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1
BRIELLE
You can run, rodent, but you can’t hide. I know who you are and I’m coming for you.
Itake a deep breath and try to ignore the fear coursing through my body at the message. A shiver crawls up my spine as I put my phone to the side and run my hands down my face.
There is no way that anybody should be able to connect the account back to me. There is nothing published with my real name, or anything that points directly to my location. I travel with Brennan — my adoptive brother — whenever I can to take pictures of new places and post them.
“Fuck,” I say, my heart pounding in my chest as I get up and go check the locks on the windows and doors.
As I get to the front door, there is a knock. My heart leaps in my chest. Hesitantly, I look out the peephole, breathing a sigh of relief. Brennan is standing on the other side of the door.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he says as I open the door.
I eye the tray of coffees in his hand, my mouth watering at the scent of the freshly roasted beans. “You didn’t happen to bring one of those for me, did you?”
Brennan chuckles as he steps into the house. “Maybe.”
“Have I ever told you that you’re the best brother ever?” I ask as he hands me one of the cups.
I take a long sip and nearly groan at the taste. “This is amazing. Thank you. I thought you were going to be out of town for the next couple of days, though?”
Brennan shrugs and kicks off his shoes before heading into the kitchen. He puts the tray and the remaining coffee down on the counter.
“I was supposed to be. Some other things have come up with a shipment and a supplier. The shipment is going to be easy enough to deal with from here but I have to travel for the supplier problem.”
Brennan grabs his coffee and sips at it while he moves to sit in the living room. I go back and make sure the front door is locked before joining him.
“What was that about?” he asks, tilting his chin in the direction of the front door.
“You don’t lock your doors?”
He shrugs. “It’s the middle of the day and you live in a gated community.”
“In a house thatyoupay for.” I curl up in the corner of the couch and cross my legs. “It’s not exactly the safest place.”
“I know.” Brennan looks around the room, his gaze landing on the security cameras in the corner. “Are you going to be okay while I’m gone? I’ll be down in South America for at least two months trying to get this new supplier lined up. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fly back and forth like I normally do.”
“FBI finally caught up to you?” I ask, my tone teasing. We both know that he stays deep underground and does everything he can to avoid becoming a target for the authorities.
Brennan smirks and shakes his head. “Nope. Not yet. But there’s some other things going on with the business that I need to handle personally.”
Though he might not be my brother by blood, Brennan is the only person in my life right now that gives a shit about me. Hell, he’s the only one I give a shit about too. For the last few years, it’s just been the two of us.
That’s what worries me the most about his business. Brennan likes to pretend that he can protect me from everything, but I know the kind of life he lives.
His only two options are prison or death. His business doesn’t end any other way.
“Have you ever thought about what life would be if you stopped arms and drug dealing?” I take another sip of my coffee, trying to calm the nerves that race through me.
“Brielle, there’s no reason to be worried, okay? Everything is going to be fine while I’m gone. I have a friend who is going to be living next door. He should be arriving within an hour or two. We’ll go over there and you can meet him. He’s a good guy.”
“Did your friend move here just to be my babysitter?” I ask, the nerves replaced with irritation.
While I appreciate everything that Brennan does for me — I would have been in a lot of trouble without him — I don’t want a babysitter.
More people involved in my life means that more people know I’m trying to hide from the rest of the world. People start asking questions and they want to know why I keep to myself.
