Текст книги "Fear You"

Автор книги: B. B. Reid

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

Chapter Twenty-One

Lake

“Have you heard?” Willow asked as we sat down with our lunch trays at our normal table.

“Yes, unfortunately. It’s all over school that Mrs. Needleman didn’t wear a bra today and gave everyone a clear view of her nipple rings.”

I had no clue if that’s what Willow was talking about, but I prayed it didn’t have anything to do with Keiran. After he used me and discarded me like yesterday’s trash, I’d pretty much wished every bad thing in the book on him.

“Eww. Seriously, she’s like sixty with nipple piercings. Gross. I just wonder why she wouldn’t wear a bra especially since her shirt was transparent.”

“Maybe they’re new and she wanted to show them off,” I guessed. I bit into my carrot and willed my eyes from straying to the other side of the room where Keiran sat with his usual horde of elite friends. I regretted deciding to eat in the cafeteria. My determination to not let Keiran affect me was hopeless.

“Anyway, that’s not what I meant. The school and basketball coach let Keiran back on the team.”

Apparently, God was busy today.

The carrot fell from my fingertips and landed in the tray as I stared at Willow. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. Besides, Mrs. Needleman’s nipple rings, it’s all anyone’s been talking about. Apparently, the school cares more about making it to the Championship this year than they care the guy is practically an axe murderer.”

“Anyone ever tell you that you have a flare for being dramatic?”

“Pffft. Have you seen the way I dress? If that doesn’t do it, then all is lost for humanity’s brains.”

“Why would they let him back on the team?”

She shrugged and bit into a chicken tender. “No one really expected him to be kicked off the team permanently. He’s the school’s golden boy. Not even a double murder could taint that.”

“This is bullshit.” I threw down my third carrot and stood up, pushing my chair back roughly and letting it scrape across the floor. Willow looked up at me and stopped mid chew.

“Where are you going?” she mumbled around a mouthful of chewed up chicken.

“I’m going to see what the hell is this school’s problem.” I moved for the door without waiting for her response. I knew she would only try to talk me out of it and tell me it wasn’t a big deal. Nothing Keiran did seemed to be a big deal.

He must have sensed something was wrong because I felt his gaze following me. Against my will, I stopped at the door and looked over my shoulder to see him watching me. There was no way he could have known what I was up to, but his gaze challenged me anyway. His lips were set in a hard line. What did he have to be angry about? He’d gotten his way once again.

Time seemed to stand still during the battle of wills as we each silently fought for power. His head lowered predatorily, and his gaze darkened in a way that was meant to strike fear. Three months ago, it would have.

I let the side of my lip curl into a smirk that rivaled his own, blew a kiss and slammed through the doors.

The sound of the doors closing echoed behind me as I headed for Coach Lyons office. In the back of my mind, I wondered if my determination for answers was because of justice or my own personal vendetta. Either way, he should have never been let back on the team. I didn’t give a damn what the law said. Not being proven guilty doesn’t make you innocent.

I made it to the other side of the school where Coach Lyon’s office was held. He was perched in his chair watching the tiny television and looking entirely too comfortable for someone who did a murderer favors. I knocked on the open door and stormed inside, not waiting for his acknowledgment or invitation. I closed the door behind me and stood in front of his desk.

He watched me calmly despite my having just invaded his space. “Coach Lyons, I need to talk to you.”

“Young lady, I should throw you out of my office. That is not the way you conduct yourself toward a member of the staff.”

Was he serious? Where was this guy’s autocracy during the last four years I was bullied mercilessly by his star player?

“So if I was able to dribble a ball, you would be willing to overlook it?”

“I will not tolerate—”

“Why is Keiran Masters back on the basketball team?” I demanded.

“I beg your pardon?”

“He is still being charged with the murder of two students. One of them played for your team. Did you forget that?”

“Of course, I haven’t forgotten, Miss Monroe, but what I do with my team is none of your concern.”

The man was a royal ass.

“The safety of the students should be your concern. You would sacrifice that for a championship?”

“He was allowed back into the school, which means he wasn’t considered a threat. You have no business coming into my office and demanding answers from me, you little bitch. I don’t answer to a child. Now get it out!” he bellowed. Spittle flew from his mouth and landed on his chin as his face turned beet red.

Just as I was about to respond, Keiran’s deep voice sounded low from the door. “Monroe.”

