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“Do we?” He cocks his head in confusion. “Like assassination attempts against family members?”
“That was one thing, Cole. And it was my thing. I needed to cut him out of our lives.”
“And this was one thing, Keira. One thing I knew you couldn’t handle.”
“But you still knew.” Sebastian’s hands find my waist, his touch possessive. Protective. “And you didn’t do a damn thing about it.”
My brother takes a threatening step forward. “I think we’re getting distracted from the real issue here, don’t you? How long have you been singing to the Feds?”
Those hands on my waist tighten. “Since before you knew I existed.”
Cole’s brows rise as if impressed by the honesty. “Why? You had to know the consequences.” He takes another step. “Something like this doesn’t end well for you.”
“Back off,” I warn. “He had good reason. I would’ve done the same.”
“In that case, you’ll need to enlighten me, because I can’t think of anything capable of justifying his actions.”
I itch to blurt the information. The painful truth sits right on the tip of my tongue, waiting for permission.
But Sebastian needs to provide these answers.
He needs to… Yet he doesn’t.
I turn, facing Sebastian as he glares at Cole.
“I can’t say it,” he murmurs. “I don’t want him knowing about her.”
“There’s another woman?” Cole scoffs. “Keira, what have you gotten yourself into?”
“He knows.” Sebastian meets my gaze. “And he didn’t do a fucking thing.”
The truth is a heavy weight against my heart.
Yes, Cole knows, but I have to believe there’s a reason he kept quiet. He wouldn’t knowingly allow for women to be tortured. He couldn’t. Not when I’ve seen his compassion for my own torture. “Let me tell him.”
“It’s over.” He kisses my forehead and drops his hands from my waist. “Your brother and I are going to go for a drive.”
“No.” I grab his wrists. “I’ll tell him.”
He doesn’t respond, just keeps glaring his fury at my brother.
I swing around. “It was his sister. His only baby sister. And our father took her.”
Cole acknowledges the confession with the straightening of his spine and the slight hitch of his chin. He understands family loyalty. And the heartache of loss. There’s no way he can’t empathize with Sebastian’s situation.
“Now do you understand?” I plead. “You would’ve done far worse in his situation.”
“Is it true?” He focuses over my shoulder, his eyes narrowed in scrutiny.
“Yes.” Sebastian’s hands reclaim my body, the heated palms searing my hips. “They manipulated her. Sold her. And eventually killed her.”
“You’re certain?”
His fingers dig into bone. “Yes. I’m fucking certain. I wouldn’t be anywhere near your family if I wasn’t.”
I flinch, not expecting the rejection. In seconds Sebastian’s arms are wrapping around me to lessen the blow.
“You know what I mean,” he whispers in my ear. “I wouldn’t have dared to betray your family if it wasn’t for Pe
I nod, because yes, I do understand. Venom flows through our family tree, and he isn’t the type of man to shake branches.
He’s here for vengeance. Not me.
We never would’ve found each other without his sister’s death. And that hurts. It’s brutal and punishing, and goddamn heartbreaking because I struggle to quit the selfishness to tell myself I’d give him up if I could change the past for Pe
Cole nods. “I understand your situation. And can appreciate your motives. But unfortunately, it’s time to deal with the consequences.”
“If you can contemplate punishing him after everything he’s been through, I don’t want to know you anymore,” I snarl. “I’m done. You can—”
“Keira,” he warns.
“No. You would’ve done the same. Actually, you would’ve done far worse, and you know it.”
“And I would’ve accepted my fate.”
“I accept my fate.” Sebastian steps around me, heading toward the door.
“No.” I stagger forward to remain between them, placing a palm on Sebastian’s chest to hold him back, while holding up a hand of warning to my brother. “This ends now. We’ve all been through enough. There are no repercussions. It’s over.”
“Keira.” Cole’s eyes soften, his expression changing to one of derision. “He paid back our family by manipulating you. You may not see it, but you became the mark.”
A wave of goosebumps flows down my back, and for a split second I believe him. “No.” I shake my head. “No.”
I shove at Sebastian’s chest to keep him at bay, then face my brother head-on. “Fuck you for thinking I can be easily manipulated.”
“You’ve lived with what Richard did for years. Then all of a sudden you can’t handle history?”
I storm forward, getting in his face. “All of a sudden I couldn’t handle him looking at Stella the way he looked at me. My decisions regarding our uncle have never had anything to do with Sebastian. Or me. I was keeping your niece safe.”
Cole snaps taut.
“I pla
My brother remains quiet, scrutinizing me while my heart beats a staccato through my entire body.
I know that look.
He’s thinking. He’s actually contemplating. The anticipation for his response becomes agony.
“Did you use her to get to my family?” He glides his attention to Sebastian, his expression impassive.
“I don’t know.”
I glance over my shoulder, wordlessly begging Sebastian to falsify an answer. It’s clear he used me. I understand that. But our truth became far stronger than those lies.
“I never pla
“Because you thought you could manipulate the tumultuous relationship we portrayed?”
“No.” His eyes harden. “Because I wanted to save her. From you.”
“She’s never needed saving,” Cole grates.
“Tonight suggests otherwise. I saved her from your knee-jerk decision to walk into that warehouse without backup. I’m the reason she got out of there alive.”
I swing back around to my brother. “He’s the reason you got out of there alive. He risked his own safety to save us all. Doesn’t that mean something?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Cole, please, you need to let this go.”
“What was your end game?” he asks. “What was the point of working with the Feds?”
“To shut down your father’s operation. I wanted him behind bars.”
“Bars won’t hold him.” Cole’s lip curls. “You should’ve known that.”
“He does now,” I say in a rush. “That’s why we’ve worked out a better plan. I want him dead, Cole.”
“You’re not working on a fucking thing,” he snaps. “There’s no we in this.”
His eyes narrow on mine, and for the first time I see his disappointment. The emotion wasn’t there when I was trapped in the warehouse, but now it stares back at me in stark clarity.
“If you have even the slightest inclination to keep this piece of shit alive, then you’ll stick to the fucking sideline. You won’t breathe a word of this to anyone. Not about Decker. Not about our father. And not about fucking Richard.”