Kate Sherwood - Dark Horse 03 - Of Dark and Bright (5 page)

He checked the plate of cookies on the kitchen table and then opened the fridge and peered inside for the umpteenth time. If he needed another symbol of what a bad brother he was, the fridge was perfect. It was crammed full of every kind of food he could think of, most of which was going to rot before Krista had even a chance to eat it, all because he had no idea what she liked. He couldn’t remember any food preferences from their shared childhood; he’d been so wrapped up in himself and his own stupid issues that he hadn’t had any attention to spare for his sister. And he’d run away before he’d gotten a chance to know her any better.

He shut the fridge door and crossed to the coffeemaker. The Internet said that moderate caffeine was okay for pregnant women, but it hadn’t been too clear on what “moderate” meant, so he’d bought decaf.

He heard a car door slam in front of the house and almost dropped the glass carafe. Obviously
he
didn’t need any caffeine, either. He pressed the button to turn the coffeemaker on and wiped his hands on his jeans. A deep breath, and then he headed for the front hall. Another deep breath, and he opened the door.

There were a lot of people on the porch, and the only one he recognized was Susan. But he could figure out the rest. The people in navy uniforms were the security guards. And the pregnant woman was his sister. “Hi,” he said, looking mostly at Susan. He couldn’t believe he’d turned down Jeff and Evan when they’d offered to be there for this moment. He hadn’t explained the relationship to Krista yet; he wasn’t even sure she knew he was gay, although his relationship with Justin was pretty clear on the Internet, so even if she’d missed his orientation when they were younger, she’d probably figured it out by now. But he hadn’t wanted to overwhelm her with too many people, especially when she wouldn’t be clear on why they were there. He’d unfortunately forgotten the fact that he was socially ridiculous without their support.

But he didn’t have to be, he remembered. Another deep breath and he let his face relax into a warm smile. “Krista,” he said. He stepped out onto the porch, his arms carefully neutral; ready to hug if she wanted, ready to wrap around her shoulder more casually if she seemed cool. Her smile was almost as tentative as his had been, so he went for the shoulder-wrap, just a light squeeze, and then backed away. “It’s really good to see you,” he said, and he was pretty sure he meant it. “Come on in.” He moved toward the door, and then looked toward Susan. “Do the guards need to be inside, or…?”

One of the guards stepped forward and held out his hand, and Dan stopped walking long enough to shake it. “I’m Ben Dumas. We need to take a quick sweep through the interior, but we’ve liaised with the Kaminski security team, and we can do the rest of our work from outside the house. We’ll give you as much privacy as possible.”

“Okay. That’s great, thanks.” Another warm smile, and Dan could feel his muscles warming up. He should have seen the need for this, should have been prepared, but he was getting in the game now. “Is there anything you need from me?”

“No, sir, I think we’re fine. Thank you.” Ben nodded efficiently, releasing Dan from the conversation.

Which wasn’t exactly what Dan had been hoping for, but he went with it. He kept his mask on and turned to Susan and Krista. “Great. Come on in, then, and we’ll get you settled.” He paused and looked back at the car. “Do you have a bag or anything?”

Krista shook her head. She looked uncomfortable. “I’m traveling light.”

“Okay.” Dan wasn’t sure whether it was appropriate for him to ask for details on all this, or whether he was supposed to be respecting her privacy. What the hell had she been doing for the last fifteen years, and how had she gotten to the place she was now? Or maybe he’d be just as happy if he didn’t hear about all that. “Well, come on in. This is Evan’s place, but he doesn’t use it much, so he offered to let you stay here. A hell of a lot more comfortable than crowding in with me; I’ve got a one-bedroom.”

“Evan,” Krista started, then she glanced over at Susan before saying, “he’s your boyfriend?”

Well, that was straightforward. “Yeah,” Dan said. He’d explain Jeff later. He’d like to get a reaction on the homosexuality aspect before he introduced the threesome idea. “The kitchen’s just through here. Are you hungry? There’s food in the fridge—just a bit of everything, but you can make up a list for me when you’re ready, and I can pick up whatever you need. And there’s coffee.”

Krista’s head swiveled around as she looked at her new home. “This is his
guest
house?” she asked. “This is, like, the nicest place I’ve ever stayed. It’s probably one of the nicest places I’ve ever
been
.”

