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“What?” his brother asked carefully.
“She was right. I was hurt, Rory. Damned bad. And by the time I was rescued, I was barely alive.” He watched Sabella walk into the room and smile at Duncan.
The other man finished his wine, kissed her cheek, and they headed for the door. Duncan’s hand was at the small of her back, touching her, leading her. Damn, Noah was going to enjoy killing him.
He pulled the binoculars away from his face and stared at the house silently for long minutes before turning back to Rory.
“Grandpop should have grieved,” he told him, his voice low. “Because the man I was died in a cell in a rotting jungle. Her husband, your brother. Son and grandson. It all died inside me, Rory. I’m not the man I was, and I never will be.”
Rory gazed back at him for long moments. “That’s not what happened,” he finally said. “All of you didn’t die, Noah. Trust me. All that stupid, testosterone-driven, arrogant-bastard pride of yours that you always hid from Sabella is still alive and breathing.” Rory shot him a scornful look. “That part survived just fine.”
Noah’s lips quirked at that. Maybe, in a way, Rory was right there. He’d always hid parts of himself from those he loved, but Rory was a Malone, he knew that side of himself just as he knew the side Nathan had held back. Until now. That dark inner core, the dominant arrogance and powerful will had always been kept hidden, toned down. He had been civilized. Noah wasn’t civilized.
“Follow them,” he ordered Rory.
“Do what?” Rory exclaimed, outraged shock in his eyes. “What, you want her to kill me or something?”
“Do you want me to kill you?” Noah was in his face, his voice low, demanding. “Which one of us can hurt you more?”
He wouldn’t really hurt Rory. Hell, that was his kid brother. He almost grinned at the man his brother had grown into. He felt affection. Fondness. Where Noah had felt next to nothing emotionally, for years, he now felt flooded with emotions. Emotions that tore at his control, that made a mockery of the years behind him.
Rory shook his head, his hands propped on his hips, as he lifted his gaze to the heavens. “I pray. I go to mass. I even remember to respect my elders and help little old ladies across the street. What the hell did I do to deserve this?”
Noah clapped his hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “You breathe, Rory. Remember that. When Malones breathe, shit happens. It’s cosmic. It’s their fate.”
“You suck, man.” Rory grimaced. “Bella’s gonna kill me.”
“Beats me killing you,” Noah grunted. “I can make it hurt worse.”
Rory glared at him. “Man, you are so clueless. You don’t know Belle at all, do you?” Then he grinned rakishly. Noah remembered that smile. A smile he had once had himself and it didn’t bode well for Noah. “You are in for such a surprise.”
Jordan watched as Noah stalked into the briefing room, nearly half an hour late, but the vision that met Jordan’s gaze had his eyes narrowing.
Dangerous. Powerful. Like a big jungle cat, all smooth moves and predatory awareness. This wasn’t a cold-blooded shark. His eyes weren’t icy. They would never again be that Malone blue, laser surgery had darkened the color to a navy blue rather than that neon sapphire blue they had once been. The color of Jordan’s, and his brother Rory’s.
Those eyes had been hard, cold for five years now. Until tonight. Tonight, they were wild, fierce, as Noah paused and stared back at him.
“We need to talk.” There was a snarl, an animal quality to the tone that had Jordan’s brow lifting.
“Hey there, wild card.” Tehya chose that moment to move behind Noah and pat his butt.
Jordan knew what the other woman had done, but he didn’t expect Noah’s reaction. Tehya had been patting Noah’s ass for years, mostly to piss Jordan himself off, and Noah always ignored her. This time, he caught her wrist, loosely, and stared down at her.
“Don’t.” He said the word softly, gently enough, that Jordan came slowly to his feet.
Tehya’s impudent smile was enough to make a man grind his teeth.
“Oh, all that testosterone.” She pretended to shiver. “Watch it, Noah, I’ll start thinking you’re claimed or something.”
Or something. Jordan sat down as the minx carried the stack of files to the briefing table and winked back at him. “The others will be up in a few minutes. Ian and Kira were running late as well.”
As she moved through the door, Noah turned, closed it softly and locked it as Jordan leaned back in his chair, propped his elbows on the arms and steepled his fingers in front of him.
“You have a problem, wild card?” Jordan asked.
Noah turned back slowly and those eyes raged.
“You knew she was dating,” Noah stated.
