Curtis
My eyes drifted to the briefcase on the floor, still settled where it had fallen. Slowly, my gaze rose, following the same trajectory, until it locked onto him, my brother.
But his attention wasn’t on me. His eyes were fixed elsewhere, locked in disbelief on someone behind me. Following his line of sight, I saw the object of his horror, Amber.
I turned my head back to him, watching carefully, waiting for any flicker, any sign that might betray him. Was this the moment he’d give himself away?
Then he snapped back to me, his face breaking into an easy smile. The sudden shift was jarring, almost too perfect. Without hesitation, he closed the distance between us and pulled me into a firm embrace.
“Big brother,” he greeted warmly, his voice smooth and disarming.
My hands hesitated
