Malik noticed his brother following us these past few weeks, and we made a plan to smoke him out eventually, but first, I have to meet Barrett and hopefully I can sway him to join my war against his enemies.
“That’s not going to happen,” Malik snaps from behind me. “You’re not safe inside those walls, or have you forgotten what happened to you?” He shoves his bucket helmet on his head and stares at me while I do the same.
“I remember everything, Malik. I’m haunted by it each day and tortured every night, but I need to not let it cripple me or my plans. I could use a club as big as Hell’s March to help me take down the Steel Dragons and I’m willing to do that despite what happened to me there.” I secure my helmet and swing my leg over my bike, avoiding his glare. “It’s too bad I never saw who hurt me in that basement because I would walk in there and shoot them on sight, but I only know the voice, and even that’s slowly fading.”
“This isn’t a decision we can make on our own, and I know this is your life and whatever, but Montez and I put our lives on the line for you every day, I think we should get at least a chance to convince you otherwise.” He sits on his bike and continues to watch me as I cringe through his words. “What is it?”
“I’ve spoken to Diego.” I look down at my pink nails, remembering when we painted them the night before and how happy we were. I’m about to shatter that and it breaks my heart in two. “He thinks it’s a good idea and told me to convince you.”
“He said it was a good idea to lead you into the lion’s den?” His jaw tics as he starts his bike, the loud rumble cutting off any chance of a reply.
My brother is angry, and it looks like he’s angry with Genni.
My spine straightens as I watch him stare her down with irritation and my heart begins to pound when I remember just how quickly his irritation can morph into ire. Malik has always done everything to the extreme, whether it be flying into a rage or fixating on a new hobby. He’s obsessive with his interests and doesn’t move on until he’s picked it apart and learned everything there is to know.
I fucking hope Genni isn’t his newest obsession.
They ride off toward the deli, their routine almost like clockwork. Too much like clockwork. If I were a stupider man, I would assume they were the unintelligent ones, unintentionally enticing their enemies, but I never claimed to be stupid.
This is a trap.
I get back in my car and watch them through the rearview, there’s no need to follow closely behind them because I know exactly where they’re headed. The fact that my brother thinks I am this fucking dense is a blow to my fucking pride. We were raised together, he knows exactly what my intelligence is, and I can’t figure out if he knows I know or if he genuinely thinks he’s trapping me.
Either way, I need to play into it.
I can keep an eye on Genni and also watch what my prick twin is up to. Watching him means I am watching Hell’s March and this is what I was told to do anyway. No one can accuse me of not following orders, and even though Jaeger is acting suspiciously, I agree with him when he says he wants his sister home. Except, I won’t let him get his fucking hands on her.
Putting the car in gear, I head down the street toward the deli, my mind on how to get Genni to come with me without a fight, making me miss one huge detail that’s different from any other day of tailing these two.
My brother’s bike isn’t parked beside Genni’s.
My heart slams up into my throat as I do a full sweep of the parking lot to confirm he’s not here. My first thought is that this is a trap, but in the next breath, I’m deciding it’s worth it if I can have a few moments to speak to her. I have questions to which only she has the answers, and then maybe I can convince her to come home under my protection.
I won’t deny there’s a part of me that worries about bringing her back to the club, only to put her in the hands of her true enemy. If that’s the case, I think I can sway most of the club to turn in her favor, and we would exile Jaeger for what he’s done to his own sister.
After I park the car, I let the engine idle a bit while I wait, hoping to see a glimpse of my brother around a corner of the building, or something to scream outtrapto me. When I don’t, I exhale a bit of frustration and turn off the engine of the car, dropping the keys into my sweater pocket. I take a deep breath and release the nerves I have swirling inside of me.
It has nothing to do with potentially having to face my brother again, but everything to do with the brunette who I know is sitting in there alone. The last time we were in the same space I thought there was a connection between us, something simmering just beneath the surface. I want to look into those midnight blue eyes and see if what I thought was there before still is.
The walk across the short parking lot feels like I’m walking through quicksand. I want to get to her, be in front of her, but my caution is winning out. I was shot in the face once in broad daylight by my own flesh and blood, I won’t have a repeat.
One of us wouldn’t walk away from a round two.
The bell above the door rings as I walk in, the sound booming through the small deli and making me wince as people turn their heads to look at me. So much for being stealthy. I quickly scan the place and find her sitting in the back corner, a straw set between her plush lips and her eyes looking right at me, not a spark of fear to be found in them.
Almost like she knew I’d be coming.
Or…
She thinks I’m my brother.
Could that be it? Even though she’s obviously with him, can she not see the difference? The thought sours my stomach with disappointment as I head her way, subtlety now thrown out the window.
“Hey,” I say to her as I sit in the chair across from her at the small round table, the width no more than half my arm’s length.
She releases the straw from her mouth and places her iced tea back on the table beside an untouched corned beef sandwich.
“It’s astonishing,” she says, her voice somehow different from what it once was. She sounds so sure of herself, the strength I see on her body now projected in her words. “How is it you both look identical save for the glint in your eyes? It’s like his shines with cunning mischief, while yours radiates with sincerity.”