My gaze flew to his tall form darkening the doorway. He wore a blank mask, but even so, I could sense the angry vibes emanating from his presence.

I knew he likely heard every word I had said and knew what I had tried to do. I actually started to feel guilty until I noticed his gaze wasn’t trained on me. He was staring down the coach who now sat back in his chair with a worried expression.

“Why did you follow me?” I asked accusingly.

“Wait for me outside.”

“I’m busy here.” I turned my head dismissively. I wanted nothing more than to get out of here, but I stubbornly wanted to do it on my own terms.

“Do you really want me to touch you right now?” He spoke the words softly, but the threat had an even worse effect than if he had screamed them at me. Why was he so calm? I had just tried to get him kicked off the team so why hadn’t he lashed out?

“Fine.” I gave him a look that said this wasn’t over and attempted to move around him without touching, but his hand shot out and grabbed my arm just as I passed him.

“Don’t go far,” he ordered.

I looked down at his large hand on my arm and suppressed the shiver of anticipation I could feel building when I remembered all the things he’d done to me with his hand and all the places he had touched.

“I’m sure touching is a violation of your release. Be careful, Masters. One might think you were attempting to intimidate a witness.”

He leaned close enough to whisper in my ear. “Any time you need me to intimidate you, baby, just say the word.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Keiran

I gently pushed her out of the office, shutting and locking the door behind me. Coach Lyons still sat slumped in his chair with a wary expression.

“Can you believe her, kid? She wanted me to take you off the team.”

“I heard.”

“You heard… Well, uh… how much did you hear?”

“Enough.”

He shifted in his chair nervously. “Listen, my temper got the best of me, but you should know I wouldn’t remove you from the team. I didn’t want you off in the first place, but it was out of my hands.”

He offered me a shaky smile as if his pitiful promises meant something to me and all would be forgiven. As if I hadn’t just heard him raise his voice at Monroe. As if he hadn’t just called her a bitch and nearly spit in her face.

“Let me make this quick because I have a frustrating female who needs my attention. What I just heard makes me want to cut your tongue out and make you choke on it.”

“Son, liste—”

“As I said… I heard enough. If you ever speak to her that way again, I’ll make your wife a widow early.”

I left him sputtering and red-faced in his office and went after my stubborn headache. I tracked her down just outside the cafeteria doors and quickened my steps to catch her. She knew I would come after her and as much as she pretended not to be afraid of me, she sought the safety of the cafeteria.

“Oh, no you don’t,” I said when I grabbed her arm and dragged her in the direction we’d just come from.

“Let go of me, asshole.” I ignored her struggles and managed to pull her into an empty classroom without being caught. I was breaking every rule and taking too many chances even being near her, but fuck if she didn’t make it hard to break old habits.

Once safely hidden away, I slammed her back against a nearby wall, pushed up against her, and hid my face in her neck. If I looked into her eyes right now, I could ruin us both right here and now. “You want to tell me what the fuck that was about?”

Her scent was making it hard to remember how we ended up here in the first place. All I could concentrate on was the fact I had her in my hands again. Two weeks cold turkey and I’d relapsed. It was about as much as I had expected.

She was fire and ice.

And she had me by the balls.

“I don’t owe you an explanation. I’m only trying to right a wrong.”

“Damn it, Monroe.” I reluctantly lifted my head from her neck and abandoned her scent. “You aren’t making this easy.” How could I stay away from her if she were constantly doing things to pull me back in?

“Stop calling me Monroe. My name is Lake, and I wasn’t aware I was supposed to make anything easy for you. Should I show you the same mercy you showed me?”

I grabbed her face with my hands and held her eyes. “I want you to realize what’s at stake here if you keep pushing me.”

“You never played fair before,” she whispered.

Fuck.

I let her face go. Those twinkling blue-green eyes were pure torture to my dick. “I don’t know what I want more—to kiss you or kill you.”

“Why did Coach Lyons let you back on the team?” she asked, blatantly changing the subject.

“He didn’t let me back on the team. He asked me to come back.”

“He actually sought you out?” Her body rocked against mine in outrage.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Why do you think?” I took a step back, needing to put space between us but not too much. She visibly relaxed as she watched me warily. I noticed her palms brace the wall at her side and every other second they would clench.

“You can’t mean the championship is that important?”

“It is for a lot of people.”

“Enough to overlook the fact that you’re a murderer?”

“I didn’t kill Trevor and Anya.”

