I turn on my heel, shoving him hard enough to rattle his teeth.
Big fucking mistake.
He shoves me back, harder, and now we’re throwing punches like we’re back in the ring my father used to put us in when we were kids and couldn’t get along.
“You’ll work it out on the mat, boys.Now go again.”
The old man was something else, but he loved us.And he wasn’t wrong.
Fighting is something we’re both good at.But that means we’re evenly matched.
Only this time I let my emotions—rage, grief, shame—all of it simply explodes out of me, feral and fast.
“Ego!Man—what the hell?”Noel’s voice slices through the chaos as he storms over and wedges himself between us, grabbing me by the collar and dragging Kai back by the arm like we’re a couple of rabid dogs.
“What the fuck is wrong with you two?”he demands, breathing hard.“You trying to kill each other on Sigma property now?”
Kai wipes blood from his mouth and points a finger at me.“My stupid brother here should be with his girl instead of scrubbing blood out of the damn truck like it’ll fix anything.That’s what I was telling him.”
“You wanna know why I won’t go?”I growl, chest heaving, hands still shaking.“Because I don’t deserve to go.Because I’m the reason she’s in there in the first place!”
The words rip out of me like bullets.
“I did that to her,” I shout.“I failed.I sucked at my job.I got distracted—involved.I should’ve never crossed that fucking line.She’s too good for me.Too soft.Too pure.And I got her hurt.I let those assholes touch her—hit her.I can’t even look at myself right now.”
“That’s bullshit, Ego!Her brother did that to her.You got her back!”Kai barks, taking a step forward again, but Noel plants a hand on his chest.
“No,” I mutter, my voice lower now.Raw.Broken.“It’s the damn truth.”
Noel exhales slowly, but he’s not nodding in agreement.
He’s smirking.
That smug bastard smirks.
And I know something’s wrong.
“Yeah, well,” he says, too casual, “it doesn’t really matter now, anyway.‘Cause she’s gone.”
I freeze.
“What?”
Now, I turn on him.
“What the fuck do you mean, she’s gone?I left Less watching her door.I told him to stand guard.Where is she, Kane?KANE!”I roar.
“She gave him the slip,” Noel supplies with a shrug.“Guess she got tired of waiting on your sorry ass.”
“What?”My voice goes hoarse.
Panic grips my chest like a vise.
“Oh, her brother was discharged, too.Apparently, he worked out a deal with the Feds.Asshole’s now a fucking CI and untouchable, you believe that shit?”
“What?Marco was released too?Fuck.You don’t think—?What if that fucker tries something again?What if she’s alone?”
Kane shrugs.“So what?You said you didn’t have anything to do with her anymore.It was a mistake, remember?”
