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The choice is taken from any of us when Declan’s stiff laughter has us all turning to him. He’s at the study doorway, a gun pointed our way. “I should have known better than to trust Gideon.”
Rowan pushes me behind him. “And I should have known better than to trustyou.”
From our left, Luca and Gunn appear, their weapons ready. And to our right, Gideon and Scarlet.
“Well, will you look at this? The whole family’s gathered,” Gideon says and seems almost happy about it with that wide grin.
“Gunn.” Scarlet says it in a way that sounds like more than just his name.
“If I’d know you were here, I would have loved to fuck you up a little.” He blows her a kiss.
She laughs. “The day you’re actually able to fuck me up, I’ll let you fuck me too.”
“Enough!” Declan screams. He lifts his gun toward Rowan’s head, and all the other men, including Gideon, lift theirs to him.
Rowan laughs. “You better say your prayers before you fire that shot, Declan. Cause you’ll be only seconds behind me.”
“Better dead than—gurg!”
It takes me a moment to figure out what’s happening. One instant, he’s standing, the other, he’s holding his throat and gurgling, then falling. That’s when I see Axle with his bloodied blade still in position from stabbing Declan in the back of the neck.
Shit. I didn’t even see him go there.
“I didn’t kill him,” Axle explains. “I was protecting you.”
“Yes, you were, buddy. You protected us,” I tell him.
With Declan gone, the other men switch their attentions on each other, and we’re the monkeys in the middle.
“You’re done, Gideon,” Luca says.
“Are you sure about that?” Gideon replies. “From my point of view, you’re the one about to meet your maker.”
Papá gets a hold of me and drags me from the center, leaving Rowan all alone. “We’re dead too if we stay there!” he growls when I try to fight him.
“He’s my husband.” I’m kicking and screaming, but even injured, my father is strong.
“And you’re my child!”
Rowan looks over his shoulder, then at the two sides he’s stuck between.
“Rowan, it’s time,” Gideon says.
“Why the fuck would he go with you?” Luca asks.
“Because he’s my brother,” Gideon replies smugly.
Everyone glances at each other. Luca’s men tense even more.
Rowan peers at me as if in question.What should I do?
“I will follow you anywhere you go,” I mouth.
Then he turns to Gideon. Something unspoken crosses between the brothers. A tug of war of the minds, where Gideon tries to pull Rowan closer, but he refuses.
“If you stay with them, little brother,” Gideon says, “You will die. And I don’t want to fight you. Not today.”
“Then don’t.”
