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If only it were that easy. “I want to take down Bones now. I want to get it over with so I can leave.”
“Right now?” he asked incredulously. “Aren’t you still injured?”
“No.” My scars had finally healed weeks ago. “I’m ready to take this asshole down. Are you with me or what?”
“Of course I am—”
“Then talk to him.” I hung up before Cane could get another word in.
Chapter Sixteen
Crow
I stared out my window and stared at the distant vineyards like I had so many times. I knew this land better than most people. It was in my blood, my heritage. Sometimes when I enjoyed the scenery it cleared my thoughts from the subjects that dragged me down.
The door to my office opened and Cane walked inside. I could tell by the way he barged in without checking in with my assistant. It clicked shut behind him. “Hard at work, huh?”
I turned in the chair and faced him, my temple already thudding with a headache. “I could say the same to you.”
He helped himself to the chair in front of my desk. He slouched in the cushion and breathed a deep sigh like he was exhausted. “Wad up?”
My eyes automatically narrowed. “You tell me. You’re the one paying me a visit.”
“Well, I’ve been getting restless. When are we going to make a move on Bones?”
I hadn’t thought about it. Button was on my mind. Last night, I didn’t get any sleep without her. I used to hate sleeping with another person, but now I couldn’t stand being alone. “I don’t know. Button is still healing.”
“She’s fine. She looks good as new.”
“But she’s not mentally prepared.”
“Well, she called me and asked when we’re taking out Bones. So, I think she’s ready.”
She called him? Why didn’t she speak to me instead of him? “Really?”
“Yep.”
“What else did she say?”
“Nothing much.” He took a look around my office, admiring my pictures and bookshelves. “Just that she said she loved you and you didn’t say it back...”
I couldn’t believe she told my brother that. They were mortal enemies and now they were gossiping girlfriends.
“Dude, what’s up?”
“What do you mean what’s up?”
“What the hell are you doing?” He tilted his head to the side and looked at me like I was a weirdo. “Why did you leave her hanging like that?”
“I’m not having this conversation with you.” I didn’t share private information with my brother. We weren’t the kind of people that shared our feelings and thoughts. I preferred to keep them bottled up deep inside where no one would find them.
“Well, I’m having this conversation with you.”
“Cane, stay out of it.”
“I can’t. According to the Barsetti code, I can’t. You think I like talking about this stupid bullshit? No, it’s not my cup of tea. Or should I say, it’s not my glass of wine.”
“Barsetti code?”
“Yeah. You’re making a serious mistake that you’ll regret. I can’t let you do that without giving you some council first. You would do it for me.”
“I don’t need council on the matter.” He was sticking his nose where it didn’t belong, and I wasn’t thrilled about it. Cane and I weren’t the kind of brothers that talked about emotional bullshit. We hardly talked about Vanessa when she died.
“I think you do. She’s pretty upset about it.”
That wasn’t surprising. It was the most awkward moment of my life. She stared at me and waited for me to repeat the words back to her. When they never came, her face contorted into one of heartbreak. “As she should be.”
“No, you don’t get it. She wants to leave as soon as possible.”
I gathered that much.
“I’m not trying to be a pussy, but I know you love her. Just tell her.”
“I don’t love her.”
“Come on, yes you do. It’s so obvious—even to me.”
My heart was frozen solid and my body was incapacitated. It couldn’t handle another blow—another loss. “I don’t.”
“So when she leaves you’re just going to let her go?” he asked incredulously.
“What else am I supposed to do?”
“Crow, she’s not just some slut you’re keeping around. Whatever you have with her goes beyond that. I don’t understand why you’re in denial about this. People fall in love and get married every day. Why is this so difficult for you to understand?”
“I’m not people.”
“Last time I checked you were.”
Definitely not. I was a beast of the dark.
“Look, she’s going to leave as soon as this is finished. Are you really prepared to give her up?”
I couldn’t imagine my life without that woman living in my house. Just getting any sleep without her was nearly impossible. The vineyards would never look quite the same. Eating dinner without her would never feel the same. After work I would come home to an empty house until I found another woman to whip and beat. The idea made me feel lonely. “If she wants to go, she can go.”
