Trent nodded. "He's my brother. He can be an ass but he wouldn't hurt me."
Dax crossed him arms. "People can do a lot of things when they feel cornered."
The elevator stopped on the garage level and they walked to Dax's black SUV, parked in one of Trent's assigned spaces. As Dax pulled out into the traffic, Trent glanced at the time. Mara would likely be gone most of the evening. His sister was intense about her shopping. Mara was the same way. After a few tense moments at lunch, he'd gotten Sophia's promise that she would be on her best behavior. He would have never agreed for Mara to accompany her otherwise.
It was good that she wasn't around for this. He wasn't going to introduce her to James until he knew where things stood. Also until he knew his brother could keep his mouth shut.
The car pulled up in front of the Waldorf. They walked through the hotel's luxurious lobby and entered the elevators.
Dax hit the button for the thirty-seventh floor. "He has one of the suites. The clerk said he booked the room only for the next few days."
Trent chuckled. "How do you get these people to talk to you?"
A wicked grin crossed Dax's face. "Money. Sex. Or both. Trust me, this girl was so hot, I felt like I owed her something."
Trent could only smile. His friend got things done and somehow managed to leave everyone with a smile on their faces. He couldn't quibble with his methods of extracting information.
The elevator stopped and he followed Dax as he approached room 3710. There was a room service cart in the hall and a "Privacy Please" sign hanging on the door.
"I guess we're about to interrupt his solitude," Dax murmured, before knocking on the door with three knuckles. "Room service," he called out in a high voice.
A few minutes later, the door opened slightly. "I didn't order anything else."
Dax stuck his foot in the door before it could close. "Well, I brought you something anyway." He shoved the door open the rest of the way.
James stood in the middle of the entryway in a dressing gown. A cigarette dangled from his teeth. He looked hung-over and smelled like vodka. There were clothes and empty bottles all over the room. A lamp lay on its side on the floor, the lampshade bent and ripped.
"Looks like we missed a hell of a party," Trent commented.
James grimaced and covered his ears with his hands. "You did. Come in. Have a drink. How nice of you to stop by." James walked away, leaving them standing in the entryway.
Trent held up a hand, indicating to Dax that he didn't need to follow. He entered the bedroom his brother had walked into. It looked just as trashed as the rest of the suite.
James fumbled in the pocket of his dressing gown until he found a lighter. With a shaky hand he attempted to light the cigarette in his mouth. After the fourth unsuccessful attempt, he gave up and tossed the lighter on the bed next to him. "As you can see, I'm not really up to entertaining guests right now."
"Everything is a joke to you, isn't it?" Trent watching with disdain as James flopped back onto the bed, fluffing the pillow under his head. His nephew had been in the hospital wondering where his daddy was and James was on a drug-fueled bender up and down the East Coast.
"Who's joking?" James smirked.
"It’s one thing to screw our father over. He’s proven that he only cares about himself. But Avery has done nothing to deserve this."
"You always defend her," James stated. The soft tone of his voice somehow seemed more accusatory than if he'd yelled the statement.
"I don't always defend her. But I do try to consider her point of view and what she needs. Which is what you are supposed to do. She's the mother of your child. Even if you don't love Avery, at least be there for Travis. He's your son."
"Funny thing that is, brother. He looks more like you than me."
Something cold and ugly passed between them. Trent watched wordlessly as James stood and walked over to the small bar in the corner. He struggled to pour two fingers of scotch into a glass. He lifted the drink to his lips, watching Trent over the brim.
"What the hell are you talking about? I’ve never slept with Avery. It’s always been you. Ever since we were kids, the only person she’s ever been into was you."
James swallowed, his eyes closing briefly as the scotch went down. "I saw the way you used to look at her. And that night at her graduation party the both of you were so wasted. I found you naked in bed together."
Trent's mind raced as he tried to remember all the events of that night. Avery had taken a year off to travel after high school so by the time she graduated from college, Trent had already been done with school and living full-time in an apartment in Virginia. He'd come up for a rare visit because Avery had begged. She'd accused him of forgetting about her, treating her just like James did.
He hadn't been dating anyone at the time so it had been easy to come up for a visit. He'd regretted it almost immediately though because Avery had spent all night telling him the details of her latest fight with his brother.
"I wasn’t that wasted. I put Avery to bed and then crashed in another room. She must have come into my room in the middle of the night. But nothing happened."