My head was spinning. I'd hardly expected to actually find Zeke here. I certainly hadn't expected to meet Miles I shook my head, trying to clear it of the millions of fragmented thoughts distracting me from Miles’s words. “What are you sorry about?”

He shifted uncomfortably, something breaking through his flat mask momentarily. “Setting you up like that. I'd been wondering if you and Marcus were related. I should have just asked.”

Zeke--Marcus--my brother dropped off our drinks and turned away without a word. I wanted to call him back. I wanted to apologize to Miles, but he was apologizing to me--there was so much happening at once

“Again, I’m sorry. I only said yes to coffee because of that, which was a double jerk move.” He sighed. “Serves me right,” he practically whispered. “I'm glad you're doing well, Parker I won't bother you any further.”

He stood and sold smoothly from his chair, and before I could tumble from my own--tripping over my own damn feet--he was gone, in his car and pulling away. Damn it. I hadn't even gotten a chance to--

I turned back to the counter to face my other predicament, it a young beta woman stood in Zeke’s place. Had he run from me as well?

“Did Zeke leave?” I asked her.

She tilted her head at me in confusion “Who?”

That was right “Is Marcus still here?”

“In the back…” she said hesitantly.

Better to ask forgiveness than permission… I slid behind her and into the back before she could squeak. I wasn't going to miss my chance to talk to my brother, especially after losing my moment with Miles.

“Z--Marcus?” I called, but no answer. I did hear a sound though… I moved closer to it, and realized it was someone crying. Was that my Zeke crying? My exuberant, cheerful brother? Nothing could keep the Zeke I remembered down. I was starting to come to terms with the fact that he was no longer the Zeke I remembered.

The crying was coming from an employees’ restroom. I knocked on the door. “Zeke. Marcus. Can we just talk?”

“No.”

One thing that probably hadn't changed, Zeke was stubborn. But I was more so. I sat down, resting my back against the door. “Too bad, little bro. I'm not going anywhere until I find out what happened.”

There was a choking laugh. “What happened? That’s rich. Just run back to your mommy and daddy. I don't have a family anymore.”

Actually hearing the words from his mouth hurt even worse than hearing them from Mom years ago. It hurt worse than the years of silence. It made me more determined to find out what had happened And I would fix it. I may not be able to fix what went wrong between Miles and I, but no matter what had happened between Zeke and I, we were brothers. Nothing could break that.

“Hey, you. Employees only. I'm going to need you to leave, or I'll call the authorities.” The man addressing me was no meek beta. His alpha presence matched my own.

I stood to address him on equal ground. “I'm just trying to talk to my brother.”

“I don't care what you're trying to do,” he said, his presence emanating determination and danger. “You're harassing my employee, and I won't stand for that.”

“Just go,” Zeke urged from the restroom.

The alpha lifted his cell phone. I let myself look at the situation from his point of view I knew I would never hurt Marcus, it he didn't. I felt a rife surge of relief that my brother had someone looking out for him, even if it wasn't me. The alpha was in his rights to throw me out. But no. I couldn't leave my brother who was clearly hurting without fixing it somehow. I sat again and the alpha started to dial.

“Dammit, Parker. For just once in your life can you not be the stereotypical stubborn alpha?” Zeke opened the door and I nearly feel backward. “If I agree to talk to you, will you leave?”

“Now?” I wasn't leaving without at least a firm commitment.

“No.” Zeke ran his fingers through his hair. “What about Tuesday?”

“I have a business trip,” I said automatically, but at the look on his face, I added, “I can cancel.”

“Don't cancel.”

“Friday? That’s when I get back?”

“Okay. I work until six in the evening. Meet me here.”

“I will,” I promised. “I guess I should let you get back to work.” I nodded acknowledgement to the alpha. I wanted to reach out and pull Zeke into a hug, but I knew he wouldn't welcome it. “See you then.”

I was too wired now, even without caffeine, to head home. But I definitely couldn’t work. As I drove, I realized my subconscious had already decided.

When I’d first moved here, an old college friend who was originally from the area had taken me to one of his favorite haunts, a place he’d told me about endlessly when we were in school. Purple Velvet had a world-renowned open jam every Sunday. Anyone and everyone could and did show up on Sundays. You never knew what famous musician or soon-to-be-famous starlet you’d run into there. I’d liked it, and had tried going back on a weekday, only to find that outside of Sundays, the bar was basically nothing. It was dead. Empty. And that was just what I wanted right now. I couldn’t count on anywhere else being empty, even though it was a weekday. After those two visits to Purple Velvet, I hadn’t had the time or inclination to drown myself in liquor, either with the buoyant energy of music lovers or alone.