Page 43 of Hide From Me

“You’renotdismissed,” Caspian grunts, not daring to look in Sam's direction.

“We’ve been cooped up in this room for hours,” I say lightly, trying to defuse the room with humor that isn’t there.

Sam throws the jacket tothe floor.

“Apparently, I’m not married either,” Sam snaps. “That's what you’re implying, isn't it? All because I didnt have some big fucking lavish wedding?”

Caspian’s hand clenches against his chest, thumping twice like he’s trying to physically shut himself up.

“For fuck’s sake,” he starts, but Sam’s already halfway to the door.

The slam rattles the walls.

I flinch.

“Cas?” I ask, but he’s already bracing his palms against the edge of his desk like it’s the only thing keeping him upright.

“Just go, Moe,” he growls.

My jaw tightens.

He doesn’t mean it, not really, but still—it digs under my skin.

I return to the woman, adjusting my suit, and give her a nod to finish her work. It’s easier than leaving in the middle of a fight. My heart’s still pounding. I keep my tone even. “Do you remember that time Father took us to the Desert?”

“What?”

I spread my arms, letting the tailor check the fit beneath them. “That grey fox statue still has a chip in its ear.”

Caspian’s mouth twitches. He finally turns, exhaustion softening his sharp features. “I could’ve sworn they’d fix that by now.”

“Twelve years,” I say. “Since that first trip. We tore through that base like wild animals. You, me, Hayden…”

Playing tag in a place filled with extravagant furniture and military equipment wasn't the best idea. In our defense though, no military should resemble a damn castle let alone be filled with some of the most expensive antiques on earth.

He snorts. “And you nearly broke the statue.”

“I tripped. You tried to catch me, and we both went down. Hayden saved the damn thing like a ninja.”

His smile falters but doesn’t disappear. “I asked him about it once. Said sometimes broken things stay broken on purpose. That they tell a story.”

I nod. Hayden told me the same thing. “Good and bad.”

We both know it wasn’t all fun. That trip marked the start of the end, when our father blew things up with Hayden’s. We’ve had to learn how to tread lightly in the wreckage our parents left, but watching how it all went down taught us a lot about power and loyalty.

About when to kill, when to forgive, and when to shut up and survive.

Caspian nods, jaw ticking. “He hasn’t been too much trouble for you, has he?”

“You mean Hayden?” I smirk. “He told me something else, too. Said we shouldn’t pay for our parents’ sins. But we damn well better learn from them.”

Caspian exhales slowly. “We should.”

He removes his tuxedo jacket and tosses it onto a chair.

“You’re dismissed. Black suits will do,” he says.

“Are you, uh—are you alright?” I ask, catching the hesitation in my own voice.