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It lands on Xavier.

Again.

Xavier throws his second drink back. “Yale, Zayden sabotaged a job opportunity for you two years ago. Told them you were tied into a non-existent contract.”

Zayden closes his eyes and tilts his head back. “I can explain.”

“Stop this. Don’t you see what he’s doing?” Silence implores, looking between us. “We’re stronger than this.”

Ryker smirks, and instead of spinning the bottle this time, he points it at Silence. “Your turn.” She says nothing, her chest rising and falling, her grip on Zayden’s hand tightening until her knuckles turn white. Ryker finishes his drink and crunches some ice between his teeth. “Guess I’ll have to go for you, Silence.”

“Don’t,” she whispers.

“Guess who killed Grant?”

That’s not possible. Silence isn’t a killer. She … I try to catch her eye, but she won’t look at me. She was the only person in the house unaccounted for, but no. I refuse to believe it.

“Silence?” I say.

She shakes her head. “No. Not now.”

Ryker pipes up. “I’ll fill in the details. While you guys were making plans, Silence, the little thief in the night, snuck downstairs and gave Grant a shard of glass. Told him it was up to him if he wanted to go out with some pride. It was cold. Beautiful footage, though. I can text it to you.” Silence is breathing fast, her eyes closed. “Should we tell them who else you killed, Q?”

“Stop it!” she screams.

He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “Don’t hate the player. Hate the game.” He spins the bottle, and it lands on Zayden. “Z Silver. Go.”

My brother shakes his head. “I’ve got nothing to tell.”

“Really? You’re gonna make me say it?” Zayden says nothing, and I glance between them, my heart in my throat. “Zayden knows exactly where Mommy is, boys.”

Cold coats my skin. I stare at Ryker, the words landing like blades around me, cutting my skin, tearing me to pieces.

I look at my brother, and I see the truth in his eyes.

The shame.

The apology.

This can’t be happening. I was sure that Ryker couldn’t come between us, because Silence is right—we’re so much stronger than this. We’re not just family, we’re fighters. We’re fucking survivors.

But in one meal, we’re crumbling.

“What the fuck is he talking about, Z?” Xavier’s whisper is acidic.

He takes several deep breaths. “She got in touch a few years after she left. We had just completed our training. We were doing well, we were happy⁠—”

“So you kept her from us?” Xavier bellows. He almost wrenches himself free from his handcuffs, pulling at the chains, plates and glasses kicked as he tries to get free. Bullet shuffles away from the commotion, going to Zayden’s side.

“She didn’t deserve to be your mother again.” Zayden grits out the words. “I looked after you both. I took care of you. She fucking left us with nothing!”

“She’s our mom!” I cry. “How could you keep that from us?”

“She wasn’t even sorry. She never apologized once. The moment she saw my car, my suit, she asked for cash.”

A pulsing starts in my ears, a thud I can’t drown out for several seconds.

“You saw her?” My voice is quiet, weak. I feel like a boy again. I am a boy again. A kid who lost his dad, and a mom who ran away. I lost everything. Everyone. We all did.