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“Where did you get this thing?” I question, staring down at the little boy who looks like a replica of my brother.
Xander chuckles. “I’m sure I don’t need to explain how babies are made, and don’t call my son a thing again. His name is Quinton.”
I blink. “Okay, but seriously, where did you get him? We both know you will never claim a woman, and last I knew, you need a woman to give birth—not a man.”
There is no amusement on his face. In fact, he looks pissed.
“Loving a woman is a weakness I cannot afford.” He moves his gaze down to the baby still cradled in my arms. “And yes, a woman gave birth to my son…obviously, but she is out of the picture now.” Xander takes him from my arms and places him into the crib.
He wraps him in a blanket and winds up the contraption hanging from the side of the railing. It starts to play a soft lullaby. It’s such a mundane thing to do, and yet, watching my brother do it is anything but.
It’s so strange. I’ve seen him kill in cold blood. I’ve witnessed his hands crushing a man’s throat, and now, those same hands are cradling a baby.
“You killed her, didn’t you?” my voice booms over the sound of the music. Of course I know the answer already, but Xander’s evil smirk confirms it.
“Loyalty means everything to me. I discovered she was hiding things, exploiting information, so I did what I do with loose ends.”
I roll my eyes. “You ended the life of your child’s mother? How do you think he is going to feel about it when he’s grown and finds out?”
I consider what I feel like when Keira becomes pregnant someday. I could never picture killing her after she gave birth. The thought of killing her for any reason has my stomach twisting in pain.
“Don’t look at me like that,” Xander sneers. “She used me. She got herself pregnant, and then after she had our son, she tried to run away with him. Like I would ever allow that.”
That’s the thing about my brother. He offers zero chances. He’s ruthless. For a long time, I didn’t even think he had a heart—until I watched him cradle his baby boy to his chest.
I run a hand through my hair. I can’t stop looking at the crib. It’s impossibly hard to rationalize my criminally insane brother has a kid, and that he’s raising it on his own. How the hell can he be a good dad when our dad wasn’t?
“How is Keira?” The lazy smile on his lips bothers me.
“Fine. Shaken up, but she was more concerned with my well-being than her own. The bullet was meant for her.”
“I told you to come here as soon as you could, but like always, you disagreed.” Xander shakes his head, walking out of the room, a frustrated scowl on his face.
I follow him out. “What do you mean you told me? You knew about this, didn’t you?” I’m livid. My blood pressure spikes. Of course he knew.
He doesn’t answer, and he doesn’t stop walking until we reach the study. I’m clenching my fists so hard, the muscles in my forearm ache.
“Answer me, Xander! Did you know? Because if you knew and something would’ve happened to Keira…”
“You’d what?” He lifts a brow, a glass of whiskey in his hands. “Shoot me? Kill me? What would you do to your big brother to protect the woman you love?”
Love…
“You don’t know shit…” Fear for Keira’s safety trickles up and down my spine.
Amusement twinkles in my brother’s dark gaze. “Admit it. You love her. That’s why you didn’t hesitate to marry her. It’s okay to admit you have a weakness.”
My jaw aches as I start to grind my molars. “She’s not a fucking weakness.”
“But she is, isn’t she?”
Is Keira a weakness? Maybe. But she can hold her own. It’s my job—as her man—to be concerned for her safety, though. That’s what a good man does.
“You judge me like you have no weakness of your own, but I must ask you, who’s going to protect your son from all your enemies?”
Xander’s facial features turn murderous. “My son is not a weakness—not if no one knows he exists.”
I almost burst into a fit of laughter. “You’re going to hide your son from the world because of a few enemies.”
He brings the amber liquid to his lips, but doesn’t drink. “We’re past having a few enemies, little brother. Maybe when you were an active member of the family, we had a few, but I’ve done some things…changed things—and that’s put more fire on us than we previously had.”
“Okay, and hiding your son from the world forever is going to do what?”
“I’m not hiding him from the world. I’m hiding him until it’s safe—or until he can protect himself.”
