Tears fall, staining his shirt as I lean into his chest. I hold him with everything I have, and everything I’ll ever be.
He found me. He saved me. He made me whole.
There’s no going back from that.
A thunderous knock at the front door tears a gasp from my throat, and those arms clamp tighter.
“Shh. It’s okay.” He speaks into my hair. “Don’t let go.”
No.
No, no, no.
My limbs shake. I struggle to breathe.
I don’t want this. I can’t live through it.
My door handle turns, the wood inching wide to bring Hunter into view. “Do you want me to let him in?”
Sebastian nods. “Yeah.”
“No.” I vehemently shake my head. “Not yet.”
Hunter winces, ignoring my protest as he disappears down the hall.
“Please, God, no.” I yank at Sebastian’s shirt. “It’s not too late to get out of here.”
“Don’t worry.” He steps back and takes hold of my wrists, his grip gentle. “Nothing is going to happen here. He’ll take me for a ride. That’s when I’ll find a way out. Then I’ll run. Okay?”
He’s lying. I can tell this time.
I see the dishonesty in his eyes.
It’s in the grief-stricken smile.
“You can’t deceive me again. You know once you get in that car there’s no coming back.”
And I’ll never learn the truth. Cole will never tell me what really happened.
“Hey.” He leans close and nuzzles his nose against mine. “Do you know what I’m more certain of?”
I shake my head. I don’t want to hear it. Nothing else matters.
“That you mean the world to me,” he murmurs against my lips. “You’re everything, Keira.”
I squeeze my eyes closed, the heated trail along my cheeks growing wider.
My knees threaten to buckle, and all I do is hold the heartache tight inside my chest.
“Hey. Come on, sugar. It’ll be okay.” He brushes my cheeks, resolute.
I can’t fathom his level of acceptance. I never will.
“It’s time.” He gives me a sad smile, never breaking our gaze. “We’ve got company.”
I shoot a frantic glance to the door and find Cole standing there, his face a mask of harsh lines and barely contained rage.
“Get out of my house,” I demand. “I don’t want you here.”
“Is that any way to greet your brother?” The question is a threat, his words intricately laced with more than disappointment.
“I won’t let you hurt him.”
“I’m unarmed, aren’t I?”
“You are?” I scrutinize him. Up and down.
“Yes. Thanks to Hunt.” He flicks open the sides of his jacket, then does an unenthusiastic turn with his hands out in front of him. “See. No gun.”
I glance back at Sebastian in confusion.
He gives me an unconvincing smile, his eyes speaking of distrust. He’s waiting for the other shoe to drop, and I need to do the same.
I turn back to my brother and strengthen my shoulders to steel. “You need to let me explain.”
“That’s why I’m here.”
“Okay… Good.” I nod, my head jerking back and forth as I sniff away the last remnants of tears. “Sebastian has a good reason for what he did. Our father isn’t who we think he is. He’s been trafficking—”
“I know.”
My heart stops. My skin crawls. “You know?”
“Yeah.” He holds my gaze, unrepentant, remorseless. “He offered to cut me in on the action after Richard was admitted to hospital.”
There’s a wealth of heartlessness in his words. Such cold, sterile detachment.
I shake my head, unable to comprehend what I’m hearing. “No.” I place a hand over my mouth, attempting to bottle the effects of his betrayal. “You’ve been helping him? All this time?”
“Of course not,” he snarls. “Jesus. Don’t look at me like that. I said he offered to cut me in, not that I accepted.”
“Why would you keep this from me? We tell each other everything.”
“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 Penny.”
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 Penny.
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 planned to kill him well before you made Sebastian my protector. And he had no say in what I did tonight. He’s the one who tried to stop me.” I glare all my fury at him. “Do you hear me? He tried to stop me. So I’m not the weak, defenseless woman who can be easily manipulated. I’m the one who will burn your house to the ground if you dare think about hurting him ever again.”
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 planned on getting this deep,” he admits. “I was ready to run the night you made me your bitch boy. Keira is the only reason I stayed.”
“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.”
His words bear down on me, harsh and unrelenting. His anger is worse.
“You won’t think about interfering with my plans for our father,” he continues. “You won’t even dare to ask to be involved. You will keep your thoughts and your relationship to yourself, and save your boy toy the pain of getting a knife in the neck. Do you hear me?”
I hear him.
I hear him too loud. Too clear.
The ultimatum repeats in my ears like a life sentence and clemency, all at once.
“Okay,” I whisper.
“And if you upset her,” he points a menacing finger at Sebastian, “even once, I won’t kill you. You won’t be that lucky. But I’ll make sure you wish you were dead.”
