Uncle Vance poured himself some whiskey, arching a brow. “What?”
“When we figure out who they are, let me handle the situation myself. I want to deliver the killing blow.”
“Of course you do, my little fixer.” He grinned wolfishly and sipped his whiskey. “But you won’t deprive Josh and me of our fun. We’ll participate in the carnage. And if I’m in the mood, I might display their blood splatters on a canvas at our next art exhibition.”
I laughed. Goddamn. This man really was nuts. “Sounds good to me.”
“Get some rest, kiddo. You’ve had an exhausting day.”
I turned to leave but paused for a moment. The thought of carnage and blood splatters reminded me of something. “What ever happened to Julius? I heard he died in jail, but the details were unclear.”
“Oh, I killed him.”
Well, fuck. My eyes widened. I had my suspicions. But I was still shocked. “Why?”
Uncle Vance picked up his knife again, tossing the blade between his fingers. “Simple. He put his hands on you, so I put my hands on him. As a final lesson.”
“And what lesson is that?”
He fixed me with a levelled gaze. “Don’t ever touch my family.”
The most important lesson any enemy of ours should know.
“Thank you again for everything you’ve done for me. It means a lot…Dad.”
The smile that broke over his face was almost blinding. Joshand Olivia called him dad. Uncle Vance had probably, secretly, wanted me to call him that too, even though we knew the title belonged to another. But he was like a dad to me and deserved to hear it. I was lucky to have been blessed in this life with two remarkable father figures.
“You’re welcome, Cade,” he said warmly, watching me walk to his door. “Where are you going?”
“To find Aunt Julia so I can ‘woo my ex-girlfriend’.”
His throaty laughter was the last thing I heard on my way out.
As I ascended the grand staircase, my phone—which I retrieved from the Hills this morning—buzzed with a text. I unlocked it and stared at my wallpaper for a few seconds, soaking in Ella’s face. It was a picture I took a year ago when we finished racing one summer night. She sat astride her motorcycle, helmet tucked under her arm, head thrown back in laughter over something I said. She’d looked so pretty, wild, and reckless. I’d needed to immortalize the moment forever.
Fuck, I adored this girl so much.
I opened my recent text from Josh.
I did some digging today and found the girl’s name. — Josh
What girl? —Cade
You know, the one that was in the room with you… —Josh
Ah. That girl. I was nervous to speak to her, but filled with anticipation at the thought of potentially getting some real answers.
Continuing my ascent, I texted him back.
What’s her name? —Cade
Mabel Garcia. She’s a year younger than us. Senior in high school. I already contacted her. She’s willing to meet with youtomorrow to talk. —Josh
C H A P T E R2 9
Twin Flames
Ella
