Page 105 of Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“Stop it!” said Laura. “Kyle,” she said. “Come here. We can talk about it. We can leave this place.”

“I don’t want to leave!” said Kyle. “I don’t want to go! You can’t make me!”

He stepped up onto the railing.

“WOAH!” said David. “Kyle, come down from there. You could fall, okay?”

But Kyle wouldn’t listen. He’d hopped the rail and was shimmying along, down to one of the buttresses which held the bridge in place. As he began to climb down, Laura screamed, and I ran to the railing of the bridge.

As I looked over, I couldn’t help the nausea rising in my throat. Kyle was on the platform below now, his back to the wall. Beneath him were the iron girders of the bridge, around which the water swelled and rushed forward. And beyond that, the Falls themselves, white surf and the booming sound of the water ahead.

“Kyle,” I said. “I need you to come up, kid. Right now.”

“KYLE!” called Laura, as she reached my side. “Baby, what are you doing?”

“I said go away!” yelled Kyle. “Neither of you give a damn about me anyway.”

“That’s not true, kid,” I said.

“It is!” he said. “Why didn’t you tell me, Lucien? Why didn’t you say you were my dad in the first place.”

“I didn’t know,” I said. “Your mom—” I croaked, “—your mom had to leave me to have you, Kyle, and I didn’t know. Please, believe me.”

“Sweetie,” said Laura, “all we want is for you to be safe. That’s all both of us want. So please come up, okay?”

Kyle looked into my eyes, and I wondered how it could be that I’d never noticed before. His eyes were the same as mine. But then, that was how we’d got to be here tonight. We’d all lied to ourselves, telling the truth which suited us.

Kyle turned and looked at the water. “I want to come up,” he said quietly. Even a talented swimmer like Kyle saw that the river was dangerous on a night like this.

“Glad you agree,” I said. “Come on. Up you come.”

Kyle nodded, and put a hand on the railing. He lifted himself up, adjusting his footing.

I reached out as his hand came up, then his next foot. Then the next one.

“That’s it,” I said. “Up you come.”

Then, his foot slipped.

“Kyle!” said Laura, and leaped forward to grab him. So did I. There was a dark shadow past me, and then I pulled Kyle over the railing.

I looked down.

Laura was gone. Gone into the dark water.

I took my coat off. “I need to go after her,” I said.

“I’ll come with you,” said Kyle.

I looked at him.

There wasn’t time to argue.

Chapter 37

Laura

“I don’t want any more.”