“Maybe you didn’t light the match, but it doesn’t make you any less responsible.”

“And you?”

“What about me?”

“You continuously point fingers but conveniently forget that you are as much an accomplice.”

“I didn’t—”

I cut her off before she could make any more false claims of innocence. “Maybe you didn’t light the match but you knew and you didn’t say anything. Why?”

She stared up at me incredulously. “And give you another reason to threaten my aunt?”

“Is that your final answer?”

“It’s the only answer.”

“You were never a good liar. By the way… how does it feel to have your aunt back home safe and sound? How many lies have you had to tell so far? When she holds you and tells you she loves you, do you feel guilty? Or do you feel like a hero for all the sacrifices you made?”

“What I sacrificed, you can’t even begin to understand or measure. You’d have to have a heart for that.”

“I may not have a heart, but if I were you, I’d be afraid of what beats in its place.”

I couldn’t help myself. I had to get my hands on her again, so I did. I gripped her hips and pulled her into me.

“Try something like this again,” I growled low and tightened my hold on her, “and one night I will crawl through your window and make you disappear. I won’t need to kill your aunt. I won’t need to hurt your best friend, and I won’t need to use your buddy, Jesse. Do you think they would survive not seeing you again?”

“I’m over you threatening to kill me.”

I couldn’t resist stealing a kiss from her lips, and without pulling away, I whispered, “It wasn’t a threat, and I have no intentions of ever killing you.” I stole another kiss. “I’m much too selfish for that.” I lifted my head to look her in the eye. “Stay out of my way, Monroe. I’m trying to protect you.”

“From you?”

“And from them. But yeah… mostly me.”

“And what if I just want to make you pay?”

“Then I’d say you were playing a very dangerous game.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Lake

School couldn’t end soon enough. It didn’t help that I had a test in all of my classes today, including gym class. The stress of the confrontation with Keiran earlier was weighing down on me as I walked into the precinct. I stormed up to both Detective Daniel and Wilson’s desks with purpose.

“I have information.”

The detectives looked up from their coffee seemingly startled as their faces furrowed with confusion. “Lake, what are you doing here? What information?”

“Information that will help you bring Keiran in. He cannot continue to walk free.” Instead of looking grateful or relieved, the detectives shared a nervous glance. “What?”

“We aren’t pursuing Keiran Masters any longer.”

My stomach lurched before plummeting down to rest at my feet. “What do you mean? How could you not pursue him?”

“Masters also came to us this morning with valuable information.”

“Well, apparently, he didn’t turn himself in because I just saw him at school, so what could he have possibly told you that would make you drop the case against him?”

“It hasn’t been entirely dropped. It’s been temporarily suspended.”

“Then wha—”

“I’m sorry, Lake, but we can’t discuss it. It’s high profile and if we blow this, it would mean not only our jobs but many lives, as well.”

“After you convinced me to turn him in and testify, putting my own life at risk, you just decide to back out?”

“You don’t understand what’s at stake.”

“Then make me understand! It’s the least you could do, don’t you think?”

The detectives did their silent communication thing I was starting to hate. “We have the chance to catch a much bigger fish. We have the chance to bring down the most notorious child slavery ring in history.”

“And so now I’m just inconsequential?”

“Lake, we will continue to protect you. If Masters hadn’t provided us with suitable proof Trevor and Anya’s deaths were connected, then we wouldn’t consider it. However, as of now, we don’t believe he is a great threat to you or anyone else.”

“You don’t know him, Detective Daniels. He is calculating and manipulative. He’s using you to get what he wants, and I am a part of that equation.”

“We are on it, Lake. Trust us. If Masters tries anything, we will lock him up and throw away the key.”

“And I am supposed to believe you? You don’t know what he’s done or what he’s capable of.”

“Lake… Keiran’s freedom is based solely on the information he can provide us. If he does not deliver to us both Mario Fulton and Arthur Phalan, we will pursue the death penalty when he is tried.

The death penalty?

They would kill Keiran?

I didn’t realize I was falling until Detective Wilson caught me.

* * *

After Detective Daniel’s had dropped the massive bomb in my lap, I went numb. The thought of Keiran dying hurt worse than finding out my parents were dead. As much hell as he’d brought to my life, it made sense. I didn’t know them, but I knew him, and despite the hate I held for him, and the need to make him pay, I still loved him.

But this wasn’t what love was supposed to be.

