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“Shit,” Nick muttered in disbelief. “You’re his sister.”
“Who?” Hayes asked sharply.
“Shawn.” Nick spat out my brother’s name. “She’s the one who killed one of our men and then fled.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m an only child.”
Nick’s hand lashed out, grabbing my arm, and I swung with my free hand, punching him across the jaw. He didn’t let go. He twisted me around as I heard Kian yelling at him to stop. A whoosh of air escaped my lungs when he slammed my back into the wall, and he had a blade at my throat before I could make another move. Revulsion skirted down my spine as he kept one hand on my shoulder while pressing the knife firmly against my neck.
“I spent months trying to track you down,” Nick hissed. “Getting Shawn to cooperate wasn’t easy when we didn’t have you.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I ground out, my voice shaking.
“Nick. She has backup here. You can’t hurt her.” Kian was standing rigidly behind Nick, his gaze cutting to Hayes. “We can’t afford the Riot Crew getting involved.”
“Has she ever said anything about having a brother?” Hayes asked, looking at his son.
There was a beat of silence before Kian answered. “No.”
I didn’t move a muscle, even as shock tore through me. Kian was protecting me. He was lying straight to his dad’s face for me.
“We need to be sure.” Fear washed through me at Hayes’s words. “We can’t make the Riot Crew an enemy if we’re wrong.”
“You’re wrong,” I stated stiffly. “I don’t have a brother. And if you don’t let me walk out of this room right the fuck now, your men around Little Haven will start dropping like flies.”
To my surprise, Nick lowered the knife and folded it before slipping it into his pocket. His hand moved from my shoulder to my face as he tightly grasped my jaw. His fingers dug into my skin as I glowered at him.
“You know, he begged us to leave you alone,” Nick said in a low voice. “Promised to do anything if we stopped looking for you.”
I held my breath, doing all I could not to react like he wanted. Anguish clawed inside me as that night clouded my mind. The last time I’d seen Shawn was when Nick’s men were dragging him out of our apartment.
“Were you close to his friend too?” Nick pressed, watching me carefully. “What was his name? Barry? He died for you. He refused to tell us anything about you, even though he’d been with us for years. Did you know that?”
I pressed my lips together, not saying a word. Kian looked torn, his eyes dropping to Nick’s hand that was still on my jaw. His body was tense, and I didn’t blame him for not doing anything. If he did, it would be worse for me anyway.
“Do you know who killed Shawn?” Nick questioned, his voice cold.
My stomach twisted painfully, and tears threatened to give me away as I stayed silent. Nick loosened his hold on my jaw but didn’t release me as he chuckled cruelly.
“After what we did with him, he probably welcomed death.” His words had red lining my vision as I fought to stay in control. “We beat him bloody for keeping his secret from us. Then fighting us when we refused to stop looking for you. He wouldn’t even admit what your name was.”
I kept my face blank, wondering what the hell he was talking about. What secret did Shawn have? His loyalty to Ellie?
“Who the hell is Shawn?” Kian asked, glancing at his dad. “Why do I not know about him?”
“You weren’t involved with business then,” Hayes replied, sounding distracted as he stayed focused on me.
“Get off me,” I demanded. “This conversation is done.”
“One night, he was barely conscious after we questioned him,” Nick said in a low voice. “I don’t even think he knew what he was saying. He kept apologizing. Over and over. Mumbling about how sorry he was that he brought his sister into this life. That all he wanted was for you to feel loved for once in your life.”
I was nearly shaking with rage. With pain. My jaw was aching. Not from Nick’s hold, but from how hard I was clenching my teeth to stay quiet.
“So I kept cutting him,” Nick continued. “With the knife I just had on your throat. And he pleaded with me to just kill him. But he suffered a few months longer. Until Chris got his hands on him.”
I snapped. I wasn’t in control anymore. Every rational thought disappeared when I grabbed Nick’s wrist, ripping it from my face. I lifted my knee, ramming it into his groin hard enough that he spit out curses as he stumbled back. I launched myself at him, jabbing him in the throat, making him choke out shallow breaths.
“I will fucking kill you,” I snarled as I threw my fist into his cheek. Pain shot through my hand from the hard hit, but I didn’t stop, preparing to swing again until something pressed into the back of my head. I fell still, my chest heaving as Nick straightened up, glowering at me.
