I ignore him and proceed to the kitchen in search for a bottle of vodka.
“You can't say you don't feel that this is fucking wrong.”
I bend down and take the bottle from the bottom shelf before rising and he continues.
“We've known her for years. We have fucking kept a close eye on her, not in the right way, but—”
I strike the vodka bottle down on the counter, causing him to hesitate.
“And what the fuck do you want us to do about it, Chaos? It's too fucking late to play hero now.”
I turn around, our eyes locking and shrug my shoulders while speaking coldly.
“It is what the fuck it is.”
He clenches his teeth and narrows his eyes at me.
“Fuck you.”
As he continues, my brow rises.
“You can sit there acting all high and fucking mighty, like you don't give a fuck about anyone but yourself, but this, this ain’t it. I have seen the way you are with her. It's not an act anymore; you like her just as much as I fucking do.”
My jaw tightens as I glance aside and his tone eases.
“You don't have to lie to me, brother. We will always be on the same fucking side.”
He slowly moves forward, attracting my attention.
“We need to put a stop to this. We need to look after her. He's gotta die before he ever gets his nasty fucking hands on her.”
Maddox will fucking destroy Charley; I know Chaos is right. He is an evil motherfucker with no soul, but it's not as simple as he makes it out to be. I have always been the most accountable one in our duo. I have always kept us in our element and in check. This will cause a fucking war within our family, and we might as well call ourselves dead just for saying we’re going to defy our fathers. I do not fear them; it’s not that. I fear for Chaos, Cody, our siblings, and our mothers.
Few people comprehend what it is like growing up in the Bratva. It's not your typical criminal family; it's incredibly intense, and the line between family and foe is razor fucking thin. If you breach rules or orders, your family will punish you as if you were the enemy. They do not call us the most ruthless mafia in the world for nothing and both our fathers live by that shit, no exceptions.
“And how do you expect us to do that, Chaos? What’s your big plan?”
He sighs and looks away before responding.
“Maybe we can talk to our fathers.”
I scoff and he returns his eyes to me, and I narrow mine.
“You might as well call us fucking dead and then who will protect her, hm?”
He just stares at me silently, his brain is trying to think about any possible outcome that could work, but we both know it’s a fucking dead end.
“Exactly.”
Once I say that, I grasp the bottle of vodka and as I walk past him, he speaks through clenched teeth.
“So, you want her to be destroyed by Maddox? If worse, killed?”
I halt from his words, close my eyes briefly as annoyance bites into me because, of course, that is not what I want, and when I have gathered myself, I head upstairs to find her.
As I continue down the corridor toward my bedroom, I break open the bottle's cap and tilt my head back, pouring the clear, acidic liquid down my throat. As it burns my insides, I hiss and shake my head, twisting the top back on as I approach my door. When I see that my door is slightly ajar, I place my palm on it and push it open to see her seated at the foot of my bed, staring forward, lost in her own dark thoughts. As soon as I catch her eye, she looks aside, avoiding me. She wipes her tears away with her sleeves and I speak as I move toward my ensuite.
“Come with me.”
