A Brother

The Sterling estate sat in the kind of neighborhood designed to keep ordinary people out. Tucked between wooded hills and a private lake, it was beautiful, exclusive, and miles from anything useful. No buses ran through the area. Taxis rarely came this far. If Rue wanted to walk back into the city, she'd be looking at a two-hour trek at minimum.

Under normal circumstances, that might have annoyed her.

Today, she couldn't bring herself to care.

In fact, she was in an unusually good mood.

That mood lasted right up until a bright red Mercedes pulled across the road and stopped directly in front of her.

The driver's door swung open.

Rue recognized the man immediately.

Hans Galloway.

Unfortunately.

"Well," he said with a grin, leaning against the car, "this is awkward."

Rue didn't answer.

Hans either didn't notice or didn't care.

"Who would've guessed you weren't actually a Sterling?"

He sounded far too pleased about it.

The engagement between the Sterling and Galloway families had originally been arranged with Rue in mind. The moment the DNA test results came out, however, everyone had quietly shifted their attention to Ariana.

Just like that, the future bride had changed.

Hans looked Rue over openly, his gaze lingering far longer than necessary.

The funny thing was that she looked better than ever.

She wasn't wearing designer clothes anymore. No jewelry. No expensive handbag. Just jeans, a T-shirt, and a ponytail.

It didn't matter.

If anything, the simplicity made her stand out more.

Sunlight caught the smooth curve of her cheek. Her skin was flawless, her features delicate without looking fragile. She looked like the kind of woman people noticed the moment she walked into a room.

Hans had known plenty of beautiful women.

None of them looked like Rue.

Even now, after she'd lost her place in the Sterling family, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

As far as he was concerned, her situation only made things easier.

Without the Sterling name, she had no powerful family backing her. No fortune waiting for her. No social status worth mentioning.

Sooner or later, she'd realize she needed someone.

Someone like him.

The thought made him smile.

"What a waste," he said, shaking his head. "You know, I've always liked you."

Rue almost laughed.

Always liked her?

Hans had spent the past two years acting like a dog that marked every tree it passed.

The only thing he'd ever been consistent about was embarrassing himself.

Apparently encouraged by her silence, he took a step closer.

"Honestly, the engagement doesn't mean anything to me. Sure, Ariana's the one wearing the ring now, but that wasn't my choice."

Rue stared at him.

The man actually sounded sincere.

That was somehow the most impressive part.

Hans lowered his voice.

"The truth is, the person I've cared about this whole time has always been you."

There it was.

The line he'd probably rehearsed in front of a mirror.

Rue wondered whether she should be offended or concerned.

Before she could decide, Hans reached toward her shoulder.

"Rue, trust me. Stay with me and I'll take care of you. You'll never have to worry about anything—"

His hand never made it.

Rue caught his wrist.

Hans blinked.

Then he frowned.

Then he tried pulling away.

Nothing happened.

His expression changed.

Rue's grip felt like steel.

Pain shot through his arm.

"What the hell—"

Smack.

The slap landed so hard that his head snapped sideways.

For a second, the entire world seemed to freeze.

Hans slowly turned back toward her.

A bright red handprint was already forming across half his face.

Rue released his wrist.

"Get lost."

The words were delivered calmly.

Which somehow made them worse.

Hans stared at her in disbelief.

Then the rage hit.

"You think you can hit me?"

His face twisted.

"Do you seriously think you're still some rich little princess?"

Rue sighed.

Here we go.

"You should be thanking me for even talking to you," Hans continued. "Without the Sterlings, what are you? Nobody. You think anybody's going to care what happens to you now?"

The more he spoke, the angrier he became.

Eventually he stopped making sense altogether.

Rue tuned out most of it.

She'd already decided this conversation had gone on far too long.

Hans suddenly lunged toward her.

Rue stepped aside effortlessly.

A trace of irritation flickered across her face.

A few days ago, she might have worried about the consequences of punching the heir to the Galloway family.

Now?

Not really.

She rolled her shoulders and prepared to solve the problem herself.

A loud engine suddenly interrupted the moment.

Both of them turned.

An old minivan came tearing down the road like it had something personal against the speed limit.

Tires screeched.

Hans yelped and dove out of the way.

The van skidded to a stop so close that he nearly fell over trying to escape it.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted. "Are you trying to kill somebody?"

The driver's door flew open.

A tall man climbed out.

He didn't answer.

Instead, he walked straight toward him, grabbed him by the collar, and drove a fist directly into his face.

The punch landed with a sickening crack.

Hans collapsed backward.

"What—"

The second punch cut him off.

The third wasn't any gentler.

"If you've got something to say," the man growled, hauling Hans back upright, "say it again."

Hans looked completely stunned.

The man shoved him backward.

"I'd love to hear you explain why you were threatening my sister."

Rue froze.

My sister.

She knew she had an older brother.

Before leaving the Sterling family, she'd looked through the information she'd received about the Blackwoods. She knew his name was Cody. She knew he was five years older than her.

She knew the facts.

Facts, however, were very different from reality.

Watching Cody beat the brakes off Hans was a completely different experience.

Something unfamiliar stirred in her chest.

Warm. Protective. Safe.

Growing up with the Sterlings, she'd learned that family loyalty always came with conditions.

Everything was transactional.

Everything had a price.

When she'd complained about Hans before, Mrs. Sterling had reminded her that the Galloways were valuable business partners and that she should be more understanding.

Cody, meanwhile, hadn't asked a single question. He'd seen a man harassing his sister. That had been enough.

Hans tried fighting back once.

Then twice.

Neither attempt ended well.

A few minutes later, he was sprawled across the pavement looking like he'd lost a boxing match against a moving truck.

Rue finally stepped forward and grabbed Cody's arm.

"Okay."

Cody looked ready to keep going.

"Seriously," she said. "That's enough."

He took a breath, then another.

Eventually, he stepped back.

Only then did he seem to remember she was standing there. His expression changed instantly.

"Are you okay?"

The concern in his voice caught her off guard. He wasn't asking because he felt obligated. He genuinely wanted to know.

"I'm fine."

Cody looked relieved.

Good.

Because he'd been seconds away from committing several felonies.

On the ground, Hans groaned and struggled to his feet.

One eye was already swollen shut.

His expensive shirt looked like it had survived a small natural disaster.

Unfortunately, he still hadn't learned his lesson.

Pointing at Rue, he snarled, "This isn't over."

Rue sighed.

Apparently getting punched repeatedly hadn't improved his personality.

"One day," Hans continued, "you'll be begging me for help."

Cody immediately took a step forward.

Hans nearly jumped out of his skin.

Without another word, he spun around, stumbled into his Mercedes, and sped away so fast he almost clipped the curb.

Silence settled over the road.

Cody watched the car disappear.

"Should've hit him harder."

Rue laughed.

The sound surprised both of them.

After a moment, she nudged his arm.

"Let it go, Bro."

The word slipped out naturally.

Bro.

Not awkward.

Natural.

Cody's shoulders stiffened.

Then he looked away so quickly it was almost suspicious.

Was he... embarrassed?

Rue bit back a smile.

Without meeting her eyes, Cody walked over to the van and opened the passenger door.

"Mom and Dad are waiting for you."

For the first time since leaving the Sterling estate, Rue felt a flicker of nervousness.

Because unlike the Sterlings, these people actually wanted her.

Cody scratched the back of his neck.

Then he offered her a slightly awkward smile.

"Come on. Let's go home."