It wasn’t how the rest of the world would see it.

They would see a young girl who had been so fearful of her childhood tormentor she, instead of reciprocating the hate, chose to love him instead.

I went to Willow’s after I left the station. We spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies and doing homework. I wanted to avoid questions and most of all, Jackson. He’d been hanging around a lot and though my aunt warned me previously, it still made me uncomfortable. He was essentially a good guy, but I didn’t like the way he was always watching me, reading and assessing me. He saw too much, and if he ever figured it out, he would tell my aunt.

When I finally pulled myself together enough to chance going home, I said goodbye to Willow, who couldn’t manage more than a noncommittal glance.

With college right around the corner, Willow was working furiously to keep her grades up. Or at least that’s what she said. Avoiding Dash may have had a little more to do with her constant need to stay distracted, though he seemed to avoid her just as much.

When I asked her what had happened between them after laser tag, she said me almost being killed was a reminder of what Dash had done, and she couldn’t be with someone like that. She also made it a point to tell him someone like him wasn’t worth breaking her mother’s heart, which explained the stick up his ass.

Despite Dash’s involvement, I couldn’t help but feel responsible for keeping Willow from being with the only guy she’d ever shown such keen interest in.

I didn’t hang around much longer after our homework was complete, but later, wished I had. All hell seemed to break loose soon after I came home, which was unfortunate because I wasn’t prepared to handle anything else that required stimulation of the brain. I managed to hide it well, but I was still reeling from the effects of Keiran today. I was more upset that I could still feel anything for him.

So what did that tell me?

That I still hadn’t learned anything from the past couple of months?

That Keiran was still very much in control?

I pulled into my driveway a few minutes later and saw my aunt was home, but when I walked inside, she was nowhere to be found. I figured she’d locked herself in whatever room inspired her today, and chose not to disturb her. Not even five minutes later, she decided to make her presence known.

“Lake, what is this?” My aunt demanded as she stormed into the kitchen where I was creaming my bagel. I was too distracted by thoughts of Keiran and forbidden moments in abandoned classrooms to eat anything more. She slapped a newspaper down in front of me, and the caption on the front sent my knife and bagel slathered in cream cheese, crashing to the floor.

“That’s that boy, isn’t it? Keiran Masters? He’s from your school. He was here… Oh, God,” she rushed out in one breath.

“Aunt Carissa, please… calm down. It’s not what you think.” Actually, it was exactly what she might have been thinking, but what else was I supposed to say?

“Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

There are many reasons why I didn’t tell her about Keiran being accused of murder. Fortunately, my aunt wasn’t one to keep up with the news. She preferred fantasy to facts, and it was the main reason I was able to keep this a secret for this long. However, a gruesome murder of underage kids, one being an ex-police officer’s son, was bound to come to light. I was just surprised she went this long without hearing about it.

“I didn’t think you’d care,” I lamely answered.

“Didn’t think I—” She took a deep breath before her voice exploded in anger. “For crying out loud, he came over and had pancakes!”

“Aunt Carissa,” I began but was cut off.

“Just tell me, Lake… are you in any danger?”

“Why would you ask that?” My face and voice remained impassive despite the pandemonium erupting inside my head.

“Because I really thought you were dating him. I can’t say I’m comfortable with you seeing this boy if you are.”

“No, I’m not seeing him. We were hardly even friends.”

She searched my face for signs of dishonesty, and it was the one time I prayed my aunt didn’t know me as well as she did. She seemed to give in to whatever answer she had found when she asked, “What happened to those poor kids? How could anyone do such a thing?”

“Aunt Carissa, he was a suspect, but they let him go. I guess they found new evidence.”

She didn’t appear convinced by my explanation as she furiously scanned the paper before slamming it down to glare at me. “Why do I get the feeling you aren’t telling me everything?”

“What do you mean?” I asked as I fought to keep my gaze on her. If I looked away or let my voice change infinitesimally, my aunt would catch it. She was too observing.

“What is your involvement with this guy and don’t you dare lie to me. A hot guy doesn’t just show up and eat a person’s pancakes without having a reason.”

I struggled with an answer, but a story worth telling, much less believing, wouldn’t surface.  Damn the newspapers and damn Keiran Masters.

“He, uh, asked me out once, and I said no. He showed up because he was pretty persistent about it, but that’s over now.”

