Gabe rose to his feet. “Well, what conclusion is there to draw other than the obvious? That she’s got another life on the side? It’s not like our family doesn’t know about that.”
Gabe referenced their father’s brother, Uncle Robert, in Florida, and the fact that the man had had a wife and four children, along with a mistress with another four kids on the side. And nobody had known a thing. Not until one of his illegitimate daughters had needed bone marrow and Robert had wanted his legitimate kids tested.
Decklan’s stomach cramped. He needed information. “Where’s your laptop?” he asked his brother. It was one thing not to dig up information on Amanda when they were just starting out. Now he needed more.
“I’m going to kill her,” Lucy muttered, pac
ing the family room. “Nobody hurts my brothers without answering to me.”
“Take the pit bull routine down a notch, killer,” Decklan said, but he was grateful for her support.
Unlike Isabelle, who surprisingly wanted him to reserve judgment, Lucy and Gabe had jumped to the worst possible conclusion, while Decklan just felt raw. He knew what he’d seen on television, and a senator who wanted to be president wouldn’t stick his neck out with anything less than facts.
Decklan was leaning toward siding with Gabe and Lucy, but he couldn’t shake the fact that he’d been with Amanda. He’d learned about her, insecurities and all. And he’d been inside her body. He knew her.
Didn’t he?
He was no longer certain.
Gabe had already returned from his office with his computer in hand. He opened it up, typed in his password, and handed the laptop over to Decklan. After settling into a chair, Decklan performed a quick search and turned up fascinating information on Bradley.
“It seems the almost-fiancé is—”
“You assume he’s her almost-fiancé,” Isabelle said, interrupting him.
Decklan turned to her. “Iz, before Gabe, your live-in boyfriend cheated on you, so forgive me if I can’t trust your instinct.”
“Hey, watch it,” Gabe growled at him.
“It’s fine. I understand what you’re saying, but I have Gabe now,” she said with the confidence of a woman who trusted her man. “I’ve seen the difference between someone who tells the truth and someone who doesn’t.”
Within seconds, Gabe had returned to her side and settled her on his lap. Not in the mood to watch the lovebirds, Decklan turned away and went back to the articles in front of him on the screen.
Lucy walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “I love you,” she whispered.
“Love you too, brat.”
“Talk to Amanda before you make any decisions,” Isabelle pleaded. “I don’t know her well, but I liked her. A lot.”
Decklan frowned, Isabelle’s words hammering home even more issues with Amanda’s behavior. “She ate with my family. She went shopping with you. And all the while, she was involved with another man?”
“Maybe.” Isabelle held firm.
“Call her,” Lucy said, caving in a little. “See if she answers.”
He shook his head. “She’s supposed to be at my place by five. I’ll have my answers then.”
“You can wait?” his sister asked, sounding amazed.
He spun around to face her. “I have no choice. I’m a cop. I’m good at reading people.” Or he’d thought he was. “I want to look into her face when I tell her what I saw. And I’ll know then if she led me around by my—” He cut off his thought in deference to the women.
“I’ve heard the word dick before,” Lucy said, trying to make him laugh. “I’ve even seen one.”
Isabelle grinned.
Decklan placed his hands over his ears, and Gabe’s already dark expression turned thunderous. “I don’t care how old you are, you don’t say those things in front of your brothers.”
Both Lucy and Isabelle laughed.