#TeaserTuesday 1/2

 

Alex sighed, and it was only partly an act. “I’m being precise and I’m not making suppositions. I’m not some civilian idiot who’s going to insert a bunch of my own hypotheses into this conversation. You’re asking questions, and I’m giving you factual answers, without any fluff.”

Boyle chewed that over, jaw working, and twitched his mouth up into a thin, humorless smile. “You’re a lot like him, you know.”

Alex’s heart, running at a steady jog, gave a fast, sideways leap, and then settled again. “Who?” he asked, furrowing his brow, feigning confusion, but he knew who. It didn’t matter that he and Mercy had met only yesterday; they were both of Remy’s blood, and Remy’s blood was strong. Of course they were alike, even if Mercy would hate to admit that.

The grin widened, a sliver now, faint wink of teeth. Boyle thought that he’d found a weakness, and slipped the tip of a knife inside its shadow. “Your brother.” He said the word with relish. “You can call him ‘half’ all you want, but you don’t look half. You look like your dad shit you both out at the same time.”

Alex said, “How do you know what our dad looked like?”

Again, as he had when he first knocked on the doorjamb, he saw that flicker of wild, animal panic in Boyle, like a wink of eyeshine on a trail cam. There and then gone immediately. “Because I looked him up, asshole.” He smirked. “Guy looked like an angry drunk.”

The comment was too stupid and too much of a cheap shot to bear comment.

Boyle said, “You’re a smartass, like your brother. Talking in circles.” He made a motion with his finger. “Thinking you can pull one over on me.” The smirk fell away. “It’s not gonna work.”

“I’m not trying to pull anything,” Alex said, levelly. “And if I’m like Felix, that’s just an unfortunate coincidence."