by Lia Ellison
“Come on. We shouldn’t stand out here in the open,” she said gently, and I started toward the house.
Before I could reach the porch, the front door opened, and Aiden stepped outside, ignoring the guard who was trying to talk to him.
I supposed the guards didn’t want him to come outside, but he’d done it anyway, so I quickened my steps.
He pulled me into his arms, his lips crashing against mine. We just stood there for a few moments, holding onto each other and just making sure that we were okay. We seemed to be doing that quite often, which made me wonder what kind of future we had together.
Would it always be like this?
Would we always just be glad that we were alive?
Would we always worry someone was coming for us?
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispered.
“Me too.”
“Sir,” one of the guards said.
Aiden lifted his hand. “I know. We’re going inside now.” His fingers intertwined with mine and he led me toward the door.
“My club...” I started to say, but my throat constricted.
Aiden’s eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I’ll get someone to repair the damage as soon as I can. Now the only thing that matters is that you and everyone else is safe.”
“I know, but I...”
“It’s your life. I know.” He caressed my fingers.
I nodded, trying to push back the tears that were pooling in the corners of my eyes.
As we entered the large foyer, I stopped, surprised by just how nice it was. Everything was in soft cream colors, and there were colorful paintings on the wall. The stairs had a beautiful ornamented railing that looked like something out of a movie—a vine with grapes and flowers.
I followed Aiden to the living room, and we took a seat on a comfy dark blue sofa.
“This is really nice,” I said.
“I’m glad you like it. I kind of got it last minute, but at least it was fully furnished. The rooms are upstairs. You can pick whichever you’d like, although I’d prefer if you chose mine.” A smile tugged at his lips. “You should get some rest. It’s been a long night for you.”
It occurred to me that I hadn’t even slept, but I was wide awake, and I had no idea if I could even stop my mind from spinning long enough to fall asleep. “Yeah, I guess. But what about Carter? What if he sends someone after us and we have to move quickly? Are you sure this place is safe enough?”
“My brother’s here,” he said, and I gaped at him, unsure if I’d heard that right.
“What?”
“He’s in one of the cells in the basement.”
I opened my mouth to say something, but my mind got all scrambled because I wasn’t sure if I was more surprised that Carter was here or that this house had cells in the basement.
“What? How? What?” I blurted out.
“He can’t get out. I promise. I was about to talk to him yesterday, but he already knew about us and came after me. He was drunk, and after I overpowered him, I gave him a sedative. When he told me he’d already sent someone to attack you, I knew I had to get to you as soon as possible, and there was no time for me to deal with him, so I just brought him with me. If you don’t feel comfortable with him in the house, I can move him somewhere else.”
I blinked at him.
Carter was here.
In a cell.
“Wow.” I hadn’t seen that coming.
Aiden’s eyes searched mine. “If you don’t want...”
“I want to see him,” I said, and his eyebrows shot up.
“Are you sure about that?”
“You say he’s in a cell and that he can’t get out, right? Then you can take me to him.” If Carter was a prisoner here, then I so wasn’t going to miss seeing that.
After everything he’d done to me, I needed this.
Aiden was pensive for a few moments, but then he nodded. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”
“It is.” I jumped up to my feet. “Take me to him.”
I still thought that I was dreaming when Aiden led me down a dark stairway. We passed through a hallway full of guards and Aiden opened the door at the end.
We found ourselves in a darkish bare room lit only by a dim orange light. The floor was dusty and dirty, the walls stinking of mold and dampness.
Damn, there was an actual cell in the other half of the room with bars, a cot, and a waste bucket in the corner. It was all kind of medieval, as if I’d been transported to a different time.
Carter hopped to his feet, rushing forward to clutch the bars. His face turned into a sneer when his gaze settled on me, and a smile spread across my lips.
“What the fuck is she doing here?” Carter yelled.
“Hey there.” I waved at him, then caught Aiden’s hand, letting Carter see just what was going on between us.
The look of pure rage that crossed his face was one of the most beautiful and satisfying things I’d seen in my life.
“Who’s a prisoner now, you sick son of a bitch?”
“Shut up, whore! You think you have my dumb brother wrapped around your finger, but he’s going to figure out just what you really are!”
“Don’t speak to her like that!” Aiden raised his voice.
“You know what the saddest part is?” I asked Carter. “You just don’t care about your brother or about his happiness. You should’ve realized a long time ago that I’ll never be yours. Never ever.”
Carter bared his teeth, but he focused his attention on Aiden. “What are you going to do, little brother? Are you going to kill me because she wants you to do it? Are you going to let her turn you against your own family? You know I’d never hurt you. We’re brothers. It’s all her fault. She’s using you! Go ahead. Do it! Kill me! Fucking kill me already so I don’t have to watch her destroy you!”