She eyed me warily before peering down at the paper again, scanning it once more before shaking her head with a look of sadness etched across her features. “It’s so tragic. Lake, I want you to promise me you will be careful. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. After your mother died—” She paused mid-sentence and her eyes widened in horror. “Oh, Lake, honey. I’m sorry. I know this isn’t what you want to hear yet but—”

“Aunt Carissa, not now,” I urged but it sounded more like a desperate plea.

“Lake, I did this for you. I know you think you don’t want to hear it, but you need to. You’re already eighteen and will be graduating in just a few months. I couldn’t send you off into the world without knowing what happened to them. I’m sorry I lied to you.”

“I know, Aunt Carissa. You don’t need to apologize again. I just need time to figure this all out.”

I couldn’t tell her there was nothing to figure out or that instead, I couldn’t bring myself to admit they were really dead. I couldn’t even promise to try.

* * *

My room held a quality that wasn’t there when I left this morning, and when my eyes landed on my brooding teenage tormentor leaning against the wall, I understood why.

“It occurred to me the little stunt you pulled today was not a one-time deal or a brief lapse in judgment.”

Remembering his earlier threat, I quickly spun around to leave, but he was across the room with his hand over my mouth before I could cross the threshold. He pulled my arms back to rest at the small of my back. After I was restrained to his satisfaction, he quickly loosened his grip as if he were afraid of hurting me. I laughed despite my current position.

“So can you guess why?”

“I hardly think I need to be in this position or have you in my room in the middle of the night to play a fucking guessing game.”

“Careful with those big words, little girl.”

“Get over yourself, Keiran. We’re the same age.”

“That’s where you have it wrong. I’m nothing like you.”

I gritted my teeth to tamp down the onslaught of desire I couldn’t shake but held on to the growing anger. “Say what you came to say and get out.”

“What makes you think what I came to do involve words?”

“Because you seem to have a lot of them.”

His deep chuckle vibrated all the way down my body. “Is that a challenge?”

“It’s whatever you want it to be. I just want you gone.”

His laughter ended, and I knew he was assessing me in the way he always did, gauging my sincerity. I felt my words and their meaning down to my soul, and still, I knew I didn’t mean it. It frustrated me more than the sexual buildup he insisted on creating every time we were near.

I wanted to put him away forever. They wanted to kill him.

I was being pulled in two different directions—the need to hurt him and the need to protect him.

The sweet scent of his breath was intoxicating, and then I felt it—his lips near my ear.

He whispered, “And I just want inside you.”

I felt the rush, the clench, and the goddamn fucking need.

Each encounter, no matter how close he got to me or how far he stayed away, made it harder and harder to keep my promise.

“Your scare tactics are getting old, Keiran. We won’t be in high school forever.” He pressed against me from behind but didn’t make any further movements.

“If you think I’m trying to scare you, then my seduction skills need serious work. Besides, I don’t need fear to control you anymore. My cock is pretty good at making you do what I want.”

“And what will you do when I’m thousands of miles away and no longer vulnerable and available?”

“Who says I’ll let you get that far?”

“And how do you plan to stop me?”

“In whatever way that works.” He flipped me around to face him. I had seen the intent in his eyes before I was falling backward, engulfed in the now stifling heat of my bedsheets.

“Keiran… no.” The knife continued it’s descent of my torso, slicing and ripping away my barriers. He wanted me exposed in every way. He needed me vulnerable. “Don’t do this.”

When he expertly ripped away the remnants of my shirt, ignoring my struggles, I screamed. A sound so unnatural and desperate it actually pierced my gut painfully and shook my body. He jerked upright to stare down at me in stormy surprise, but it was too late. The need for survival had already consumed me. My teeth sunk into the flesh of his right shoulder. I didn’t stop biting. Even when I was assaulted with the metallic taste of his blood, I didn’t stop.

I heard his curse and grunt of pain, but it only spurred me on. He could have easily dislodged me with a quick, merciless flick of his knife. The floodgates opened and released, turning my gaze murky.

Careful hands banded around my upper arms, lifting me away but keeping me close. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, shaking me.

Was that a serious question? I shoved him away in disgust and if I weren’t feeling so damn crazed, I would have laughed at his look of astonishment. “I won’t let you make me a scared little girl again.”

“Lake? Open the door! I heard you scream—should I call the police?”

Shit. I’d forgotten Aunt Carissa was home.

