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Instead, it’s my brother terrorizing her.
How did I not know? How did I let this happen?
“Come on, Cash.” Brett bares his teeth at me, a horrible joke of a grin. “Stop dragging out the inevitable. Just sign the papers.”
I snap, “Iwill, Brett.”
Just as soon as I get him far enough away from Ari.
I know damn well he’s not going to go along with this ridiculous NDA idea. Not considering how far he’s gone already. An NDA would leave loose ends and possible ways for me to get the company back, and there’s no way Brett’s going to go along with it.
All it takes is looking into his eyes to know the truth of it. Flat. Cold. Any residual affection for me is completely gone.
As soon as I sign these papers, he’ll shoot me. I might be able to take Brett down long enough for Cole and his team to get inside and rescue Ari.Maybe.
I’ll die for her without hesitation.
But that’s not the plan.
Even though I came in here on my own, I’m not unprepared. Thanks to Blade and Arrow, I have some tools that will hopefully get both Ari and I out of this safely.
In one pocket, I have a small taser, strong enough to knock a full-grown man to the floor. In the other, small capsules of pepper spray powder—all I have to do is get one of those in Brett’s face and he’ll be blinded temporarily.
In my ear, a tiny two-way communication device will let the guys outside know when they can come in. Cole, Leo, and Finn are waiting just out of sight and will come in as backup when I give the signal.
And then there’s the last weapon—me.
I might not be former Special Forces, but I’m in good enough shape to carry a two-hundred pound man out of a burning building or run up ten flights of stairs wearing full gear. Once the gun is out of the equation, I have no doubt I can take Brett down.
But first, I need to get him away from Ari.
“Cash, what are you waitingfor?” His voice has a whiny note to it, the same tone he used to have as a kid when he wasn’t getting his way.
And it hits me all over again. A searing blade through the chest. My brother. Has healwayshated me?
It doesn’t matter. All that matters is getting out of here.
As I walk closer to the dining room table—I’m at a snail’s pace, but I’m moving—I sneak a lightning-quick glance at Ari. The fear on her face has transformed into something different, something more determined. Her features are stony, and there’s a little stubborn jut to her chin.
Brett still hasn’t moved from his post by the couch, whichisn’t what I want. I need him over at the table with me. Far enough from Ari that if he gets a shot off, it won’t hit her.
I take a few more steps toward the table, still holding Brett’s gaze. “Don’t these have to be notarized?” I ask. “How are you going to get around that?”
He smirks at me. “Notaries can be paid off, too.”
And I tried to give him another chance, after everything he’s done. Fury burns white-hot inside me.
I’m nearly at the table, the stack of papers waiting. I’ll have to come up with a reason for Brett to come look at them—some mistake, a missing signature,something.
Brett is watching me with this satisfied smile, like the fucking cat that ate the canary. He thinks he’s won. His gun has dipped; he’s more interested in what I’m doing now.
I chance another quick look at Ari, and this time I have to school my expression so I don’t give my surprise away.
She’s leaning over, one hand working at the zip ties around her ankles. For a second, I can’t figure it out. How did she get her hand free?
I can’t let him see. Focusing on Brett, I try to keep him distracted. “What are you going to say?”
Confusion ripples across his face. “Say to what?”