“You don’t know anything about me at all,” I said. “You always saw me just as a toy to be used, and now you think I’m some kind of a monster who’s out there to hurt your brother? Really? The only person here who’s trying to destroy something nice and pure is you. Maybe, just for once, stop blaming others for your mistakes.”
“Veronica, why don’t we go upstairs and get some rest? It looks like my brother needs some more time alone to think.”
“You’re totally right.” I brushed my lips against Aiden’s, and something clanged in the cell as Carter kicked at it.
As he let out a scream of rage, Aiden and I headed for the door. Maybe seeing Carter like this wasn’t going to be enough compensation for what he’d done, but I felt way better knowing that he was here and not out there somewhere plotting our downfall.
“What are you going to do with him?” I asked as we climbed the stairs.
“What I have to.” Aiden’s eyes met mine, and there was sadness in them, so I just pulled him closer to me.
Chapter 8
HE TRACED HIS FINGER down Veronica’s arm, but she didn’t even stir. She was fast asleep in his arms, and there was no place he’d rather be right now.
But there was something he needed to do.
Something that couldn’t wait.
Careful not to wake Veronica, he got to his feet. She looked so peaceful, her lips lifted into a soft smile. He wanted nothing more than to make sure she would always be happy and smiling.
After getting dressed, he got hold of his gun. As he stared down at it, he was hoping that he wasn’t going to have to use it, but he knew how unlikely that was.
Still, maybe he’d get lucky.
If Veronica wanted to be with someone like him, then maybe other good things could happen too.
He glanced back at her before he slipped through the door.
Why a woman as special and as beautiful as her wanted to have anything to do with someone like him was a mystery, but he was glad that she did.
On his way, he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.
His brother was on his feet as soon as Aiden opened the door.
Aiden filled one of the glasses and placed it just outside the cell, within Carter’s reach. “I was hoping we could talk, like brothers.”
He poured some whiskey into his own glass and lowered the bottle to the floor, wishing there was a table or at least a chair in here, but maybe it didn’t matter.
Carter pushed his hand through the bars and grabbed the glass, which was just the right size for him to be able to pull it through. “Like brothers? Really? You seem to have forgotten all about that. Brothers don’t stab each other in the back!”
“I didn’t stab you in the back.” He took a sip of his whiskey. “Veronica and I fell in love.”
Carter let out a laugh so loud that it resonated through the room. “God, you’re so fucking stupid! Love? That shit doesn’t exist. That bitch wants your money and she wants me dead. That’s what love is for her.”
“I don’t expect you to understand, but why can’t you respect my decision? I love her. I really do. If she’s playing me, then so be it. Let me fall into her trap. Because that’s what I want. But I don’t think that’s what she’s doing. She’s not like that. She never wanted to be a part of our lives, but you forced her. What happened between her and me... We never planned any of it. Actually, I fully intended to kill her so you could stop being so obsessed with her.”
“I’m obsessed and you’re in love.” Carter snorted and gulped down the contents of his glass. “You disgust me. You’re not my brother. Not anymore. Not after what you did.”
Aiden twirled his glass between his fingers, staring down at it. “She chose me, not you. Why can’t you accept that? You never really wanted her. You just thought you did. It’s all about sex with you, and then you get bored and move on. Why can’t you let it go? I didn’t plot against you, but I could have. I wanted to go off on my own, but I waited, because I knew that you needed me.”
“Ah, so now you’re some do-gooder.”
“You promised me there wouldn’t be another Ella. I should be the one mad at you. But I’m willing to forgive you if you accept that Veronica is mine.”
Carter threw the empty glass against the wall and it shattered into hundreds of pieces. “No!”
“Why not? This isn’t some competition. Veronica isn’t a toy I stole from you, so that now you can demand for me to return it. We could’ve had it all. You could’ve had it. You still can. If you’re willing to make a deal with me and let Veronica go and never act against her or against me.”
“No. How many times do I have to say it? Fuck you, brother! Fuck you!”
Aiden emptied his glass and lowered it to the floor. “Do you remember when we both wanted that toy car, but we couldn’t afford it? We were going to that store every day to see that car, until the saleswoman yelled at us because she got sick of us. I remember being so disappointed. And then, one day, you saved enough money to buy it, and I was both upset and happy for you because I was sure you were going to keep it for yourself. You never liked to share your toys with me. But instead, you gave it to me and said it was mine. It was one of the happiest days of my life.”
Carter leaned his forehead against the bars. “Of course I remember, but we’re not kids anymore.”
“Then what about the day we finally had enough money to leave our parents’ house? We were afraid they were going to catch us and stop us. We got up late at night, and we wanted to sneak out, but something creaked just as we were going for the door, and I froze on the spot. You grabbed my hands and told me that I was always going to be safe with you and that you were always going to protect me because I was your brother and nothing would ever come between us.”
“And look how things have changed. I was wrong. That bitch came between us. Who would’ve thought? But you let her. It’s your fault. I always knew you were too weak for this, but I thought I could raise you right. I see now that there’s no helping you.”