We watched each other for the longest time, both waiting to see what I would do. I held Keiran’s gaze as I answered. “Uh… yes, I’m fine. I stubbed my toe and thought I broke it.”

“Do you want me to look at it?”

“No, I’m fine. I’ll be down in a moment to ice it.”

Her retreating footsteps were the only sound between us as we stared at each other. “You need to leave,” I ordered, rising from the bed once I was sure my aunt was out of hearing range. We now stood facing each other.

“Do you want those six weeks back? Do you want the isolation, the distance, the hard sex without an inkling of a connection? Do you want to feel like you have no way out? Do you want to feel forced and used? You might have come every time I touched you, but I know what it did to you, and if I pushed for a little more, you would have broken.”

He grabbed me by my waist and yanked me to him without warning. “Give me the word, and I can make you feel like that again.” He bent low to whisper against my lips, “Helpless…” He took my bottom lip between his teeth. “And thoroughly fucked.”

My earlier resolve began to melt away with a whimper. “You are my scared little girl, Lake.” I melted more at the sound of my name on his lips. Using my first name was a clear indicator I was affecting him at this moment—as much as he was affecting me. “And I am your big, bad wolf.”

He kissed me for the second time today, and I let him.

In his arms, I didn’t have the strength to fight him. I didn’t have the strength to care that he was a monster carved from a past that was undoubtedly dark. I Just. Didn’t. Care.

“Every time I get near you, I can’t remember why I have to stay away,” he groaned when he finally released my lips with a final nip.

That makes two of us.

“Are you staying away because you’re mad at me or because you think you are protecting me?”

“I am protecting you.”

“Yeah. Almost being kidnapped was a clear indication of that.” I rolled my eyes. Did I blame him for almost being kidnapped? No. I blamed the people who he came into this world blindly trusting to protect him.

“So what are you saying?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying. When I woke up this morning, I hated you, and I wanted nothing more than to see you behind bars. I went to Detective Daniels and Detective Wilson offering to get evidence of everything.”

I chanced a look up at his eyes, expecting anger but seeing only questions. “And?”

“And nothing. The first time I went, they turned me down saying it was too dangerous, and they couldn’t risk me as a witness.”

“And the other?”

I took a deep breath. “I went after school today.” I waited for a reaction, but he only nodded and remained silent. “They told me they weren’t pursuing you anymore.”

“I made a very detailed confession today, but they are willing to overlook it.”

“So long as you help them catch Mario and Arthur.” His eyebrow shot up in surprise. “I kind of wrestled it out of them with guilt.”

“Nice,” he praised.

“Do you know they will pursue the death penalty if you don’t bring them in?”

“Yes.”

I ripped myself away from him and pushed him back. “Why are you so calm about it? They are going to kill you. You’ll die. ” I wanted Keiran to pay for many wrongs, but I didn’t want him dead. I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I didn’t realize I was crying until he wiped away one of the many tears from my face.

“And that scares you?”

“Doesn’t it scare you?”

He laughed. The fucker actually laughed. “I’m not afraid to die. I’m just unwilling.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“We?” His smile was radiant, and his eyes twinkled as he stared down at me.

“You know what I meant.”

“I love it when you pout.”

“I’m not pouting.”

“First, you are going to have to stop trying to set me up to go to jail.”

“It’s not a setup if you actually did it.”

“I didn’t kill them, Lake.”

I tried not to smile at him saying my name and asked, “Well, then who did?”

“Mario.”

“Mario?” It only just occurred to me that I never met the mysterious man who brought Keiran to Six Forks and helped him to seek revenge against me. “But I thought he was like a godfather or mentor to you.”

“We were both a means to an end for each other. He just wasn’t honest about his end. I thought we wanted the same thing, but he just wanted to make more money.”

“He used you.”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to kill him?” A small part of me hoped he would say yes—then I realized Keiran might have actually succeeded in corrupting me.

“Bloodthirsty, aren’t we?”

“You’re one to talk.”

“I won’t kill him if I don’t have to. There is a lot more at stake.”

“What?”

“The day Arthur tried to take you, he offered to help Keenan get a lung if I gave him Mario. He knew I was working with Mario to set him up.”

“How can he get Keenan a lung?”

“He wouldn’t say, but it’s my brother—I have to believe it because I can’t lose him.” I didn’t miss the vulnerability and sadness in his eyes when he spoke about Keenan. I knew he missed him. I did, too.