Page 13 of The Sinner's Son
Royce fist pumped the air dramatically. “You show promising leadership, Cay.”
A young man hurried through the community center doors, halted, and searched the room until his gaze landed on Cayden.A look of relief washed over his face as he started in their direction. The guy had strikingly similar features to Cayden and was obviously an older brother.
“Dane!” Cayden’s entire demeanor changed when he saw him. His shoulders straightened, and happiness sparked in his eyes. Cayden gave his brother a one-armed hug since he still held a plate of food. “You made it.”
“Of course I did. I’m so proud of you.” He sounded slightly out of breath when he reached them, like he’d run into the building.
“Thought you were going to be a no-show.”
“Sorry I’m late. Work ran over.” Dane had swooped his black hair off his forehead, highlighting his gorgeous eyes and chiseled bone structure. He was dressed in business-casual attire, a polo shirt, and fitted dress pants that many would find distracting in an office setting. He was only a few inches taller than Cayden and wore more muscle on his frame. Sawyer got a whiff of a spicy cologne that smelled expensive when Dane stepped back from hugging his brother. He held Cayden at arm’s length, scrutinizing him up and down. “You good? Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Who’s this, Cay?” Royce asked.
“This is my big brother, Dane,” the cadet replied proudly, looping his free arm around his brother’s shoulders.
“Dane,” Royce said, extending his hand. “It’s good to meet you. I’m so glad you could make it.”
The kid plastered a smile on his face when they shook hands, but it seemed forced since Sawyer had seen the real thing when he hugged his brother. “Cay was so excited when he got accepted into the Explorer program. I know he’s going to do great things. I’m really proud of him.”
Royce smiled and said, “He’s already shown early signs of leadership and excellent character assessment.”
Dane looked at his brother, and the genuine smile returned. “That’s great to hear.”
Royce introduced Dane to Sawyer, then offered the guy something to eat. “We ordered so much food, and I don’t want to take home the leftovers.”
“Thank you, but I already have plans.” Dane turned to his brother and said, “Can we talk for a few minutes?”
Tension rose between them, but Cayden shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”
The brothers moved to the far side of the room, and it was impossible not to glance in their direction every few seconds. “What’s their story?” Sawyer asked.
“Their mother is battling late-stage cancer,” Royce said. “Her prognosis isn’t good, and I get the impression that the boys only have each other to get through it.”
“Damn, that’s awful.” Sawyer knew all too well what kind of havoc cancer could wreak on a family. He looked at the brothers in time to see Dane hand his younger brother an envelope. Cayden shook his head, not wanting to take it, but Dane shoved it in his hand and closed his fingers around it. The cadet tucked the envelope inside his uniform jacket. “Did Cayden tell you this?”
“No, but Jason did.” Royce’s oldest nephew had just graduated from high school. He’d talked about becoming an Explorer cadet at one point but had changed his mind when he got serious about his art. Jason’s hard work had earned him a coveted spot at Savannah College of Art and Design. “Jason is best friends with Dane, even though he’s a little closer to Cayden’s age,” Royce explained.
“Is there anything we can do to help them?”
“I don’t know yet. Jason said the brothers are a little prickly about accepting anything they perceive as handouts, so I will have to tread carefully.”
“Male pride will be the ruin of us all,” Sawyer teased.
Royce looked over Sawyer’s left shoulder and narrowed his eyes. “I think we have bigger concerns to contend with right now.”
Sawyer angled his body and noticed the gathering around Alec had grown to include the groupies he’d seen lingering in the hallway.Just freaking great. Alec’s gaze strayed from his flock and landed on the Sutton brothers. Someone asked a question that yanked his attention back to the group, but Sawyer noted his gaze kept straying back to Cayden and Dane. But why? Was it because they weren’t enamored with him? The brothers hugged quickly before Dane left, and Sawyer observed Alec tracking his movement until someone thrust a book at him to sign.
“Last one,” Alec said. “I didn’t mean to hijack the night.” He smiled apologetically in Royce’s direction, but then his eyes widened when he spotted Sawyer. “Excuse me, everyone. I need to speak to my new crime-solving partner.”
Royce growled when Alec started toward them. The sound made Sawyer’s heart flutter, but he desperately wanted to avoid a confrontation.
Leaning into his husband, Sawyer whispered, “Save that for when we get home, hot stuff.”
Royce’s gaze glittered with dark promise when it shifted back to him, and Sawyer hoped he’d headed trouble off at the pass.
Alec reached them, a friendly smile on his face and a hand outstretched to Royce. “You must be the husband Sawyer can’t stop talking about.”