Free Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong Page B

ages and in various locales. Even as a baby, she’d been beautiful, the blue of her eyes intense in the photographs.
    “Who’s this?” he asked, keeping his tone bland.
    Andrew shuffled up beside him, stuffed his hands in his pockets. Julian noted the family resemblance in his hair, a shade darker than Serena’s, and his eyes, which matched hers exactly. “That’s my sister, Serena.”
    “Is she a model? An actress?” he suggested casually.
    “She did a little modeling when she was younger. She was scouted in high school, but she never had any real interest in it.”
    “Really? Why so?” Julian prompted.
    Andrew shrugged. “Serena always had her head in the clouds. Used to wander on the beach for hours, just daydreaming. She studied philosophy at college and then she went to India for a year. Came back a changed woman, she said, and started teaching yoga.”
    “And now?” Julian said, prodding for the inevitable. He knew what had happened, but wanted to see the brother’s reaction. He took great pleasure in the suffering of others.
    Andrew smiled gently. “She died in a car accident last year.”
    “I’m sorry for your loss,” Julian said, and was surprised by his own reaction. He meant what he’d said. He swallowed down the emotion that blocked his throat, not allowing it to surface. How strange…
    “It’s okay. Serena was a hero. She saved a woman and her two young daughters.”
    So she had a bent for self-sacrifice. Wasn’t that interesting? He filed the information away for later. But surely the little angel had a vice or two, whether Harry or Andrew knew about that or not. There would be time enough to find out. He was in no particular hurry, except for the increasingly insistent needs of his body. And those, he could ease at any time. All he needed was a warm and willing female, and not necessarily Serena.
    Andrew continued to gaze at the photos, lost in a moment of sadness. “I just wish she’d had more time. To live life. Serena was a beautiful girl, but she was so serious all the time. I’m not sure if she ever really knew how to have fun. I don’t think she ever fell in love.”
    Interesting. But there was more there. Julian could feel Andrew’s mind resisting, secreting away some bit of information that he deemed unfit to share. Julian wanted to know. He looked Andrew straight in the eyes and asked casually, “Why’s that?”
    “Maybe because she saw our father die when she was thirteen. He had a heart attack on the living-room floor, and Serena came home from school one day to find the paramedics trying to perform CPR on him. But they couldn’t revive him. After that, she was never really the same. I think she might have blamed herself. I’m not sure why I’m telling you all of this,” Andrew said, looking a bit startled.
    Because your weak human mind is no match for mine, Julian thought.
    Now, here was some information he could definitely use. Little Miss Perfect might not have any serious vices, but she definitely had vulnerabilities. A tendency toward self-sacrifice. Guilt about her lost father. Yes, he could work with that.
    “What would you say about doing some publicity photographs for me, Andrew?” Julian said. “I’m having a party at my house in L.A. tomorrow, and a lot of important people will be there. I’d love to have you on board, if you’re available.”
    He named a price.
    Andrew’s eyes widened. For the sum Julian named, he would be available. At that price, Julian guessed he might even have pitched in a pledge for his firstborn child.
    As yet, Julian had no such party planned, but it would be organized at the touch of the speed-dial on his cell phone. He walked out the door and called his personal assistant.
    Choices. Andrew had made the right choice. Perhaps now, his sister would be more amenable to choosing Julian as a potential companion.

    When there was no word from Julian on Saturday morning, Serena began to breathe again. Now that she had a