Chapter 2 - The Outcast Brother
The stranger slammed Daniel against the canned goods display.
Cans of soup crashed to the floor in a loud, metallic avalanche.
The pregnant woman screamed and backed away.
Evelyn shrieked, ordering the man to unhand her son immediately.
The tall man slowly turned his head.
He had the same piercing blue eyes as Daniel, but his face was sharper, hardened by years of anger.
He looked at Evelyn and offered a mocking grin.
He told his mother it was a terrible way to greet her eldest son.
My breath caught in my throat.
Daniel had always told me his older brother, Julian, died in a car accident when they were teenagers.
Julian released Daniel, letting him slump to the grocery store floor.
He turned to me and gently touched Lily's soft hair.
He whispered that she looked exactly like our grandmother.
Evelyn was shaking with rage.
She demanded to know why Julian was in Portland.
Julian ignored her and kept his eyes on me.
He said he came to make sure his sister-in-law safely delivered the evidence to the authorities.
Daniel scrambled to his feet, wiping a small drop of blood from his lip.
He yelled that Julian was insane and lying.
Julian chuckled and reached into his own coat pocket.
He pulled out a thick envelope sealed with red wax.
He tossed it onto the floor at Evelyn's feet.
He announced that the envelope contained copies of the real trust documents.
Evelyn stared at the envelope as if it were a venomous snake.
The pregnant woman looked back and forth between everyone, tears welling in her eyes.
She asked Daniel if he was really still married.
Julian interrupted before Daniel could speak.
He told the woman that Daniel being married was the least of her problems.
May you like
Julian pointed a finger at her swollen belly.
He told her that the baby she was carrying was in terrible danger.
