House of Paine - (A Romantic Suspense - Book 2) by Kylie Walker Page A

Paine reminded him a lot of the ocean. The way he loved his family could be such a beautiful thing...if it wasn’t always tinged in fear and danger. His brother was proof of that now, looking around the beach like someone on crack, paranoid that he’d been followed here and that Jackson would find out that he’d met with his brother. Maybe Paige and Roxi were both right and he was making a mistake.
    “So what? Are you going to give me what father wants?”
    “No.”
    “Jesus fuck, Damien. He’ll never let you fucking walk away! What part of that has not penetrated your thick skull over the past ten years?”
    “It penetrated. I just can’t do it anymore Alex.”
    “Because of Paige?”
    “No. Because of my own good conscience. I want a life. This is not living.”
    Alex looked down at his three thousand dollar suit that looked out of place on the sandy beach. Damien knew what he was thinking without him saying it. “This was living.” Alex loved the money and all of the perks. Damien would gladly give them all up, forever for a chance at a real life.
    “Alex, have you ever wondered why he treats me so differently than he does you?”
    “That’s easy, I’m more likeable.” Damien looked at his brother. Amusement danced in his eyes. “Come on, what does this have to do with anything. Yes, he’s harder on you and he always has been. I really don’t know why. I thought maybe it was because you’re more like Mom and you remind him of her.”
    “Do you ever think about Mom, and the promises we made to her?”
    “Shit Damien! Where is this walk down memory lane going to get us?”
    “Do you, Alex? Do you feel any guilt about that at all?”
    “What do you want me to fucking say? No. I don’t feel guilty. You know why? Because Mom’s not here any longer. She has no idea what we chose to do with our lives. If Dad hadn’t of taken us in, we’d be working in some fucking nine to five piece of shit job we hate, married to some overweight chick and supporting four or five kids. How is this life not better than that one?”
    “That one would be honest.”
    “You’re such a fucking boy scout. I don’t have time for this, Damien. What is it that you want?”
    “I want you to help me set him up.”
    Alex stopped walking and looked at his brother. He laughed heartily then and said, “Good one.”
    “I’m not kidding,” he said.
    “You’re fucking suicidal and you’re trying to take me with you. Fuck that, Damien. You can just count yourself lucky that I don’t go back and tell him.”
    “Just think about it for a second Alex. Who is going to take the reins when he is gone?”
    “Brad or Kevin.”
    “Kevin doesn’t want them and if Jackson goes down, so does Brad.”
    “So you thought you’d manipulate me into doing this because I’m so power hungry I can’t see straight?”
    “Pretty much, yeah.” Alex laughed again and shook his head.
    “What about my loyalty to my father?”
    “If you stood between him and what he wanted, do you think he’d hesitate to take you out of the way? I’m not asking you to kill him. Just get me something we can use against him without taking down the entire family. I don’t want Kevin touched...or you. If I turn over what Paige and I have to the F.B.I., you all go down.”
    “And why is Kevin any better than our father?”
    “Because you and I both know that Kevin does the things he does out of loyalty to his family...he doesn’t enjoy any of it. Jackson does.”
    “Why do you keep calling him Jackson? What happened to Dad?”
    Damien looked at his brother and said, “Because he’s not my father.”
    “What the fuck are you talking about?” Alex was looking at his brother like he’d grown another head.
    “Roxi had a letter that our mother sent to her before she died. Kevin is my father.”
    “Bullshit!”
    “Ask him.”
    “Mom had an affair with Kevin?”
    “That’s what the letter says. It explains a lot. But DNA aside, would it really break