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“Oh? How long you been with him?” He nods to where Castor waits outside. “Don’t fucking lie to me, just say it.”
“A few months,” I reveal.
“And at no point, not once, did you feel uneasy?” He stares at me, judging me hard. “I sniff bullshit out for a living, Gia. You don’t even have to say a word.”
I think back to the Russian who assaulted me, to Castor murdering him in cold blood. In all my brother’s faults, he has a point. But it’s too late, I love Castor, and he’s proven himself to me. Fuck Marco.
He leans forward in his seat. “That man… is my brother. He truly fucking is. Saved my life big with the Colombians.” He shows me his neck, reminding me of a terrible time. “But he’s still not good enough for you. Hate me all you want, but at least hear me out.”
“You almost goddamn killed us in the car!” I get even angrier.
He scoffs at that. “Was just trying to scare you. Looks like it worked, too.”
“I don’t buy it for a second. I know that look. You were seeing red because you’re drugged out of your mind. Seriously… what happened to you? There was a time when you were the sane one, the one who really looked out for me and Mom—”
He throws his head back in laughter. “I’m a steel fucking trap, Gia. I still do all that, coke just makes me sharper.”
I shake my head. He’s a lost cause. I made the right decision in disowning him five years ago, and wish he was just locked up in jail or something at this point. Three meals, safety, and out of my life.
“But this isn’t about me.” He taps the coffee table with his knuckle. “Look here. You and him have to end. And that’s final. Either that or I’ll end it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But a bullet will come.”
My chest weakens in horror. I thought we were passed that. Castor was right – it’s like he has a short-term memory disorder. I’m at a loss for words as I scan my brother’s broken face.
“He treats me right,” I say.
“That’s what we do, Gia. We make it look good.”
My face scrunches as I eye his house. “You don’t make anything look good.”
We both chuckle at that, and for an instant, I see the big brother who used to mess with me when I was in school. Throwing wet tissues in my hair, then cursing when Mom made him wash it out. There was sibling love back then. My God has it warped into something sick.
All those dark portraits I’ve been scribbling out… I fear they’re all of him.
Chapter 25
Gia
Marco and I stare at one another across a coffee table, while Castor’s still waiting outside. And his disturbing threat makes me want to call the cops on him here and now. A bullet will come? Who the hell says that?
“If you don’t walk away, you’re going to get hurt. I can’t do that to Mom.” The sadistic humor leaves Marco’s voice. “I’m your protector.”
“You’re threatening to kill a man I love,” I say, holding back tears.
“Because I know what will happen if I don’t. He’ll break you.”
I lean forward. “I’m tougher than you think. I grew up with you as my goddamn brother, remember?”
He smirks at that. “Yeah, you’ve seen some shit. But you ran far away from it. Now you’re jumping in with open arms?” He shakes his head. “Like an infatuated teenager, all over again.”
My jaw grinds at that. I know it’s more than infatuation. We care about each other, even if we’re in the fast lane. It’s real.
“Let us live, Marco. I’m begging you. Don’t make it uglier than it already is.” I present his beaten-up face.
He sniffs and leans back. The cogs are turning behind those glossy eyes of his. Maybe he’s finally realized he’s not going to get anywhere by beating his demands into me. “I’m going to keep a close fucking eye. That brother of mine really crossed the line this time. I’ll never trust him again. You know that, right?”
I avert my gaze, nodding. “We should’ve told you. But it’s your hot ‘Hairtrigger’ head that made us both hesitant.”
“Still fucked up.” He slaps his knee and gets to his feet. “I’ll back off, for now. But I won’t fucking like it.”
