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TATUM
Alex’s fist connected with my chin. My head snapped to the left, a dull thud reverberating through my skull. His punch had come close to finally snapping my jaw in two. I stumbled back from the impact, my huge frame slammed against the wall. Nausea and dizziness pounded through me, and I skidded down to the floor. Peering out through the two slivers of my puffy, black and blue eyes, I stared at him looming over me.
I wiped the dribble of blood from my mouth from the back of my hand.
My world had officially imploded.
“Get the fuck up, traitor,” Alex growled. “And the fact that I learned it from that snake, Grigore, was almost as bad as hearing the truth. He was fucking cackling while he told me, his revenge complete.” He spat on the ground beside me.
The door to the office of his penthouse slapped open and rebounded off the wall.
“Stop,” Nina said in a breathy voice, rushing to Alex and grabbing his hand. “Stop it,” she demanded again.
“Ni-na,” Alex warned, his voice cracked, his gaze desolate. I knew him as well as I knew myself, and his heart was breaking. As much as my own was. I’d loved this man like a brother, but it was done. We’d be torn asunder, as I’d always feared.
“Enough,” she protested. “It’s enough. Find another way to handle this, Alex.” Her hand came up to his hunched back, her fingers squeezing around his shoulder.
“Please. For me. For us.” Her hand slipped to her belly. “But especially for your soul. You’re going to kill him, and you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
He shuddered under her hand.
I raised a shaky, blood-splattered hand to cover my face, my eyes. Tears bled out of them, tears of regret, tears of deep pained remorse. The demon inside me howled in agony at being torn from the brotherhood that had bred us. It was over, and we both knew it.
I never wanted to cause him pain. I knew it was almost as hard for him to beat me up as it was for me to sit back and take it. And take it I did. I didn’t raise my hand to defend myself, to protect my face.
Somehow Grigore had found out. This was the payback Grigore had been working toward, sure, but my gut told me it had as much to do with Clara. Our relationship encroached on his ambitions to continue as the Hagi consilier.
I got played by the worthless piece of shit.
Fuck.
Vengeance burned in my gut.
I was going to kill him. I swore it.
Alex let out a growl and gave me a swift, half-hearted kick.
“Alex,” Nina exclaimed, tugging him away from me.
“Get off the floor, Tatum,” she threw over her shoulder as she dragged him away, or rather, he allowed himself to be dragged away by his woman because he wouldn’t have done anything he didn’t want to.
The details of how he found out, I didn’t yet know, but when he called me over to his apartment, I instantly knew something was very wrong.
He asked me if I’d always known. The game was up, and I was done with secrets, so I told him the truth.
He asked me if I’d kept it a secret because I didn’t trust him to choose me as sef.
No. Yes. Maybe. What the fuck? I didn’t know. I was scared, I’d admitted.
That’s when he lost his temper and the punches began.
I struggled to my feet, holding on to the edge of the large desk in his office. My arm muscles shook as I pulled myself up. Before I knew it, I’d collapsed, hanging on to the edge of the desk and barely avoiding eating dirt. Dragging myself up to my feet, I swayed but held strong and managed to stay upright. Gingerly, I touched my jaw, testing its solidity.
Glancing down, I caught the spots of blood staining my once pristine white shirt. My sapphire printed tie was askew, the fabric of my shirt bunched up, buttons missing from where he’d twisted it as he slammed me against the wall.
My face had surely blossomed into a mottled pattern of blue and purple bruises, and my muscles throbbed from holding back from defending myself. I wanted to lay my head on the surface of the desk, floor, wherever, crawl into myself, and die. Die of disgrace from my father’s sins and my part in keeping them hidden. Die of shame for failing my family, for failing Alex, for failing my clan.
And for failing Clara.
