Poison & Wine [Eric Coulter]

27.

"Brother?" Eric asked, his eyes boring into Olivia, who stood frozen on the spot, mentally kicking herself for letting the words slip. Her eyes darted immediately to Dre, who stood a few feet away, her expression silently telling Olivia that she'd better think of something. Fast.

"I need some air," Olivia said suddenly, pushing past Eric and exiting the hangar, making her way quickly back outside, where the rain had let up to a slight drizzle. Her only concern was getting away from there as quickly as possible and locating Four before Eric did.

"Would you stop walking away from me?" a voice growled from behind her, the person grabbing her arm and whipping her around to face them. Eric stared down at her, his eyebrows furrowed as he searched her face.

"Four? Four's your brother?"

Olivia didn't answer. She didn't need to.

"That's why he was leaving your apartment so late the other night," he continued, the realization suddenly appearing on his face that his actions in his office the morning prior had been unjustified. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It doesn't matter," Olivia replied bitterly as tears stung at her eyes. She ripped her arm away from him roughly. "You lost the right to know anything about me after what you did." She turned to storm in the other direction, but was stopped when he pushed her up against the brick wall, a hand on either side of her head.

"Olivia," he breathed out, looking at her seriously as raindrops slipped down his face. He placed a hand on her cheek. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to do this. When I thought... I'm sorry.." His thumb stroked her cheek softly, wiping away the stream of blood that was dripping from the cut above her eyebrow, mixing with the rain. She stared longingly up at him before shaking her head quickly.

"That's not good enough, Eric," she whispered, gently grabbing his hand and removing it from her face, her eyes lingering on his face for a moment before turning and walking in the other direction, leaving Eric alone in the rain.

_

"Olivia!" a female voice cut through the empty corridor as Olivia made her way back in the direction of her apartment, wanting nothing more than to remove her dripping wet clothes and take a long, hot shower.

"Natalie?" Olivia replied, her eyes squinting through the dark as she watched her friend run toward her.

"Tyler, he... he..." Natalie sobbed hysterically, staring at her friend through a mess of smeared eyeliner, her hair messily sticking to her face.

"Nat, breathe. Talk to me," Olivia said quietly, grabbing her friend's face to force her to look into her eyes.

"Tyler's dead."

"What?!" Olivia shouted, the panic in her voice echoing through the abandoned corridor.

"He's dead. They were patrolling the southern sector and there was an ambush. Factionless," Natalie sobbed, her body trembling as she searched Olivia's eyes for an answer - any explanation.