I drop my head because I walked right into that. “I hired a private investigator.”
Evan’s eyes blink rapidly with surprise. “A private investigator? What the fuck? You had me followed?”
Once I knew he had his life under control with everything he needed, I should have stopped years ago. Instead, it was my only tie to my brother; I couldn’t cut it. “Yes,” I say bluntly.
“Why?”
I stare into the mug like it holds all the answers. “I wanted to make sure you never struggled.” I know what that’s like.
“I had my parents who provided for me. Then, I worked hard and could provide for myself. What Ineededwas my big brother. Not money.” There’s a flash of pain in his eyes. Pain that I thought I could fix with money.
My stomach drops at the anguish in his voice. “You were better off without me.” So many times, I wanted to go to him. If I did, he’d see how debauched my life was. I couldn’t risk him following me to hell.
Evan springs off the chair and paces the kitchen. “How can I be better without my brother?” He stops pacing and puts a hand on his chest. “Myblood.”
I rise from my seat. “Trust me. You didn’t want to know me.”
“Why?”
I place my hands on the countertop and drop my head. “I did things that would shock you. You would’ve turned away from me.”
He slaps a hand on the counter, and my head snaps up. “Bullshit. You were always the one who saved me. Took thebeatings from Mom’s latest boyfriend. Kept me hidden, so no one touched me. How can you say I’d turn away from you?”
“You don’t know what I’ve done.” Things I had to do to survive. Things that have gotten me where I am today. And I’d do it again if I had to.
“Then tell me. What have you done that’s so bad you think I’d leave you?”
“Do you really want to know?” I give him a chance to change his mind.
“Yes.”
I blow out a long breath. “Fine. As soon as I turned eighteen, me and my friends, Lincoln and Asher, who were in the same foster home, got the fuck out. We had no money or jobs and lived on the streets.
Evan’s brows knit together, concern flashing across his face. “Why didn’t you go to a shelter?” he asks quietly.
I make a scoffing sound. “We were sick of relying on other people who weresupposedto help us. So, we did a lot of shit for money.” I pause. Shit that, if we were caught, would have landed us in jail.
“Like what?”
“Got our hands on cheap drugs, sold them for double what we paid. Broke into houses. Stole cars, stripped them, and sold off the parts. Pretty much stole and sold anything we could,” I tell him bluntly.
Evan scrubs a hand over his face. “Jesus. I’m sorry you went through that. You should have come to me; my parents would have helped you.”
I laugh mockingly. “Really? They’d have taken in a drug dealing thief into their Christian home? Don’t be stupid.”
“They would’ve done something. They’re not cruel,” he defends.
I shrug. “Well, I managed on my own.”
“Is that what you still are? A drug dealing thief? Is that how you’ve paid for this apartment block… the club?”
“How do you know I own them?”
“I’ve already seen Natasha this morning. She told me.” Little does she know how much more we own.
“Asher made us a shit ton of money on the stock market. Things are legit now. There’s no need for that shit anymore.”
Evan’s shoulders pull back, and his jaw tightens. “So, after things got better for you, you never bothered to contact me? Fuck you. I’ve spent every day of my life wondering where the hell you were. I tried looking for you, hoping for the day we could be brothers again. I didn’t know if you were alive or dead.”
