Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 81946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81946 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 273(@300wpm)
Lifting his glass, Alexei paused before he could take a drink and narrowed his eyes on Max. “Because if it’s love, it will all work out. You find a way. You reprioritize. You figure out that the shit you thought was the most important isn’t actually in your top ten when it comes to being with your one person.”
“Wow,” Max exhaled. “I would never have believed you to be a closet romantic.”
“Fuck you,” Alexei said with no heat. “There’s nothing about me that’s in the closet.”
“That is so true,” Izzie agreed in a solemn voice.
Max took a large gulp of his whiskey. It was becoming clear that he was not going to escape this conversation with his sanity intact.
“Putting the Ed-relationship thing aside for the moment, because we’re not worried that you’ll work that out,” Izzie continued in such a way that it left Max blinking as his brain struggled to keep up. He glanced between his two companions to find them seemingly in agreement. Did they just see him and Ed as a fait accompli? “We just wanted to make sure you were okay when it came to your mother and sister. Do you want to talk about it?”
Slumping lower in his chair, Max raised his glass and downed the last of the liquor Isidore had poured for him. It was cheap, nasty whiskey that burned straight to his stomach, but that sensation was better than the low bubble of anger that still filled his veins even though he kept telling himself that Katona and Rive didn’t mean shit to him.
“It’s fine. They don’t matter,” Max mumbled. Not that he sounded convincing. “Those people turned their backs on me years ago when I was just a kid. I stopped caring about them long before this nonsense cropped up.”
Alexei grabbed the bottle of whiskey and splashed some more alcohol into both Max’s and his own glass. “It’s okay to be pissed and feel betrayed. Even if you let all that shit go. We’re surrounded by people who have normal families that don’t try to kill them. It’s natural to believe that your family should be the same way. We just got stuck with the shitty end of the stick.”
“The important thing is to find the people who do care about you,” Izzie stated. “To remain close to your tribe. Alexei’s grandfather and several uncles hated him when he was young. They wanted him dead, but they were callous assholes who had no understanding of the brilliant, wonderful person he truly was. The important thing is that his mother, Uncle Gabriel, and Uncle Justin adore him. They’ve always supported him no matter what.”
“Same with Izzie and his sister,” Alexei chimed in. “After his parents died, his family tried to have the will overturned so they could steal his legacy. When they couldn’t steal his money legally, they had him kidnapped and were planning to kill him. For money!”
“In their defense, it is a lot of money,” Isidore murmured.
Alexei pointed fiercely at Izzie using the hand holding the glass. The sharp movement caused some of the alcohol to slosh over his hand. “There is no defense for them. I don’t care how much money it is. They are evil people, and we should have poisoned them all at that party.”
“Yes, Papa,” Isidore agreed in a soft voice as one corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk.
Max scrubbed one hand across his face as he tried to digest all the craziness that had been dumped out on the table. Once the poor pink sludge between his ears released the whole “Papa” weirdness, he had to admit that he was seated with two people who might actually understand what he was feeling.
“I think the thing that bothers me the most is that I do feel angry over this, and I don’t want to,” Max murmured. “This is the first time I’ve seen either my sister or mother in two decades. I’ve lived this entire life without them. My foster dad was amazing. I enjoyed college and getting my degrees . I love my job. Why do they still matter? They shouldn’t matter at all!”
Isidore laid a hand over his, which only made Max realize that he’d clenched his hands into fists tight enough that they sat trembling on the tabletop. “They matter because we’ve been taught all our lives that they are supposed to matter. It takes time to let all of that go.”
“But what do I do about them in the meantime?” Max turned his gaze over to Alexei. “I know that you and West believe we should just pop them both in the back of the head and call it done. And I see your logic for it. They are a threat to me and other archeologists. Plus, on a personal level, they’ve fucked me over. Why shouldn’t I get even? Why can’t I have the last laugh?”