshit. But because of who he is, those words carry more weight than most. Gabe’s not big on showing emotion; he shows his love in other ways.
“What did you need, son? Lance was just telling me about your trip.” I didn’t even blink at the lie, just kept my eyes on Gabe, who looked his usual relaxed self. That’s another thing; the guy never gives anything away, so his declaration is way out of place. Was it a cry for help? Is he somehow asking me to save him from himself and whatever this is? I have no idea.
“It can wait. I’ll leave you two alone.” He walked back out of the room, leaving Unc and me to look at each other.
“I’ll talk to him, don’t sweat it,” Unc assured me, but I wasn’t sure. I hated to leave, but my dad would be waiting for me since he acts like the prodigal son’s returning anytime I go away for longer than a weekend.
GABRIEL
I think I messed up. It was a moment of weakness that led me to tell Lance I love him like that. Not sure where my head was that day; maybe everything was hitting me at once, and I realized that he was one of the people I’d be leaving behind. I’m pretty sure he was talking to Pop about my strange behavior before I walked in because he’s been on my ass since yesterday.
I’ve seen the looks and the way he wouldn’t leave my side, but at least Gianna hasn’t noticed anything off. I’ve gone out of my way to make sure she had as good a time as she could, knowing what she’d face once we got back here. I waited for him to leave before going back to Pop, who looked like he was about to blow.
“Pop, it’s time.”
“Time for what?” Oh yeah, they were talking alright.
“The lawyer. Let Becky out on bail.”
“You gonna finally tell me what’s going on there?”
“Yeah!” I’d held off telling him until now so that he wouldn’t take matters into his own hands. I told him all of it now, about the murder and everything that came after. I could tell from the way he watched me that he was trying to figure out if that was the only thing on my mind.
“No problem, I’ll take care of it. Anything else bothering you?” Freaking Lance had sold me out.
“Nope, just this. I want to get it over with before Gianna leaves for Paris.”
“I see! Well, okay then, I’ll let you know what happens. It shouldn’t take longer than end of day today. What’re your plans? Do you want me there with you when you confront them?”
“Nah, I’ve got it. I don’t expect any trouble from that end.” I didn’t; I’ve had more than enough time to plan, my only issue being how Gianna will handle things. She says she’s ready to get it over with; in fact, she’d mentioned it as soon as we landed, but she has no idea. I’ve had years to deal with my shit, and it still gets me, so imagine someone as soft as her.
I left Pop to go back upstairs, where she was on my bed playing with the ankle biter. The twins had heard somewhere that pets were susceptible to the virus, something that had been proven false, but they still refused to take theirs on the trip, so this one was acting like she’d been gone for a month.
She looked up when I walked in, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. I wish we had more time that I could shield her a little bit longer, but I’d started the ball rolling, and there was no turning back. I’d already started putting things in place for my trip to Sicily, which was going to be a headache in itself.