“Understood.” Sebastian pulls me into his side with an arm around my waist.
We stand together, closer than we’ve ever been while my brother retreats toward the door.
“Wait,” Sebastian calls out. “You need to know Hunt wasn’t involved in this. He wasn’t aware of my connections.”
My brother pauses, his stance rigid.
There’s no belief in his features. There’s no dispute, either.
“He knew at some point.”
“Two days ago,” I interrupt. “When he beat Sebastian to a bloody pulp in an attempt to get answers.”
Cole nods, his acceptance inconclusive, before he walks down the hall and out of view.
I remain in place, stunned. “What the hell just happened?”
“I don’t know.”
I stare into the hall as my mind does a rerun, trying to work out the puzzle. “Maybe he likes you after all?”
“No, pop tart.” He steps into me, wrapping an arm around my neck, the other around my waist. “He doesn’t like me in the slightest. He’s only saving my ass to make you happy.”
“Well, it worked.” My chest burns, every nerve tingling beneath warmed flesh. “I’m so happy, Sebastian.”
“Me, too. But what happened tonight is going to catch up with you pretty soon. The shock will be brutal.”
I nod and snuggle into his chest. “I know. I can already feel it.”
The memories hover on the periphery, fighting to be heard.
“You won’t be alone.” His hold tightens. “I’ve got you.”
My eyes tingle with the threat of tears. I don’t want to ruin this. I need our moment to remain with me a little while longer before the demons arrive. “Do you think we’re capable of getting through a twenty-four-hour period without deceiving each other?”
He chuckles, the vibrations nuzzling my cheek. “God, I hope so. If you didn’t pick up what your brother was putting down, I kinda need for us to get through a lot of twenty-four-hour periods if I don’t want my dick blown off.”
“How many do you think you can handle?”
“I’m pretty sure I don’t want to lose this third leg of mine, which means you’re stuck with me indefinitely.”
“Why doesn’t it surprise me that you’re making jokes at a time like this?”
He blankets me with affection, the adoration seeping under my skin. “Because you know me, sparkles. You know me better than I know myself.”
Epilogue
Decker
“You’re beautiful,” I whisper.
No truer words have been spoken.
Keira is a vision before me in a sleek black dress, her hair loose and draped over her shoulders. She stands in front of her hallway mirror, her lashes dark, her make-up subtle. Everything about her is flawless, especially the way she smiles back at me with understated perfection.
“Thank you.” She turns to me and bridges the space between us, her high heels tapping against the tile. “And you’re utterly handsome.”
Her arms slide under my suit jacket to hug my waist, accidentally bumping the gun lodged in the back of my pants. “Sorry. I’m still getting used to you wearing a weapon.”
It’s her brother’s fault I’ve been unarmed. He demanded I hi
de my gun at home. To stow my only protection so the two of us could participate in a trivial game of chicken.
It was a power play. A reclaiming of his authority.
He also took away my cell and made two of his thugs shadow me.
And I understood the necessity.
I can also understand why he gave me back my freedom and my right to bear arms this morning.
“It’s okay.” I pull her into me and kiss her forehead. “Are you ready?”
“How can anyone be ready for something like this?”
I don’t know.
Today, she lays her uncle to rest after suffering through days of turmoil pouring her secrets out to her sister. I’ve been with her through it all. I hugged her while her nightmares wreaked havoc and held her hand when she demanded Richard wasn’t worthy of a church service.
There will only be a brief graveside vigil for a man who deserves far less.
I’ve stood by her through everything. I honestly haven’t let this gorgeous woman leave my side. Half the time it’s by choice, the other half is because she doesn’t want to tempt her brother’s itchy trigger finger.
But that fucker won’t kill me. Not anytime soon.
Turns out, he’s wrapped around his little sister’s pinkie tight enough to cut circulation. Behind the charade of animosity, the two of them are thick as thieves. Cole wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. So it all boils down to me treading the straight and narrow to keep this woman happy. Which is far from a hardship.
“Come on, guys,” Sarah calls from the living room. “We’re going to be late.”
Keira stiffens in my arms, her slender body coiled tight.
“Don’t worry.” I grab her hand and entwine our fingers. “Life will get easier after today.”
“Do you really believe that?”
“Yes.” I shoot her a wink. “You know better than to think I’d lie to you.”
She gives a half-hearted chuckle, and I know the apprehension in her features has nothing to do with me. The trust between us is unbreakable. Her fear comes from what she’s about to face.
Not just the burial of her rapist, but the possible appearance of her father.
“We haven’t heard a word from him,” she whispers. “What if he doesn’t show?”
“He will. You’ve said it before, he’s not going to miss his brother’s funeral.”
Decker Page 33
