“I’m glad you agree.” I purse my lips.
“Abby.” Compassion splays across his face. “I’m so sorry for what that fucking bastard did to you, and if I hadn’t been almost comatose in the hospital for two weeks, I’d have gone after you. It probably wouldn’t have made much difference, but I would’ve tried.”
I want to believe him, but…
“Areyouokay?” I run the tip of my finger over the scar across his lip. “He did this?”
Drew bobs his head. “I thought he would kill me this time. I fought back, but he pulled in four of his guys, and five against one are never good odds.”
“We need to get rid of him, Drew. I can’t live my life like this. Iwon’tlive my life like this.”
“I’m with you, A. I have been for a long time.”
“You have a plan.” It’s more of a statement than a question. He nods. “You’ll share it?” He nods again.
“I hope you mean that, because I don’t want to be on opposing teams, Drew. We won’t succeed unless we work together, and that means you have to stop shielding me.”
“I know.”
The truth radiates from his every pore, and I think we might be able to get somewhere. “You won’t get another chance, D. You get that, right? If you let me down again, there is no coming back from it.”
“I won’t fail you again.” His eyes flash with steely determination, and I sincerely hope he means that, and that he’ll stick to it.
“How did you get back in his good graces?”
“I told him I was double-crossing the new elite. That I recorded the theft, and I intended to use it to put them behind bars. That they were meant to bring the documentation to me, and I’d safeguard it. I told him I wanted to prove I could handle things without running to him. Thank fuck, my cell was smashed beyond repair during the shootout so he couldn’t confirm or deny it.”
“And you think he bought that?” I’m skeptical in the extreme.
“He’s on the fence, but I’m his only male heir and the timing is sensitive, so he’s no choice but to give me the benefit of the doubt.” His face turns pale, his mouth contorting into a grimace. “I’m working my ass off to prove my loyalty, but I’m still on probation. One false move. One hint that I’m playing this game, and it won’t be pleasant.”
Fear for my brother turns the blood in my veins to ice. If the bastard finds out what he’s up to, he will kill him.
A pregnant pause ensues, and there are so many things I want to say to my brother I don’t even know where to start. I want to ask him what he’s doing to prove his loyalty, but I sense I’m better off not knowing. “Where is Jane?” I ask instead.
His face contorts in pain. “I don’t know.”
“How can you not know?” I wail. “She was the love of your life!”
“Is. Sheisthe love of my life, and it’s because I love her so fucking much that I sent her away. I’ve tried to protect both of you, but all I’ve done is continually put you in harm’s way.” His shoulders slump in defeat.
“What did you say to her father to get them to leave?”
He drops onto the couch, burying his head in his hands, and I sit down beside him, snaking my arm around his back. He rests his head on my shoulder. “I told him some truths about Parkhurst, the order, what Father is planning, and the kind of life Jane would have if she married into it. I told him to run. To never look back and never come back.” His voice cracks. “They were gone less than twenty-four hours later.”
“I’m proud of you, Drew.”
“Don’t.” He lifts his head. “Don’t be proud of me unless I’ve done something genuinely worthy of it. And I haven’t.” He shakes his head, and the look of sheer agony on his face destroys me.
“What if Father goes after them? They were part of the elite, and they shouldn’t have run.”
“He’s juggling too many balls, and they’re not important in the scheme of things.”
“He won’t forget.”
“No.” He scrubs a hand across his stubbly chin. “He won’t. But I have contingencies in place.” Fire blazes in his eyes. “He won’t get near her.”
“Agreed.”