“Yeah.” Dan had forgotten about that. He’d worked to keep himself from taking things for granted, at first, but at some point, he’d just let himself relax into Evan’s world of casual wealth and immense privilege. “It’s a pretty nice house. His parents had it built; I guess they used to have people living here full time, so, you know—it’s not like it’s just an extra bedroom or something.”

“No kidding,” Krista agreed. “Nice catch, man. Good to see one of us taking care of himself.” Dan wasn’t quite sure where to go with that, but apparently he wasn’t expected to, because Krista was still going. “You said there was coffee?”

“It’s decaf,” he said, and it felt like an apology. “The Internet said—”

Krista groaned and put her hands over her ears. “I know, I know. Everything I eat goes into the baby. No smoking, no drinking, no drugs or any fun shit. God, I will be glad when this thing is out of me.” She sounded sincere, but her hands shifted down to cradle her stomach in a loving, almost protective way. Dan wasn’t sure what to make of the contrast.

Susan broke in politely. “Well, if you two are okay, I’ve got some paperwork to finish up.” She turned to Krista. “You understand that you cannot leave the house unless you’re going somewhere preapproved, right? I’ll talk to the guards about letting you out on the porch—that doesn’t seem like it’s asking too much, and surely a little fresh air would be good for you. But otherwise, you’re either going somewhere with the guards or the cops, or you’re inside, right?” She tilted her head and gave a warning look. “We’re getting a sweet deal, here. If you start pushing, it will absolutely fall apart. You understand that?”

Krista rolled her eyes, and Dan had a quick, vivid memory of her doing the same thing to their mother. “I understand,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll be good. I’m too fat to get anywhere, anyhow.”

Susan didn’t look totally satisfied, but she eventually nodded and turned to Dan. “Okay. If anything comes up, if you have any questions—give me a call. Otherwise, I’ll be in touch in a few days to check in, okay?” And then she surprised Dan by leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to Krista’s cheek. “Be good,” she urged, and she turned and left, her high heels clicking on the hardwood floor.

Dan kept his smile steady. “So, coffee? Or there’s herbal tea, or milk, or juice.”

“No sugar added in the juice, I hope. Who knows what problems
that
might cause.” Krista’s voice was bitingly sarcastic. She sank heavily into a chair at the kitchen table. “Coffee’s fine, I guess.” She frowned, then said, “Thank you.”

Dan was already moving toward the coffeemaker. “No problem.”

“I didn’t just mean the coffee. I probably don’t mean the coffee at all, if it tastes as crappy as most decaf. I meant… you know. Everything. The lawyer, and the house, and the guards. I get that your boyfriend is paying for it all, but thanks anyway.”

“I’m paying for the lawyer,” Dan said, and he immediately felt petty. Susan’s fees were significant, but compared to the house and the twenty-four-hour guards, she was definitely a small expense. And Krista was
Dan’s
sister—Dan’s problem. “But, yeah, Evan’s really generous.”

“Have you guys been going out for long?”

“A couple years.” Dan tried not to get distracted, tried not to think about Evan saying that if they’d been a straight couple, they’d have been married by now. It was too much, too big, and he had more immediate concerns. He set the mug of coffee in front of Krista. “Milk or sugar?”

“Both.”

He found the fixings and they sat at the kitchen table and stared at their mugs. It shouldn’t have been so hard to talk to his own flesh and blood. But it was. Dan thought about switching his social persona back on, but he decided against it. Krista was going to be in the guest house for two months, and, he assumed, in his life for a long time after that. He wanted their relationship to be truthful. And the truth was that he wasn’t much good at small talk. Or talk in general, really.

She was the one who broke the silence. “Do you want to know about Dad?”

Interesting question, and he took a moment to think about it. “I don’t know. He took off when we were kids, then he came back and turned his daughter into a bank robber. Is there anything you could tell me that would make up for that?”

Krista’s eyes were calm and level as she took another sip of her coffee. Then she said, “What if I told you that
I
was the one who got
him
into robbing banks?”

“Is that true?”

Krista nodded. “Me and Scott—that’s my husband—we’d been breaking into houses, mostly, but we hit a couple stores too. And then we started looking at a bank, and we needed a third. Dad was always short of cash, so he wasn’t hard to convince.”

“And where is he now? And Scott—where’s he?”

“I have no idea.” It was hard to hear an emotion in Krista’s voice, but Dan tried anyway. Was she disappointed? Had she been abandoned? Or was she fine with the whole thing—had she left the men behind willingly? Or was she even telling the truth? Maybe she knew exactly where they were, but didn’t trust her brother enough to share the information.

