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"I understand why you did it, but don’t put off sharing what you did with her for too long. It’s best to come clean."
"Shouldn’t the leader to-be of this country keep his reputation clean at all costs?" A new voice announces.
I glance up, spot Cade at the door and groan. "The fuck you doing here?"
"I could ask the lot of you the same question." He glances about the table. The shiner around his eye is an interesting shade of purple. Not that I regret putting it there, in the first place.
Only, he’s Zara’s brother… Her twin…which means, I need to repair the relationship between us. That’s the only reason I jerk my chin in his direction. "Have the rest of you met Cade?"
JJ is the first to beckon him in. "Great last inning at Lord’s."
"Thanks." Cade walks over to JJ and holds out his hand. "Cade Kingston."
JJ shakes it. "JJ Kane."
"Sinclair Sterling."
"Michael Sovrano."
The men shake hands.
"Cade also happens to be Zara’s brother," I interject.
The men glance at him, then at me.
"Ah." JJ lights up his cigar. "I can see the resemblance. Why do the two of you have different surnames though?"
"I took my mother’s surname. Zara took my father’s." He raises a shoulder. "Family dynamics can be complex."
"Tell me about it," JJ says in a self-deprecating tone. I have no doubt he’s referring to the relationship between him and Lena, and his son. "These things have a way of working themselves out though," he offers.
"You haven’t met my family." Cade shakes his head. "Speaking of...how’s Zara?" He turns to me.
"She seemed fine, last I saw her." Which was through the camera app on my phone, which showed she was back at work in her office. She seemed fine, on the face of it, at least. Checking in on her, making sure she’s okay, now that I could see her with the swipe of the screen, is getting to be a dangerous addiction. At least, I’ve managed to curb myself from doing so since arriving at the Club.
"And the fallout from the V&A Ball?"
"Seems to have been minimal." I also authorized Axel’s team to track down anyone who got a hold of clips from the event and pay them to take them down. He’ll be the front for all of the proceedings; my name will be kept out of it completely. Not that I don’t trust Zara and her team to handle it, but if I can spare her the stress of finding any reference to the bout between Cade and me, then it could only be helpful for her, right?
"I assume that’s where the shiner is from?" Sinclair jerks his chin in Cade’s direction. I filled them in on what went down at the ball but left out the fact that Cade is Zara’s brother. Now, all three men dart me knowing looks. Yeah, so it was stupid of me to swing without thinking, and I’m loathe to apologize for it. Except, he’s Zara’s brother. So…
I square my shoulders, "If it’s any consolation, you got in a few good ones, too." I move my jaw from side to side.
"I should hope so." He flexes his fingers. The skin over his knuckles is raw.
"I owe you an apology." I hold out my hand.
He stares down at it, then at me. "This doesn’t change anything. Zara may come across as strong, but she’s fragile inside. She’s one hell of a survivor, and you don’t deserve her."
"In this, I am with you." I tilt my head.
His scowl deepens. "Hurt her, and I’ll break your jaw next time."
"If I hurt her, I won’t stop you," I concur.
He finally takes my hand. "For Zara’s sake," he mutters.
We shake, then both of us pull our hands back. That’s when my phone vibrates. I glance at the camera app, then rise to my feet.
