Chapter l201

Chapter 0201

Did I know about Nicholas’s past? I thought I did.

A tiny voice whispered in my head, Maybe not as well as you think.

No, I couldn’t let Julian sow doubt inside of me. No matter what he thought, there had to be a logical explanation for whatever happened. Nicholas wasn’t the type to just steal people’s girlfriends.

Perhaps Nicholas dated someone Julian liked, and Julian was just jealous. I wouldn’t suggest that to

him, however,

Even now, pain shone in his eyes, even with the smile that returned to his l*ps. He’d clearly been hurt by

whatever happened, no matter how much he tried to hide it.

Because of this, I didn’t want to ask him any more questions, or even bring it up at all. Maybe he was

right. Maybe all I was doing was kicking the hornet’s nest. Sometimes the past was meant to stay in the

past.

It hurt that the brothers couldn’t move beyond it, but who was I to try to brute force that into happening?

I lifted a hand and placed it on Julian’s shoulder. He glanced at it, eyes widening slightly.

“I’m sorry for your heartache,” I said. “Whatever the cause.”

He continued looking at my hand. His smile wavered again. “Do you mean that?”

“Of course, I do,” I said. “I care about you.”

Suddenly, he pulled me into a hug. His arms wrapped around M

nook between my n*eck and shoulder.

waist, and his head lowered into the

His hands on me were gentle, placed respectfully on the small of my back.

He was surprisingly tender. Until this moment, I always thought he flirted and teased with me just for entertainment. Maybe that was part of it, sure. Yet when he acted like this, I felt like maybe he did like

aven if just a little

by that thought, Ireached my own arms up and wrapped them around his n*eck

tom Dressing his chest to mine.

“Alright.”

So for a long moment, we held each other in the quiet of the parlor and didn’t say a word.

I wondered how long it had been since Julian received a good and honest hug, one that didn’t have to mean anything or lead to anything. One he could share with someone who truly just wanted him to be

himself.

Julian had his flaws, certainly, but we all did. He’d only ever done his best for me despite his teasing.

How could I not be grateful? How could I not like him for the person he was?

Our moment was interrupted by someone loudly clearing his throat.

I turned my head and saw Nicholas in the entryway. My heart jumped up into my throat and I lowered:

my arms from Julian’s shoulders.

Julian, it seemed, didn’t have to look to know who it was. “You always seem to find the worst moments.

to intrude upon, brother.”

“I didn’t come here to intrude,” Nicholas said, though his voice was stiff, unnatural, like he was trying

hard to stifle his anger.

Julian sighed. Though he finally lifted his head from my shoulder. “What did you come here for, then?”

Nicholas closed the parlor door behind him and walked further into the room. “I wanted to discuss the

next steps we should take to find Piper’s sister.”

I turned from Julian in a flash and walked toward Nicholas. The line of my thinking had halted and

abruptly shifted. I’d do anything to find my sister, and to discover the truth behind her involvement in the

underground organization.

Do you have an idea?” I asked, as hope filled my heart.

His face fell a little, looking at me. I’m sorry, Piper. Not really. But if we put our heads together