Augustus

"Where the hell is your brother?" my father barked as he walked into my shoebox of an office. There was one next to his office on the top floor with my name on it, complete with a panoramic view. I preferred the smaller one down with the other interns. Though my father would argue against that thinking. I wasn't an intern in his mind.

"No clue. He's nineteen, a bit too old for a nanny."

"I'm not fucking around here . Jerrick has been in the tabloids every day for the last three months. My shareholders are getting uncomfortable."

"What do you want me to do about it?" I leaned back in my chair and turned toward him. There was a fine line with my father. I could push him a bit, but we both knew I'd do what he wanted.

He leaned forward and his open palms hit my desk as he dropped his voice. "Find him. I know you two track each other's location. Bring him home without causing a scene."

I sighed, sat up, and saved the file I was working on. "Yes, sir," I said as I stood and pushed past him.

"Don't turn your back on me, . I'm hard on you both because this will be yours one day. Don't you want that? Or would you rather your brother buries your legacy before you can realize your future?"

I opened my mouth to respond when a man appeared in the doorway. My instincts pushed me to step back. To flee. But then he smiled. His lips lifted more to the right and his gaze lingered on me. It felt like an eternity that we stood there before he winked at me.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, Griswold. Your secretary told me I'd find you here," the man said, and I shifted so he could see my father.

"Not at all, Mr. Noctis. This is my son . He was just leaving. If you'd be more comfortable in my office, we can head there now."

I whipped my head from the man to my father. In all my life, I'd never heard him use that tone with anyone. Griswold Landry was a man in charge. He commanded every room he walked into. Who was this man who created the foreign timidness?

"Go on, . I expect to see you and your brother at home when I get there," my father said with a bit of his usual steel.

"It's a shame you can't stay, . I'm sure we'll see each other again, though."

"Yeah. Maybe." I stepped closer to the door, but the man didn't move. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Noctis," I added, unsure what else he could want.

"Ryson," he said. He tucked his hands into his pockets and smirked. "You can call me Ryson, ."

"Right. Well, I should go. My brother Jerrick is expecting me." I took another step, happy Ryson moved to the side to allow me enough space to pass by him. My chest grazed his, and I fought a shiver. He was both terrifying and intriguing, and I breathed easier as I left him and my father to whatever business they had.

I checked the tracking app Jerrick and I used to keep tabs on each other, and approached my father's driver. "Scott, can you take me here?" I asked, turning my phone around to show him Jerrick's location.

"Your father—" he said as he took my phone.

"Is in a meeting and will be here for at least an hour after that."

"Fine, August. I can't hang around for you, though. We both know it'll take you a while to convince Jerrick to go with you." Scott handed my phone back.

After forwarding him the location, I slipped my phone in my pocket and sighed. "Yeah. That's the part I hate about all of this. My father makes me that bad guy."

Scott hummed, and I followed him to the car. As he drove to whatever party Jerrick was at, I put my mini speech together. It wouldn't work, but it was just my first step in convincing him to leave with me. I was only a year older than him, but I'd been his keeper our whole lives. One day, I'd stop and let him fail or fly on his own.

That day hadn't arrived yet.

I stepped out onto the well-lit sidewalk and looked up at the brick building. I couldn't see the roof, but the music was loud enough to float down to me. Quiet hours were moments away, and I was sure the police would appear before long. I just hoped I could get Jerrick out before then. It was lucky the building had an elevator, as climbing six flights of stairs held zero appeal to me.

I pushed the door to the roof open and looked out over the party. There were fairy lights strung up from one end to the other and large globes that let off a warm light, casting away the shadows of the night. Despite all the high-end clubs my brother visited, this was more his speed. A bunch of people who either didn't know or didn't care who he was. A party without strings.

And no one to care about IDs.

My search began at the bar. He wasn't there, so I bought a beer and cast a glance around the crowd. I didn't see Jerrick, but someone else caught my eye. She was about 5'6, with dark curly hair escaping a messy bun, and a light blue dress that shimmered even though she stood in the shadows. The blue complimented her warm brown skin that was just a shade darker than mine. I pushed off the bar and cut through the crowd to get to her. Jerrick would be fine for a few more minutes.

"Great party," I said as I leaned against the wall and angled my body toward her.

"I guess. If you like that sort of thing." She huffed a laugh and brought a cocktail to her lips. She didn't look at me, but I didn't let that deter me. If she didn't look at me after a minute, I'd take the L.

"If it's not your thing, why did you come?" I mimicked her movement and took a swig of my beer.

"Because," she said and turned her head. She took a deep breath and twisted her body my way. The annoyed look in her eye, accompanied by furrowed brows and tight lips, gave way to a half smile and a half-lidded gaze. "Because my friend dragged me here. You know how it is."

"Not really." I shook my head and placed my beer next to her drink. "I made a few friends in college, but we don't keep in touch like we thought we would."

"You make it sound like college was years ago. You can't be more than eighteen," she said as she reached out and cupped my jaw.

I leaned forward and brought my hand to rest on her hip. "Nah, I finished high school a year early and went right into college. I'm twenty and graduated in May," I said, happy she hadn't moved my hand from her hip, even as she dropped hers from my jaw.

"Really?" The woman gripped the front opening of my unbuttoned dress shirt.

I shrugged and liked how the material tugged because of her hold. "It's only been a few months, but so far it's pretty much radio silence."

She hummed and let go of my shirt to hold out her hand. "Their loss. I'm Seyah."

I took her hand in mine and grinned at her. "Hi, Seyah. I'm August. People call me Auggie."