“Wade’s mother was raped by Aldo while working for him. She turned into a shell of who she was and one day, she disappeared. Wade, Vivianne, and their father all thought she had left. Wade’s father became abusive and began to work against your family.” He spins around; hands tangled in his hair. “This war didn’t begin with Wade, Atlas. This war began decades ago because of the monster that Aldo is. Of course, I didn’t know all this years ago. We could find all this information on his father but never anything on Wade. Hell, I didn’t even know he had a fucking sister!”
Kortez’s voice is borderline hysterical as he continues with the story. “I didn’t know how to tell you, Atlas. I didn’t know how to explain that all this bullshit Wade has put us through isn’t because his father was killed in the line of duty.”
“Then what is it because of?” Atlas is surprisingly calm throughout Kortez’s speech, but Ihave a feeling it’s just the eye of the storm.
Tez laughs, the sound unhinged. I can see his demons rising to the surface – the same one’s that chased Eve through the woods until he fucked her covered in his blood. Except this time, she’s not here to soothe him.
He’s going to break.
“I am! I’m the fucking reason! Our father raped my mother and nine months later, out popped a new heir. Except, he didn’t want me then. He wanted me to be raised away from the family so I couldn’t grow attached. So I would be more bloodthirsty. So I would be more likehim.I was supposed to be your replacement!” He grabs the chair in front of him and throws it, the expensive wood frame snapping against the bar. “That’s how I know Evie is in that warehouse. It’s the same place I was snatched out of my mother’s arms before being tied up and thrown into the back of a truck while she was shot and bleeding out in the prisonour fatherlocked her in!”
The plane tilts and the captain’s voice comes over the intercom to let us know we’ll be landing soon. Atlas sits in his chair, eyes downcast and chest deflated as he takes in the weight of Kortez’s words. I can hardly believe the story, but I know Kortez isn’t lying. This is what Aldo does. He breaks people. He drinks the blood of those he should be protecting. He’s not a king, he’s a coward. And he’s Kortez’s father just as much as he is Atlas’s.
Wylder sits back in his seat but keeps his eyes trained on Tez. When I turn my head, I see why.
Both knives, the one that was stuck in the bar, and the one Atlas threw to the ground, are back in his hands. Black curls fall over shaking shoulders as he works, and fails, to regulate his breathing. The darklook in his eyes that makes even me weary is shining bright as he stares down at his hands.
Kortez is gone and hisdemons are out to play.
Chapter 44
Kortez
I need Evie.
I need her to soothe them – the demons.
I need…I need to rip Wade apart for ever thinking he can take her away. She’s mine – she always has been.
She always will be.
My demons can’t wait to bathe in his blood.
Chapter 45
Eve
The door to my room creaks open to reveal Wade’s form filling the doorway. The dim lamp on my nightstand gives me just enough light to see his face and eyes crawling up my body.
When I went to lay down tonight, I realized the only pajamas in this room were…well, lacy nightgowns. I opted to just wear a pair of leggings and a T-shirt.
The door shuts with a click as he approaches. My hand itches toward the glass shard I have stuck in the side of my mattress. I nearly cried when I laid down on an actual bed for the first time, but I had bigger plans for the soft memory foam. I needed it to hide my murder weapon.
My fingers graze the edge of the glass as he reaches the side of my bed. I could do it now. It would be so easy to grab the shard and stab it into those caramel eyes. It should be easy. I find it’s not, though. When his eyes meet mine, I can’t bring myself to pull it free.
Now that I know he’s Kor’s brother, that’s all I see. Of course, there’s major differences like his hair andthe sunken look of his face but the eyes…the eyes are the same. They must have their mother’s eyes.
“Evie, I must apologize for my sister’s actions earlier. To even raise a hand against you…” His hand clenches into a fist at his side. “I couldn’t stand it. She was going toshootyou, Evangeline.”
Because I was going to shoot you, Wade.
I don’t say that, though. I give him a soft smile and rise into a sitting position. The crumbled blankets give me the perfect cover to slide the glass into my waistband. I can feel the glass slicing into me, the shard digging into my hip until I feel blood beginning to stream down my thigh.
I let my voice drop just enough for a sliver of innocence to slide in. “It was hard seeing her so upset with me…I thought she was my friend.”
He unclenches his fist and reaches out to brush some of my hair away. “I apologize for that, too, Evangeline. It was a necessary evil for me to get close to you. We had to be sure we could trust you.”
I look up at him with my head tilted sideways, my eyes wide and wondering. “And do you, Wade? Trust me?”
