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between our parents. Ichiro might, but he wasn’t on my buddy list at the moment.
    “ We happened between them.” I shoved the chair back, its wheels squealing across the floor. “Her sons . And now you want me to go sit around a fire and make s’mores with the kid she had after us? The kid she raised but couldn’t be bothered to drop us a fucking letter about?”
    “That wasn’t his fault.” Mike’s chin came up, thrusting forward to challenge me. “He’s our brother , Cole.”
    “Don’t want the one you got? I’m not good enough? Too gay? Too fucked-up?” I shot back. “So you’re going to go with the new one? What? He’s straight? Got kids? Has his shit together? Maybe he plays golf and can hook you up with some connections in Tokyo.”
    I’d gone too far. Even as the words left my fucking mouth, I knew I’d gone too far. Mike reeled back a step, as if I’d punched him in the stomach, and all of the emotion drained from his face.
    “Fuck you, Cole,” he said, not without some heat. His words were a calm, thin line, drawing something firm between us. “I didn’t deserve that.”
    “No, you… fuck. Mike….” I reached for my brother and winced when he pulled away. “Dude, I’m sorry. Fuck, I just… this is too fucking much for me to deal with. You knew her. All I got were a couple of fucking pictures and a middle name I couldn’t pronounce. What the hell am I supposed to do with a guy who had her around? Especially after—”
    “Barbara? Our stepmother?” Mike crossed the distance between us and placed his hands on my shoulders. Pushing me back down into my chair, he leaned over to look me in the eyes. “Baby brother, I know what she did was shitty and Dad fucked you up something bad, but none of that’s Ichiro’s fault. He didn’t know we thought Mom was dead.”
    “I have a hard time believing that, man.”
    “Cole, it’s true. He’s as pissed off about this as we are. He wanted to reach out to the brothers no one would talk about. You’re the one who’s always on my case to be more tolerant. Why can’t you find some of that shit for him?”
    “Maybe.” I ground my teeth. “I’m just not fucking ready for this. For him. I need some time, Mike. Just some fucking time.”
    “Time I can give.” Mike slapped me lightly on the face, stinging my cheek. “Just stop being a damned asshole about it.”

Chapter 4

     
    I GOT nowhere closer on the Madame Sun case, having only the shreds of information I’d gleaned through what I could find on the computer. Until Wong could e-mail me a few reports on the sly, I wasn’t going to find a connection between May Choi and Eun Joon Lee on the Internet. Setting aside my notes, I stared at Claudia’s empty chair and chewed on my lip.
    She’d insisted I hire someone to cover the phones for the few more weeks she’d be out, but seeing someone else in her chair would feel like a betrayal of some sort. But, I needed someone in that chair if I was going to hit the streets or needed to go on a run.
    But I wanted that person to be Claudia. I needed that person to be Claudia.
    Lacking that, I reached for the phone and dialed up the next best thing, her oldest son, Martin.
    “Hey, man,” Martin’s voice rumbled, lightening slightly when he realized it was me. “Mama’s asleep. I got her to take one of those pain meds.”
    “Actually, I called to talk to you. I need some help.” I outlined what I needed, and he listened, murmuring every once in a while. “I’m hoping someone in your family might want to answer phones for me. Maybe even a couple of the kids? Even if just in the afternoon.”
    Halfway through the conversation, I realized Martin might have reservations on sending another of his family to the exact same spot his mother’d been shot. Something with sharp teeth began to gnaw on the inside of my stomach. I’d be lucky if Claudia wanted to return.
    “It’ll just have to be until Mama feels better.” Martin interrupted my