“Mill?”
“How?”
“It’s a really long story.”
“Why?”
Caleb Cain, aka Miles Buchanan, understood exactly what Miller meant. Why hadn’t he found him? Why hadn’t he reached out? Their loyalty was to each other, no one else.
“We had to hide for a long time, me and my mom, the woman who adopted me,” he clarified. “Then, later, when I wanted to find you, she told me you were dead.”
When he continued speaking the rage that tinged his voice was palpable. “When I saw you on the street that day…” He shook his head, unable to articulate the torrent of emotion. “Through everything, she was the one person I trusted. I never even questioned it.”
The two men sat on the floor face-to-face, knees bent, hands clasped, heads cocked. For a long time, and no time, they just sat, mirror images, and talked. A while later, the door flew open, and the Bishop Security team with Calliope at the rear burst through the door and came to an abrupt halt.
Miller and Miles both turned their heads. They were fraternal twins, Tox was taller, his brother slimmer with more angular features, but the resemblance was unmistakable. Had Miles not been disguised each time they had encountered him, it would have been obvious.
“My theory was correct, I see.” Twitch beamed.
Calliope shoved through the group and sank to her knees beside Tox. Only her eyes moved as she scanned his gaze from one eye to the other—back and forth, back and forth. He tugged her earlobe and rested his hand at the side of her neck.
“Cal.” He cleared his throat. “This is Miles. My brother.”
Calliope squinted at Miles with all the skepticism she could muster.
“Oh shit, do I have to do the dance again? My ribs hurt.” He gave a pleading smile revealing twin dimples.
“You’re really his twin?”
“I have the DNA to prove it,”
“You better not be fucking with the man I love.”
“I love him too, Toots, so back atcha.”
Miles and Calliope stared at each other with intent, perhaps each confirming that the other was sincere.
Steady broke the silence. “This feels personal. Maybe we should go get a pizza.”
Miller and Miles both looked up, heads cocked just so. Nathan burst out laughing. “Well, if you didn’t think they were twins before…”
Calliope scooted into Tox’s lap and took over dabbing his bleeding lip with the end of his tee-shirt.
“I’m the man you love? You mean that?”
“Sim, senhor.” Yes, mister. “In Portuguese, we say ‘alma gemêa.’ You are my soul’s twin.”
Tox glanced at Miles, his body’s twin, then at Calliope, his heart’s twin. He rested his forehead against hers and took a deep breath.
Outside, it started to rain.