Just One Night (The Kingston Family 1)

“Hello,” Jordan said.

The woman smiled. “I’m Quinn Stone. It’s nice to meet you both.” She picked up the phone beside her on the desk and tapped one button. “Austin? Mr. Kingston is here to see you along with his assistant, Jordan Greene.” She listened and hung up, glancing at them. “You can go right in.”

Linc gestured for Jordan to precede him and stepped forward, opening the door to the office behind the desk. They walked inside, and a tall, muscular man who’d obviously once been an NFL player, a wide receiver for the Miami Thunder, greeted them.

“Mr. Kingston, Ms. Greene. Welcome.”

“Please, call me Linc.” They shook hands and Jordan did the same.

“Have a seat. Can I get either of you a drink?” He indicated the bar in the corner of the room.

Jordan shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“I’m good, thanks,” Linc said.

“Before you tell me why you’re here, I have a question.” Austin spoke as he strode around his desk. “I have a cousin in Florida who is married to Grey Kingston. He used to be the lead guitarist for the band Tangled Royal. Now he’s more of a songwriter. Any relation?”

Linc shook his head and laughed. “No, but my brother is Dash Kingston, also a musician, so we’re asked that a lot. Mere coincidence.”

Austin nodded. “Just curious. Now let’s take a seat and you can tell me why you’re here. He lowered himself into his chair. “I have to admit when I heard you wanted to see me, I was intrigued. I’m aware of you … well, your family company by reputation.”

In other words, he’d taken the appointment due to Linc’s name. He could live with that.

Once he and Jordan were settled in chairs across from Austin, he replied. “I came to talk to you about someone who works here. Aurora Michaels.”

“What about her?” Austin asked. He didn’t flinch or otherwise react, which told Linc what a good negotiator the man must be.

Linc hated discussing personal issues with anyone, let alone strangers, and he resented having to lay out his family skeletons to this man. “I’d really rather tell Aurora myself.”

“Yet you came to me first, not her. Why?” Austin pinned him with a direct glare.

Linc sat up straighter in his seat. “Because I’d rather not shock her with news until I learn more about her. I already know she has a relationship with your family, which is why I’m here talking to you.”

Austin nodded. Picking up a pen, he rolled it between his palms. “My family is very protective of her, so you’re going to have to be more specific about what you want.”

Linc gripped the arms of his chair. “You do realize I could walk out this door and call out her name to find her?” he asked, annoyed at being stonewalled.

Jordan put a brief calming hand on his arm, and he forced himself to relax and think. He wanted answers and this man had them. If he was to learn about his sister before meeting her, he had no choice but to open up.

“Fine. I recently discovered Aurora is my half-sister courtesy of my father.”

This time Austin didn’t hide his shock. “She grew up in foster care and you’re just here now? Where was your parent all these years?”

“My father was a bastard,” Linc said. And he proceeded to fill Austin in on everything from finding the checks, the surprise bank account, to ultimately tracking down Aurora’s mother and then Aurora herself. He had no choice.

The whole time he spoke, Austin rolled his pen, and Jordan subtly slipped her hand back onto Linc’s arm. Though he could handle Austin, having her here gave him peace and the strength to dig in to his ugly family truths.

“Jesus,” Austin said when Linc had finished his story. “A bastard is right. And Aurora’s mother? What kind of human being abandons her child?”

Linc swallowed hard. “My thoughts exactly, which is why I want to fix things.”

“So you’re here to meet your sister?” Austin asked.

Linc nodded. “Is Aurora here now?” Anticipation built inside him at the prospect of seeing her.

Austin met his gaze. “She’s out to lunch with my sister, Brianne.”

Linc was disappointed. “I see.”

“My brother Braden and his friend Willow have basically taken Aurora in. Made her part of the family. She means a lot to us.”

“I’m glad she found good people to help her after the way she grew up, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for her. But I want to do the same thing. Make her a part of our family and bring her home to New York.” To make her feel welcome.

“And I want to check out your story before we drop this bomb on her.”

Linc ground his teeth in annoyance. “I flew down here to meet her. Now you’re asking me to wait? It’s not like she’s your sister. What gives you the right to make decisions for her?” He rose up from his seat, and Jordan stood, grabbing his arm.