Tony tried to steal from him?
“But, all he had to do was ask me. I’ve barely touched my inheritance. He knows that.”
“Your money alone wouldn’t have been enough. We think he planned to make the insurance claim, then kill you and as your only relative, all the money would go to him. He would be financially secure. He could vanish and no one would know about his problems. He took out life insurance on you too.”
Kit couldn’t get the words out; his mouth didn’t work. He licked his lips and tried again. “He tried to kill me.”
If Tony wanted him dead, then Kit couldn’t keep up with the denials in his head.
But this madness destroyed him. His own brother, who’d brought him up and loved him ever since he was a child, tried to kill him?
“But why all this? CDR. You. This doesn’t make sense. Why something so elaborate?”
“I don’t think he planned for it to go so far. He knew CDR and the Biker Daddy Bodyguards. It was a short-term expense for a long-term gain. It was going to be a couple of days at the club, pretend chatter to convince people you were both in danger, and then the cabin would be torched while you were in it and he was out somewhere. Only you ran away. And whoever was making the threats sounded sufficiently real to convince Craig to pull the plug and evacuate you both.”
Kit was aware of Red pressed up against his side. But he couldn’t touch him, not yet. He felt betrayed and alone. Even with Red beside him, he felt more alone than he ever had in his life.
His stomach churned uneasily and stood.
“I’ve got to go.”
Kit pushed back the chair so hard it toppled over and bolted for the bathroom, reaching it just in time before his stomach rebelled and he collapsed on the tiled floor in front of the toilet. He retched miserably for what felt like an eternity.
Then an arm went around him, and Red murmured, “Lean against me.”
“No, no, no.” Kit struggled to get free but he coughed as he puked and tried to pull himself away.
“Stay still, boy,” Red ordered, “or you’ll choke on your vomit.”
He didn’t care at that moment, but he desperately needed something solid in his life and that was the man holding him.
An hour later,Kit sat at the top of the stoop, breathing fresh air for the first time in a couple of days. There was no threat. Tony was at CDR. He was free to go. But he’d gotten as far as the steps.
The temperature was mind-blowingly cold, his breath frosting even under the afternoon sun, but he wore an oversize jacket, hat and gloves he’d found. He didn’t care about the cold.
He was alone, Red talking to Mo and Jace about what would happen next. Kit couldn’t process that. He was numb, the cold just adding to the effect. His tears were gone. He didn’t feel sick. Just numb at Tony’s betrayal and that was somehow worse.
The door creaked behind him but he didn’t look up. Neither was he surprised when Red sat down beside him, dressed as he was.
Kit asked the one question that he’d turned over again and again.
"Did he ever love me?"
“He loved you, I’m sure of it. He was always so protective of you. But debt is a hard thing to handle and he was drowning in it.”
Kit knew how protective Tony was. Overprotective most of the time. But right now, none of it felt real. His childhood, family, even the brotherhood in the club. It all felt fake.
Red took Kit’s hand in his, clumsy in the thick gloves. “I can’t defend Tony. This is all so surreal at the moment. I won’t excuse what he did, but your brother loved you, I’m sure of it.”
“It didn’t stop him terrifying me, uprooting me, and driving me out of my life.”
“I know, my sweet boy. I know.”
Kit stared at the endless snow-covered trees. “Then why? I don’t understand any of this.”
Red sat beside him. The silence went on for an eternity. Finally he heaved a long sigh. "Because loving someone doesn't stop them being stupid and selfish."
Then Kit said the thing he was actually afraid of. “Everybody leaves me.”
