the Cayman Islands.
Of course that didnât stop the
Lantano Valley Times
from reporting the break-in or running Nemesisâ latest thank-you note to the Cunninghams for making a meaningful contribution to society. Tate Cunningham was having a hell of a week after just having been accused of raiding his employeesâ pension funds. Gageâs head throbbed, the result of unending hours of teeth grinding and a lack of sleep.
Nemesis targeted the obscenely wealthy under the guise of helping the less fortunateâa Good Samaritan with a serious ego problem. Not that Gage gave a damn about Nemesisâ motivations. Doing the wrong thing for the right reason was something Gage would never understand. Or accept.
What the hell did Nemesis have on these people that they refused to speak with anyone in law enforcement about the case? But none of that had to do with his brotherâs visit.
âIâll forgive the intrusion if you plan to share those bottles.â Gage indicated the beer, then upon closer examination, cringed. âChrist, kid, root beer?â
Jon grinned. âIâm not twenty-one for another month and a half. Wouldnât want the cops to arrest me.â
Gage grabbed a rag to clean his hands before giving his brother a hug and hard slap on the back. âGood to see you.â
âYou, too. Momâs been worried.â
âMust be a day that ends in
Y
.â Gage snatched up a bottle, twisted off the cap, and gestured to the step stool by the workbench.
âSheâs been calling you for three days.â
âI am aware.â Hence the not answering. âIâll call her today. But you didnât walk two miles to tell me to call Mom. Whatâs up? Last semester before graduation, Iâd think youâd be locked in the library cramming for finals. Donât want to lose that valedictorian spot for Lantano Valley U.â
âThatâs a lock.â Jon did the college student slouch as he took a seat and shoved his dark hair out of his face. âBut I did want to run something by you. A kind of change in plans?â
âWhose plans?â
âMine and Momâs. Itâs about graduate school.â
âLaw school, right? Going to add to the family fortune and follow in Richâs footsteps?â Their brother, two years Gageâs junior at thirty-three, was moving up in a law firm in New York. The fortune was a Juliano joke. Rich was heading up the pro-bono division and was lucky to make rent.
âActually, I was thinking of following in yours.â Jon gave him an âisnât that great newsâ grin.
Gage took care when swallowing as a tingle of dread wound its way up his spine. âPlease tell me youâre referring to my unrequited love of architecture.â
Jonâs grin widened, and Gage wondered if his kid brother was ever going to grow out of his baby face. Tall, a bit gangly, and with a face that had girls lining up from here to Tijuana, the entire Juliano family was waiting for him to pull his nose out of a book long enough to notice.
âIf you apply to the academy, youâll kill mom. Tell me you know that.â There wasnât enough adrenaline in the world to kick-start Gageâs heart if his little brother was thinking about becoming a cop. Gage had learned the hard way that working for law enforcement wasnât all it was cracked up to be. He didnât wish his near-death experienceânot to mention his subsequent trust issuesâon anyone, especially Jon.
âDo I look suicidal to you?â
Gage let out a long, slow breath. Thank God. âThen what are you thinking?â
âI, uh, told Mom the other night that I was considering computer forensics, cold-case investigations, primarily. Developing new programs to aid in law enforcement. And before you say anything, Iâm sorry. She blames you.â
âOf course she does.â Gage understood his motherâs
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