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With Blizzard right behind me, we fought through the mess of foliage feeling spits of rainfall through the trees above us and onto our faces. All I could think was, hopefully, it rained hard enough to wash away our tracks after this because I had no idea what the hell was about to happen.
The cabin was old, part of it made of large stone, original stone, from when these cabins were built during the depression. That only made up about one-third of it, though. The rest was thin cladding that someone had obviously used as a cheap repair. The roof was falling to pieces in places, and it honestly looked like something out of a fucking horror movie.
My brothers moved around the house surrounding it securely.
Blizzard followed me up to the window. It was dirty as fucking hell, but with the light on inside, we could easily see Romeo pointing the gun at the sheriff who had his hands raised in the air like he was surrendering.
“Leave them the fuck alone, John,” Romeo hissed.
Visser looked him dead in the eye like he was completely unfazed by the fact that Romeo was spitting tacks right in his face and could easily put four or five bullets in his chest in less than three seconds.
“Must have been nice seeing your big brother again. That one who left you at the mercy of the system. You remember him, don’t you?” Sheriff Visser taunted, standing at the opposite end of the cabin’s worn and run down table, a cigarette hanging from his fingers, a lighter in his other hand. The table was at least six feet long and made of solid wood, but looked like it had seen one too many termites in its day, with the legs and sides full of holes.
I guess you could say it matched the décor of the place—torn shreds of what looked like T-shirts being used as curtains, and a sofa that had the stuffing of the arm picked out so much you could see the wooden frame protruding. There were also cobwebs everywhere, and broken floorboards that led to God knows where. The place was one I could only imagine people would ever stop to rest in, never to actually stay. I was pretty sure the roof could collapse at any moment.
“That’s what I’m here todiscusswith you…” Romeo growled through clenched teeth. “What’s it gonna take for you to stay the hell away from them?”
My finger moved to the trigger of my gun—my spare fucking gun because my normal one was in Romeo’s fucking hand—I was ready to put a fucking bullet hole in this bastard, and it would only take me one shot from right here. This could all be over. It could be all done with, and we move on.
“No,” Blizzard hissed, standing across from me. I could just see his face in the light from the cabin window. He was staring me down shaking his head.
It took every tiny fucking bit of self control inside of me not to raise my gun right then and put a bullet through his fucking skull. But part of being a member of the club was respecting my VP and trusting he had my best interests in mind when he ordered me to do something.
The sheriff tilted his head just slightly. “Well, this is new, you offering to do whatever it takes for him,” Sheriff Visser noted as if he were surprised. “The golden boy. The one your parents favor—”
“You don’t fucking know him,” Romeo roared, slamming his palms on the worn table, and like I expected, sending it crumbling to the floor, the legs snapping like rotten twigs.
Still the sheriff barely even blinked at the noise and threat of harm toward him. Instead, the first show of emotion appeared, a pull in the corner of his mouth. “Let’s not pretend like at some point you despised him. Hated that your mom and dad always fought so hard to help him get where he needed to be while you struggled in school, fought just to make average grades.”
I could kill him.
I wanted to kill him.
“So family fights sometimes,” Romeo threw back, seemingly unfazed by the sheriff’s words. “I hate that his hair is nicer than mine, too, but he’s still my fucking brother.”
The sheriff flicked his thumb across the lighter in his hand as if he was considering lighting his cigarette but couldn’t decide. Or maybe it was just a nervous habit, one he’d done well concealing. “Well, may as well let you in on this little secret now,” Sheriff Visser announced, lifting his chin just slightly, letting me know he was about to drop a bomb, and one he was fucking proud as hell of. “I do know your big brother. He fought hard to get you and little Ophelia back, but when you fell into my lap… the spiteful and angry little shithead teen you were… I knew instantly you’d be an asset to me.”
My entire body went cold like I’d been struck by an ice storm.
“The hell are you talking about?” Romeo demanded, his voice breaking as he stepped forward. The wood from the table snapped under the weight of his heavy boots, and he fell just to the side as if he was too weak to clamber over the splintered mess. Romeo’s eyes blazed, his nose flared as he continued to point the weapon. “Tell me!”
His finger brushed against the trigger, and my heart leaped up into my throat. The sheriff still held his ground, his face not changing, his body tall and stoic. He was a fucking robot. He had no emotions. No feelings. And that thought was reinforced by what he said next. “I knew you’d do as well as you did. Earn the respect that you earned. You were a fighter. We were willing not to follow the rules, and if I’d let Hamlet win those cases, I would have lost a prized possession.”
Time ticked by, I could hear it in my ears.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Fou—
“You bribed the judge?” Romeo accused, his eyes glazing over as if everything we’d been through, every moment of the past six years could have possibly been different had it not been for this man. I could practically see him running through the screen in Romeo’s head, playing each event, each time where we needed our family, each time where he was forced to do something he didn’t want to.
Everything in me burned.
I wanted to take back those years he’d stolen from me.
