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“You’re leaving. Aren’t you?” My question stills him, and I watch in awe as he drags his gaze toward the girl beside Caia. He’s found someone to love more than me. More than River. And even though I’ve always been protective of my brother, I realize it’s time to let him go.
Harper pulls Caia into a hug. Their father has taken his final breath, but there’s one more person still alive. Her eyes are wide. She’s watching her daughters with agony and guilt falling in watery emotion down her cheeks.
“I am,” Dante finally agrees. “It’s time I found my own life, brother,” he tells me, but he’s watching his girl. I’m about to respond when Rayne sidles up to him, wrapping her arm around his waist.
“Both of them?” My question causes him to chuckle.
When he finally turns to me, he shrugs. “If you can have two, why can’t I?”
He’s right. I’ve got Caia and River, and it seems as if my brother has two feisty females to contend with, but something tells me he’ll be able to handle them.
“What are we going to do with the mother?” he questions, lowering his voice so only I can hear him.
When I look at her, I note how fearful she is. But that doesn’t matter. Just like my own mother, the woman sitting at the table is as guilty as the other adults who were meant to care for us.
“The girls will decide,” I tell him.
Just then, Caia turns to me, a small, relieved smile on her face. I crook my finger, calling her toward me, and when she obeys, it only serves to make my cock hard.
“You and Harper need to decide what we’re doing with your mother,” I tell her.
“Well, she’s a filthy fuck,” Dante chuckles, earning him a swat from Harper. “It had to be done.” His shrug only confirms the asshole fucked their mother.
“And for what purpose?” I question.
“I figured if she escaped, I’d have a recording of her. Blackmail is the most popular way of making sure people do as you say. Also, I think my little minx over here enjoyed the show,” he smirks, tugging Harper under the other arm. My glare burns into him. “What? I wrapped my dick.” He rolls his eyes as if it’s a joke, and I know Dante doesn’t give a shit who thinks badly about him.
That’s the thing about my younger brother. Unpredictable, volatile, but he will always make sure he’s safe in any situation. Looking out for him, me, River, and the girls.
“Can . . .?” Caia starts, but lowers her gaze, allowing her words to trickle into nothing. The silence is deafening for a moment before she looks up at me again. “Can we keep her in the cells? Just until we decide what we’re going to do?”
I’d do anything for her. I’d fucking kill everyone who’s ever looked at her the wrong way. She has to know how much I love her. How much she’s changed me and made me realize that my heart isn’t cold and rigid. It’s beating, but it only does so for her and one other person.
River steps forward, his green eyes meet mine when I flit my gaze to his. He offers a nod of understanding. He knows this is the only choice we have right now. Realization hits me. I’m in love with him, and he’s no longer just my best friend.
He’s more than that. He’s family.
“We should clean this mess up,” he suggests, placing a hand on my shoulder and one on Caia. I can’t find words, so all I offer is a nod. He moves quickly, getting the team of men in.
I watch as they escort Caia and Harper’s mother through the room and out the double doors. She’ll be locked in one of the cells. I should kill her right here and now, but my girl has asked for time. That’s what I’ll give her.
“This is . . .” Her gentle voice lingers in my ears, and I want to grasp onto it for a moment longer, but I know I can’t.
“It’s a fuck up,” I tell her. Glancing at Dante who’s staring at me, I tell him, “We should never have had this happen.”
“It was my idea.” Harper steps forward. “My father spent years making my life hell. And when I found out what he did to my sister, to you and your brother, and to River, I knew he had to pay.”
“I get that—”
“No, Drake, you don’t. What you’re trying to do is protect my sister, and that’s admirable. I’m glad she’s found someone who is here for her, but Dante is here for me. We see things differently, and that’s okay.”
That we certainly do. As much as I wanted to kill Hamish, I also wanted more information from him. Perhaps his wife can offer that.
