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Only one of them responded—by pointing to the main part of the estate.
I nodded in gratitude then headed to the main double doors.
That was when I noticed the infinity pool at the bottom of the steps, positioned over a lower hill that had panoramic views of the Tuscan countryside. A woman stood at the edge, her arms hanging over the side as the sun bathed her back. Her hair was up and tucked underneath a floppy sun hat that hid her neck and face from view.
“Camille?” I moved down the stairs to the walkway. “Camille?”
She turned around and stilled when she saw me.
Blond hair. Green eyes. Shock mixed with elated joy.
It was her. “Cauldron?”
I grinned at the sight of her, my heart suddenly light. It’d been burdened by guilt and rage for far too long. She was unhurt, not chained to a bedpost with lashes on her back. “Baby, get over here.”
She moved through the pool as fast as she could, but the water was all the way to her shoulder so it was like watching her in slow motion. She pushed through, traversing to shallower water as she reached the steps. More of her body was revealed, stunning in the little string bikini she wore.
Her beautiful face suddenly looked strained. “Grave.”
I momentarily forgot about the main obstacle in my way. I turned around to see my brother in a dark t-shirt and jeans, no sign of physical trauma anywhere. He didn’t look the least bit pleased to see me, like he’d figured out how I discovered his location without asking.
He stared.
I stared.
The silence carried for a long time, both of us so angry there were no words.
I went first. “You’re outnumbered, Grave. Looks like someone did the dirty work for me.”
“I don’t need men to stop you. Take her. See what happens.”
She stepped out of the water and wrapped herself in a towel. That was when I noticed the black apparatus secured to her ankle. A little red light blinked.
It only took a couple seconds to understand the repercussions. If I took her away, that little device would either explode or kill her in some way. “Strapping a bomb to a woman…really sexy.”
“Manipulating a woman’s feelings for your own gain. Sharing a sex tape without her consent. Invading her privacy. You think that’s sexy?”
That would always come back to haunt me. “This needs to end, Grave. I’m taking her with me.”
“She’s mine, and you aren’t taking her anywhere.”
A silent standoff ensued. Angry eyes bored into each other like aimed bullets.
“I’ll kill you with my bare hands if it comes to it.”
The relationship between us had permanently shifted. I wasn’t sure what had caused it. Now it could all come to an end with bloody fists and broken necks. “Who put the hit on you?”
His eyes shifted slightly in momentary confusion.
“It looks like he hit you hard.”
“I’ve got a lot of enemies, Cauldron.”
“But this one knew where to find you.”
He kept his stoicism, but there was a flash of uncertainty in his eyes.
“Is he eliminated?”
“Why are you asking?”
“Because he killed all your men except you. Not sure how that happened.”
His eyes shifted to Camille for a second. They remained focused until his stare shifted back to me. “His henchman are gone, but the boss is still kicking.”
“So, this isn’t over.”
“It’s never over, Cauldron.”
“Then Camille definitely can’t stay here.”
“Don’t act like she’s any safer with you. I took her right out of your hands. You’ve got enemies too, Cauldron.”
“I can help you kill him.”
He released a quick laugh. “Like I need your help.”
“You needed my help.”
We both turned to look at Camille.
She stood there, still dripping wet in the towel. “You needed my help when I shot them dead.”
My eyes turned back to Grave, looking for confirmation.
His eyes were locked on her face without rebuttal.
I stared at her for a moment longer as I tried to explain that predicament in my head, but there was no logic behind it. “Why did you do that?”
Now her eyes were on me. “He was going to cut him open and take out all his organs—”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I…I knew you wouldn’t want your brother to die. So, I saved him.”
I looked at my brother, as if he might have something to add to that.
He didn’t.
“After everything this motherfucker did you to you…you saved him?” I couldn’t believe it. This asshole could be dead right now. Could be buried in the ground exactly as he deserved. But now, I had to beat him to death with my own fists. “He doesn’t deserve your mercy, Camille.” I turned back to my brother. “I wish he were dead. I wish I’d walked onto this property and saw his blood all over the goddamn stone.”
He held my gaze, nostrils flared.
“He didn’t do anything to me, Cauldron.” Her voice grew weak.