Dan didn’t want to get into any of that. “Do they know about the baby? Your husband—does he know he’s going to be a father?”

“He knows. But he’s already a dad. He’s got two kids with one ex, and one with another. But, you know—he’s not really in any position to be much of a father. And his family’s about as fucked up as he is.” She cut her eyes down to her coffee, and when she looked back up, her face was sweet, almost innocent. It was unnerving, and for the first time, Dan wondered how it looked to other people when he donned his own mask. “But
you’re
good with kids, right? You must be.”

“What? Why?” Dan tried to understand where she was going. “Why would you think I’d be good with kids?”

“Just, you know….” Another sweet smile, but Dan wasn’t finding it too compelling anymore. “Because you’re gay. I don’t believe in all that ‘gays shouldn’t be allowed to have kids’ stuff. You’re more sensitive, right? Gentler, or whatever. So you’d probably be really good dads.”

“Jesus, Krista, that’s a shitload of stereotypes all in one sentence.”

“Look, Dan.” Krista leaned forward intently. “We’re family. Let me talk to you honestly.” She apparently took his lack of objection as consent. “You’ve got a good thing going here. But how long’s it going to last, really? I mean—how long before your boyfriend wants a newer, hotter model? He’s always going to be rich, but you’re not always going to be good-looking, right? We both know how men’s eyes can wander, and how much they like novelty.” She leaned back a little, apparently confident that she had made a convincing argument. “You need something to keep him interested, and to tie him to you. Something that he can’t just walk away from when he gets bored. And what I’m saying is: a baby. I’ve got one, you need one.” She smiled again, and it wasn’t sweet anymore; she looked absolutely predatory. “Let’s make a deal.”

Dan had no idea how he would have responded, but it turned out that he didn’t have to, at least not right away. There was a knock from the front hall, and then a familiar voice called out, “Hello? Dan? You here?”

Dan stood up quickly. “In the kitchen,” he called. He wasn’t sure if Evan’s arrival was going to make things better or worse.

E
VAN knew he wasn’t supposed to be there. Jeff had refused to come, saying that they needed to respect Dan’s privacy, and Evan had gone along with that for as long as he could. But Jeff had plans for the afternoon, and as soon as he was out of the house, Evan had looked across the kitchen table to find Tat staring back at him. “We should at least say ‘hi’,” she’d suggested, and that had been all it took.

His bold curiosity had carried him right up onto the porch, had let him knock on the door, push it slightly open and call “hello.” And then it had deserted him. Jeff had been right; this was an invasion of Dan’s privacy. The guy hadn’t seen his sister in more than a decade, and neither of them had been leading quiet lives; they had a right to get caught up. He winced before calling, “We’re just going to leave some stuff out here, okay? Nothing important.”

But he’d forgotten that Tat was at least as headstrong as he was. She tossed a scornful look his way and headed for the kitchen. Shit. This was absolutely Evan’s fault. He followed along uncertainly.

“Hi, I’m Tatiana Kaminski,” he heard her say, and as he rounded the corner he saw her advancing on the pregnant woman in the kitchen chair. Krista. Evan had been right that she would have the same coloring as Dan, but there wasn’t much resemblance otherwise. Where Dan was lean and angular, Krista was rounded. She probably wasn’t overweight, although it was hard to tell with the belly in the way, but she was soft, even in her face. Her eyes were familiar, though, green and quick, taking everything in.

“Hi, Tatiana,” Krista said, and she extended her hand to take the one that was being offered. Then she looked over Tat’s shoulder. “And you must be Evan.” She struggled to her feet while Evan waited awkwardly. If it had been anyone else, he probably would have stepped forward, given her a hug, offered to help… something. But this was Dan’s sister, and Dan was just standing there, watching. Evan didn’t want to step on any more toes than he already had. And Krista made it up just fine, and held her hand out to Evan. “Thanks for letting me stay here. And paying for the lawyer and the guards and everything.”

“Dan paid for the lawyer,” Evan clarified. “And we’re happy to have you here. Dan’s….” Damn it, what was Dan? Obviously
Evan
knew what he was, but did Krista? What had been discussed so far, and why the hell hadn’t Evan listened to Jeff and stayed the hell out of it all? “He’s like part of the family. So you are too, by extension.”