THE DRY CLEANER'S MESS

CHAPTER 9

"What daughter? Bro, what are you saying?"

Luke's mocking stare had a tinge of humor in it. "Your ability to lie with a straight face is quite impressive. Very impressive actually."

Her heart was racing at an insane speed but she couldn't let Luke notice it. Her face contorted in an expression of utmost confusion and she gazed at him like he was stupid. "You are literally spitting arrant nonsense. Did I ever mention a child?"

He didn't respond immediately but instead took his time to straighten out his coal black crooked tie. Arielle kept watching his slender fingers as they left the tie and went to run through his hair. Luke was an extremely gorgeous man. "This is exactly what I'm trying to tell you, Arielle LaRue. You can't lie to The Eyes. Believe me, any question they ask you is just a trap. They've already known the answer before asking you. Your ability to tell the truth would save you big time."

His warning rang bells in her head and her already racing heart picked up speed. Nonetheless, she insisted. "But I'm telling the truth now. Maybe you should try to get your facts right. Jazmine LaRue is my little sister."

With brows raised slightly, the look on his face told her he wasn't impressed with her insistence. "You seem to be forgetting your grandpa is a Brother." Wow, she totally forgot about that! "Don't you think he would have told us about your bastard daughter?"

She glowered at him and spoke in a voice lethal as acid. "Don't ever call her that."

He chuckled quietly and shook his head. "A little sensitive, are we? Did I strike a chord?" He rested his back on the seat and relaxed. "Even if Maximilian wasn't a Brother, I still would have gotten this kind of information. There are Brothers scattered everywhere, all I have to do is show a little interest and I'll get the information I need. Maximilian being in The Family just makes it a little easier."

She scowled. "Alright, thank you for setting things straight Sherlock Holmes. But my daughter is off limits. To you. To The Eyes. To The Family. I'd kill anybody for her. Anybody at all."

Luke laughed at her threat. "You can't even save yourself, Arielle. But calm down, nobody is planning to hurt her. Unless you mess up, then that's when she will be at risk. You wouldn't want that happening, would you? That's why I'm trying to tell you what to do. To save yourself and your daughter."

"What do I do then?"

He glanced at her briefly before responding. "Do not lie. For any reason at all. Believe me, they've already known the answer to any question they ask you. It's just a test and telling a lie will not end well for you."

She nodded slowly. "Thank you."

He nodded once and looked away. She also looked away and it was dead silent till the car stopped in front of an enormous vertical pivot gate. Although nobody came out, the gate opened so there was probably a sensor remote in the car. The car eased slowly into a compound that was as big as a whole state. Try as she may, she couldn't manage to see the walls of the house. It was that big. After a few seconds, the car halted to a stop in front of a house identical to the Taj Mahal.

With outstretched arms, Luke introduced the place. "This is The Family House. Most of us just call it The House."

It was an all white building with exquisite features. The estate house stood in the middle of what had to be at least 7 hectares of land area. The architectural design of the masterpiece was an eloquent combination of Renaissance-style, classical-style and colonial-style. The estate house had a couple of classical elements such as domes, columns, pilasters, lintels, arches, and pediments in an orderly and repetitive fashion giving the intricately built house a more regal look. The great number of Corinthian columns in the front and sides of the building had an intimidating air around them, making her want to rethink entering the house.