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He made a sound of annoyance. “It’s not a big deal, Eva. Some political opposition tried to get into your daddy’s office to steal information, and I had to fight them off. That’s it.”
Fight them off? What? Were they in the wild west now? “What information?”
“As if I can trust you with that! What’s your problem? Don’t pretend that you don’t know how dangerous it is working for your daddy.”
“But if you wanted out… you could, right?” She wasn’t so sure anymore, which was why she was desperate to get West to talk.
He snickered. “Save your sweet sentiments for your TalkieTalks. Your daddy is generous with the favors then wields them like a knife to keep us all in line. He owns us all. Why do you think I don’t want you anywherenearmy baby brother?”
Was this why West was doing everything in his power to ship her out, short of tossing her over his shoulder? “You didn’t care before,” she said. “You threw us together every day, so you could go off and be all secretive with whatever horrible stuff that you do behind my back!”
“Horrible stuff that I do?” he growled out. “After all I’ve done for you and your family, you ungrateful, spoiled princess! You can pretend to the world all you want that you don’t know what’s happening, but not with me. You’re not that much of an idiot. Go ahead. You enjoy your pretty dresses and cars and parties, but don’t forget whose back you’re standing on while you play the airhead on TalkieTalk. I know how you work, and you’re not turning those same mind tricks on my brother.”
She gasped. How dare he?
“What did you do, huh?” West asked harshly. “Were you mad at me for not falling all over you? Is that why you threw yourself at him? Well, congratulations. You got your revenge, okay? But it’s over now. I’m notaskingyou anymore; I’m telling you… stay away from Cole. I’m not letting you take him down with you. Let’s go home and make your daddy happy with ourhappyplans together.”
Tears pricked at her eyes. Was that how it was? Would she somehow taint Cole’s goodness by getting close to him? She hadn’t guessed the depths of her family’s corruption or that they trapped anyone who worked with them like this, though one thing was for certain, she wasn’t going back to West, no matter what.
But what would she do about Cole? She’d never do anything to hurt him!
West straightened as his eyes veered to her tears. “You can’t tell me that you actually fell for him that fast… because, honey… I’m sorry, that’s a stretch, even for you.”
Oh, she’d more than fallen for his brother. Shelovedthat man. Cole was everything she needed and more, but knowing that her daddy could ruin the one person who meant anything to her was enough to make her sick. She wrapped her hands around her middle.
“Eva?” West took the seat next to hers, for once dropping the walls that stood between them like bulwarks. His devil-may-care attitude was gone, and he faced her like she was actually his equal, not some bratty child. “Youdidfall for him, didn’t you?” he asked incredulously. It wasn’t an accusation this time, but a fact. “You care about him.”
“Yes,” she whispered, not sure why she was admitting this to the one man who could hurt them, only that she couldn’t keep back the truth.
He took a deep breath. “You’ve got to let him go… if you have any ounce of true feeling for him. You know it’s the only way, distance yourself from him. Tell him you got tired of him, make sure that he never goes after you—I don’t care if that takes us running away together to Cancun, whatever works, as long as you leave him alone.”
He’d stunned her with his admissions. Behind his heartless plans was a man who wasn’t as hard as he wanted the world to believe. She threw the straps of her purse over her shoulder. “You really love your brother, don’t you?”
“What kind of question is that?” It almost seemed like he wouldn’t answer, until he said, “I love my family, so what?”
“Enough to even marryme?”
The monster.
His face took on regret—had he finally realized that he played his hand too far? “Oh babe, it’s not like that,” he hurried to reassure her with his false terms of affection. He tried to put his arms around her. She hit him away. Her hand glanced against his hard shoulder.
His brows pushed together as he straightened. Everything about him was as ominous as thunder. He towered over her.
Eva stood her ground, even though she realized she was shaking. “I care about your brother. I’m not going to hurt him. But I’ll never pretend that you and I have anything going either. We’re worlds different. Ineverlived a lie like you did.”
“Oh, you did,” West said, meeting her eyes evenly, “more than I ever did. You lied to yourself every step of the way. It’s the only way you can live with who you are.”
West’s words left her reeling. He had a way of calling things for what they were.
He’s right about me.
She nodded in return, through with his games, through with her own. Now that she knew the truth about her family, about herself, she didn’t know what she would do about it, except she’d never be like West.Thatshe’d already figured out. “Thanks for opening my eyes,” she said.
His lips pressed firmly, and he turned quickly away from her. “Just stay out of my way for a while.” He went back into the hospital room, leaving her staring at the closed door. Cole was in there, saying farewell to his mother.
She needed to say goodbye to Cole, too.
West was possibly the most misguided, closed-off, mean-spirited troll out there, but he had this right. His brother was a saint, and she was… well, she was an interloper in a family that already had one black sheep to deal with.
