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He scowled. “How did you figure out my role in all of this?”
“You mean your attempt to have me branded as a traitor and your work with the cartel my unit was sent to eliminate? Or do you mean how you killed our mother? Did you enjoy watching her fall down the stairs? Was that fun for you? Is that how sick you are?”
Landon’s face paled. “It was an accident; I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Sure. You weren’t jealous she might have more children? That one of them might replace you? You knew Dad didn’t give a damn about you being the oldest. All he wanted was a clone. For all you knew, a better one would come along. He would throw you aside in a heartbeat if he had a child he liked better.”
Landon snarled. “Fuck you. That’s not true.”
“You know it is.”
He lifted the gun, aimed it at me. His hands were shaking. He could pull the trigger any second, maybe even by accident. I knew how dangerous it was to keep riling him up, but I also knew I needed him flustered if I was going to have the best chance of rushing him and bringing him down. I also needed to see if he’d really come to see me alone or if backup was seconds away. I’d have to count on him still being as big a coward as he’d always been.
“Don’t you want to torture me first? Make sure you get all the information out of me, or do you know better? Do you know that since I’m a SEAL, I’m stronger than you could ever dream of being? You’re never going to make me talk. You’re nothing but our father’s dog. You can’t do a fucking thing for yourself.”
“Shut up or I will fucking kill you.”
“I’m supposed to believe you’re really going to kill me now? What would Dad say? I don’t think you have the nerve to go against him. Besides, you hire people to do the really nasty shit. You don’t have the stomach for it.”
Landon raised the gun and pointed it at my chest. I maneuvered the rope I’d looped around my hands into one palm and readied myself to make a move. As I counted down in my head, a voice spoke from the shadowed hall behind my brother. “Landon, put down the gun.”
It was Matteo. His gun was aimed at the back of Landon’s head. When I met his gaze, he mouthed, I love you.
Thank fuck. He had come for me. But did this have to be the time he decided to say those three words?
“There’s no point in keeping him here,” Landon said. “I want him dead.”
“I don’t think you understand. Drop the gun and kick it away from you or you’ll be dead before you can pull the trigger.”
“No!” he screamed, turning to face Matteo.
I let the ropes drop and lunged for him, but I wasn’t quick enough.
My heart stopped when Landon’s gun went off. Matteo stumbled backward. He gripped the doorframe, holding himself up as got a shot off. It hit my brother in the gut.
Landon screamed as he fell to the ground. His gun tumbled from his hand.
I raced toward them, kicking my brother’s gun away from him.
“Matteo! You cannot fucking die on me.” I sank to my knees beside him, grabbed his phone from his pocket, and made a call, letting my men know we needed an ambulance five minutes ago.
“Carter.” He reached up a hand for me. “I…had to save you. You’re…so stubborn.” His eyes started to close.
“No. Stay with me. Please don’t leave me.”
He smiled. “Love you.”
I tore off my shirt and pressed it to the wound in his chest. “I fucking love you, Matteo. I’ve loved you for ages. I fell for you before we even touched. And that night, our first time together, I knew there was no way I would ever get enough of you.”
“I felt the same way. So sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry. You’re going to be fine.” The fucking ambulance needed to hurry.
“Backup. They’ll be here.”
“That’s right. An ambulance is on the way, and my team will be here in a minute.”
“No.” His voice was getting even weaker. “Backup for you. Save you.”
