softly.
Matt and Flynt Carson looked at each other. Flyntâs lips twisted slightly, as he seemed to study what little information heâd been given. Not that Ace cared. He wasnât looking for anyoneâs blessing. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted or needed. He started to walk away.
âCarson.â
At the single word, Ace stopped and turned back. Flyntâs blue eyes were narrowed. âLetâs get one thing straight,â he said. âI donât like you and I donât like you being here, but I hope you broke his nose.â
Ace rubbed his jaw. âAfraid not. Iâm not an especially violent man.â His voice sounded cold and barely restrained even to his own ears.
âHe nearly choked him,â Fiona volunteered.
âUm, I see, not violent,â Matt noted with a frown.
âDidnât appear that he was going to go away without some persuasion,â Ace admitted.
âAnd you persuaded him?â Cara asked.
âItâs something Iâm good at.â
The two men exchanged a look.
âYou planning on being around real long?â Matt asked.
âFor a while.â
âI take it you arenât expecting a big welcome?â
âThat would be a bit out of place. And unwarranted since Iâm not exactly here on a quest to mend fallen fences.â He stared into his younger half brotherâs eyes and saw a bit of himself looking back. He didnât like the feeling it gave him. He realized that he had the advantage. Heâd come here knowing that there were untold secrets on the Carson front. The four Carson brothers and sisters were just facing that fact.
âIf youâll excuse me,â Ace said, and he nodded and turned to leave again.
âYou still havenât told us, Ace, what your intentions are in coming here,â Fiona said, and when he looked at her, she didnât look as much worried as speculative. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Crystal. She was watching him, and her eyes were big with worry.
âHell,â he said almost beneath his breath.
âPardon me?â Cara said.
A smile lifted the corners of Aceâs mouth. He looked at the expensively dressed, obviously privileged group standing before him. He couldnât forget the innocent woman standing off to the side worrying, and he knew heâd been right all along. He didnât fit in here and never would. But then, he hadnât come here for that; he hadnât even come to stay very long at all. He had come here for a reason.
âI just came to raise a little hell like I always have,â he told Cara, and smiled as she blinked. âI regret to inform you, baby sister, that your oldest brother doesnât care much about pomp or prestige or the joys of settling down and behaving himself. And Iâm here just to meet the clan, let you know I exist and who I am. And then, in time, when Iâve caused enough talk and trouble and discomfort, Iâll do what all men like me tend to do. Drift away. Move on. And you can go on as you always have. Except youâll know that thereâs one more Carson out there. Hell, youâll wonder, like I do, just how many more of us there actually are. Now I think Iâll move along. Nice meeting all of you Carsons.â
And he saluted his half brothers and sisters and strode off.
As he passed the part of the room where heâd last seen Crystal, Ace couldnât help looking her way. He was on his wayâfor the first time in his lifeâto face the man who had seduced his mother, contributed his DNA and then turned his back forever on her and the son heâd fathered. He should have been elated, gleeful even. It was the moment Ace had prepared for, maybe all his life.
But instead of joy, he felt as if concrete weights were pressing on him.
He should have been clipping across the floor on his way to deliver the news to his father that the âbad pennyâ Carson
Matt and Flynt Carson looked at each other. Flyntâs lips twisted slightly, as he seemed to study what little information heâd been given. Not that Ace cared. He wasnât looking for anyoneâs blessing. In fact, it was the last thing he wanted or needed. He started to walk away.
âCarson.â
At the single word, Ace stopped and turned back. Flyntâs blue eyes were narrowed. âLetâs get one thing straight,â he said. âI donât like you and I donât like you being here, but I hope you broke his nose.â
Ace rubbed his jaw. âAfraid not. Iâm not an especially violent man.â His voice sounded cold and barely restrained even to his own ears.
âHe nearly choked him,â Fiona volunteered.
âUm, I see, not violent,â Matt noted with a frown.
âDidnât appear that he was going to go away without some persuasion,â Ace admitted.
âAnd you persuaded him?â Cara asked.
âItâs something Iâm good at.â
The two men exchanged a look.
âYou planning on being around real long?â Matt asked.
âFor a while.â
âI take it you arenât expecting a big welcome?â
âThat would be a bit out of place. And unwarranted since Iâm not exactly here on a quest to mend fallen fences.â He stared into his younger half brotherâs eyes and saw a bit of himself looking back. He didnât like the feeling it gave him. He realized that he had the advantage. Heâd come here knowing that there were untold secrets on the Carson front. The four Carson brothers and sisters were just facing that fact.
âIf youâll excuse me,â Ace said, and he nodded and turned to leave again.
âYou still havenât told us, Ace, what your intentions are in coming here,â Fiona said, and when he looked at her, she didnât look as much worried as speculative. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Crystal. She was watching him, and her eyes were big with worry.
âHell,â he said almost beneath his breath.
âPardon me?â Cara said.
A smile lifted the corners of Aceâs mouth. He looked at the expensively dressed, obviously privileged group standing before him. He couldnât forget the innocent woman standing off to the side worrying, and he knew heâd been right all along. He didnât fit in here and never would. But then, he hadnât come here for that; he hadnât even come to stay very long at all. He had come here for a reason.
âI just came to raise a little hell like I always have,â he told Cara, and smiled as she blinked. âI regret to inform you, baby sister, that your oldest brother doesnât care much about pomp or prestige or the joys of settling down and behaving himself. And Iâm here just to meet the clan, let you know I exist and who I am. And then, in time, when Iâve caused enough talk and trouble and discomfort, Iâll do what all men like me tend to do. Drift away. Move on. And you can go on as you always have. Except youâll know that thereâs one more Carson out there. Hell, youâll wonder, like I do, just how many more of us there actually are. Now I think Iâll move along. Nice meeting all of you Carsons.â
And he saluted his half brothers and sisters and strode off.
As he passed the part of the room where heâd last seen Crystal, Ace couldnât help looking her way. He was on his wayâfor the first time in his lifeâto face the man who had seduced his mother, contributed his DNA and then turned his back forever on her and the son heâd fathered. He should have been elated, gleeful even. It was the moment Ace had prepared for, maybe all his life.
But instead of joy, he felt as if concrete weights were pressing on him.
He should have been clipping across the floor on his way to deliver the news to his father that the âbad pennyâ Carson
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