As her fingers touched the coldness of the metal, she gripped it and slowly turned. The sound of the mechanism releasing was her clue to move quickly. In a rush, Lux ripped open the door. She only managed to crack it open before it slammed shut.
She could feel his presence surrounding her, hemming her in. Refusing to look at him, she pressed her back against the glass paneled door as tremors overtook her.
“Please don’t be like this, Lux. Please don’t act as though you’re afraid of me,” Josh whispered, his voice coming from somewhere above her head. He was so close “It would break my heart if you ever thought I would do you harm or allow any harm to come to you.”
“Then let me out of this room!”
“I can’t do that, Luxie. It’s time you stopped running away. It’s time for you to grow up and face what’s going on around you.”
Lux knew he was right. From the minute she saw him standing in her island home, she understood her life was about to change; that her past had finally caught up with her.
Resisting his attempts to move her away from the door, Lux stiffened her body. He was so much stronger than her but still she resisted. Without exerting much strength, Josh used gentle pressure to pull her further into the room. Although his massive frame blocked all sight of her brother, all her senses were on full alert.
“I need you to trust me, Lux.”
“Well, I don’t trust you, I will never trust you again,” Lux promised through tight lips.
Josh’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. Rather they reflected regret. Positive her words were the cause, she only just managed not to withdraw them.
Moments later, his expression changed. Gone was the look of remorse, in its place was steely determination staring back at her from his green eyes.
“Never is a long time, Lux.”
Chapter 17
“I know our mother brought you up better than that Lux. Aren’t you going to greet your long lost brother?”
Whatever Josh saw in her eyes caused him to tighten his grip on her arm. Without saying a word, Lux looked down at his restraining hand and slowly raised her gaze to meet his.
“Lux, be careful what you do next.”
Without comment, she pulled at her arm; this time he released her and she stepped around him. For the first time since she was sixteen years old, Lux saw her brother. Her eyes roamed over him for endless seconds. Next, she took in every aspect of his face. Then she started over, this time to fill in the gaps at how much he’d changed since their last meeting.
He still looked more or less the same, even though she hadn’t seen him for nearly fifteen years. He still possessed the same high cheekbones and long nose that was a characteristic of their mother’s Indian ancestry. The shape of his eyes was an exact replica of her own, almost too big for his face. Their eyes were the only distinguishable facial feature they had in common. Yet even as she looked into their depth, Lux saw that the brother she’d once knew wasn’t the man staring back at her. His eyes were cold. The Samuel Lee she knew growing up was gone.
The way he dressed spoke of wealth, and Lux refused to think about how he made enough money to dress in bespoke suits. At five foot ten, Lux observed that Sam still looked slim and fit.
Finished with her perusal, she finally moved. Walking towards him, Lux held his gaze unblinkingly. Without conscious thought of how it happened, she stood so close to him that she could smell the tickle of his cologne in her nostrils. Still in shock at his presence, nothing could stop her from giving her brother the welcome he deserved. Without warning, she fisted her hand and unleashed a punch directly to the middle of his face.
More pleased than she could ever have imagined at his expression of shock; Lux knew she would always remember it. Knowing the man he had become, she braced herself for the retaliation that never came.
As brother and sister stood glaring at each other, Josh moved her out of harm’s way, even as he tried to pacify the situation. “We all know Lux didn’t have a right to put her hands on you; don’t we, Lux?” Josh enunciated his voice deadly serious.
“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, let go of me right now and see if I don’t punch him again!”
“For God’s sake, Lux shut the hell up!”
“You shut up. If he thinks he's going to come in my face when he knows I don’t want to see him then he can take what he gets!”
“Luxandria, do you know who you’re speaking to?” Sam demanded rubbing his nose.
“Don’t ask me stupid questions,” she scoffed. “Of course I know who you are. You’re the brother who’s dead to me and as far as I’m concerned, you’re going to stay dead. As I don’t believe in ghosts, you can just disappear!”
“Little girl, you need to watch your mouth!”
Ducking around Josh, Lux rushed towards Sam. Josh managed to stop her forward momentum, but the strength of his hold didn’t prevent her from saying exactly what was on her mind.