Aiden pulled out his gun. “So is this how it’s going to end? I’ll do anything to keep Veronica safe. Anything. If that means you have to die, then that’s what’s going to happen.”
“I guess it really is the end for me. If you can bring yourself to pull the trigger.” Carter stepped away from the bars, spreading his arms wide. “Come on, little brother. Get it over with.”
“You’re saying there’s no way to fix things between us. Are you really willing to die over some stupid idea you got into your head? You’re my brother, and I’ll forever be grateful for what you’ve done for me, but I can’t let you hurt Veronica or any other woman.”
“You’re pathetic. So damn sensitive.”
“No, you are. You just can’t handle that she picked me.”
“Go to hell. I renounce you. You’re not my brother.” Carter glared at him.
“Okay. You’ve made your choice, then.” Aiden took a deep breath, raising the gun.
He pointed it straight at Carter’s head as he inched closer. Carter was still standing in the middle of his cell with his arms spread, as if welcoming death and daring Aiden to pull the trigger.
The world seemed to disappear around Aiden, his ears buzzing. He aimed through the bars.
And then he pulled the trigger.
The bullet echoed like thunder in the small space, and his brother’s body crumpled to the ground.
Aiden let out a shaky breath, lowering the gun. Blood was pooling quickly under his brother’s head.
His chest constricted, his throat dry. He let himself sink to the floor as he couldn’t look away from Carter’s body.
Tears filled his eyes.
Why had it had to end like this?
Why couldn’t they have found a solution?
Why couldn’t Carter have just been reasonable for once?
You lost your brother forever. Now there’s no going back.
You knew just how far gone he was. It was the only way.
He heard the door open behind him, and through the tears clouding his eyes, he could see Veronica making her way toward him.
She knelt on the floor next to him and wrapped her arms around him.
He buried his face into her hair, breathing in her scent.
“I’m sorry,” she said softly.
He was going to miss his brother. The brother who’d made him laugh, the brother who’d made him feel safe, the brother who’d been good.
The one who’d been gone for years, way before Aiden had pulled the trigger.
Veronica held him in her arms, caressing his hair, and as a tear slid down his cheek, he realized that he didn’t regret what he’d done in the least.
Chapter 9
I WAS STARING AT THE coffin and still didn’t fully believe that Carter was dead.
Gone forever.
Just like that.
One bullet. It was all it had taken.
And now I was finally free. Or was I?
Aiden had gathered every member of the Lawrence gang, and he was in the middle of his speech about his brother and about the future of the gang. I had no idea how I fit into all that, but I was standing next to Aiden, and it was weird to have everyone watching me.
“I know we have an important fight in front of us,” Aiden said, “and if any of you have doubts or questions, you may ask now. If anyone wants to leave the gang for good, we can discuss it, because I don’t want anyone here who isn’t willing to give their best. We’re going to defeat the Rito gang, but we need to be careful and smart about it.”
Someone lifted his hand to ask a question, and as Aiden addressed him, I focused again on the coffin as Aiden’s most trusted men lowered it into the grave.
I felt someone’s gaze on me, and I looked up. Jo was right across from me, standing apart from all the men. And yeah, there were a few other women too, but there weren’t many.
So yeah, even though we didn’t have to worry about Carter anymore, now we had to concern ourselves with the consequences of his actions. It was as if the ghost of him was still here to cause trouble for us.
Would we ever be truly rid of him? And how was I going to handle being a gang leader’s girlfriend? Just the sound of it almost made me laugh.
Me.
A gang leader’s girlfriend.
No, that was wrong.
Aiden’s girlfriend.
Okay, now that was better.
I glanced around again as Aiden’s men carefully listened to what he had to say. Narrowing my eyes at them, I tried to figure out which ones were Aiden’s and which ones had been Carter’s, but I couldn’t tell because there wasn’t any difference.
Had there been anyone loyal to Carter? Like really loyal, and not just because they had to or because they wanted more money? Would someone try to avenge his death?
Aiden hadn’t exactly explained how Carter had died, but maybe this kind of thing was normal to them.
Brother killing brother for power over the gang. Maybe they just supported the winner, whoever he was.
Maybe they didn’t care at all.
But then their gazes settled on me, and I glanced at Aiden. He’d just said my name, hadn’t he?
“You’ll protect her as you would protect me. You’ll talk to her as if you’re talking to me. Understood?”
Everyone nodded. Just seeing Aiden there, standing with his shoulders straight, his chin up, his eyes filled with determination, made me realize that he had been born to do this.
Carter had been wrong, just like he’d been wrong about so many things. He’d been the one who’d been holding Aiden back.
Once most of the men dispersed, Jo stepped forward. She placed her hand on Aiden’s shoulder and he gave her a nod. Then he picked up a bouquet of flowers and stepped forward.
He placed it on Carter’s grave, stood there for a few moments, and then turned toward me.