“No! No, no, no.” I grip his shoulders tighter. “He promised me you’d be left out of it until you turn eighteen and can make your own decision.”
“Thisismy decision.” Pain flashes in his eyes as he wrangles out of my reach.
“You’re too young to make it! And you don’t have all the facts.” There is no way our dad would have explained all the harsh realities of this life.
“I know my own mind, Athena, and I know enough. I want this. I want it real bad.”
A muscle pops in his jaw, and I’m spiraling inside. Everything I have done has been to protect him. To keep him away from this world for as long as possible. Father fucking agreed, and he’s gone behind my back. Fuck the consequences. I’m going to kill that motherfucker and grab Arlo. Find somewhere we can run and hide. Or maybe I’ll appeal to the board. Perhaps they’ll let us go as long as I have someone else lined up to take over as head of the family.
“You don’t know what you’re saying!” I cry. “You don’t understand what you’re giving up.”
“Stop saying that!” he yells, looking all kinds of butt hurt. “You keep treating me like a little kid while you get to go on missions and have all the fun.”
Oh my god. What the hell has my father told him? “There is nothing fun about it, Arlo. It’s dangerous, and the things I’ve had to do haunt me in my sleep. I don’t want that for you.”
He folds his arms and levels a glare at me. “It’s not about what you want. Dad needs me to do this, and I want to do it. You’re just pissed because you won’t get to go on every mission now.”
“Arlo, listen to me.” I reach forward and clasp his face in my hands, trying to keep calm because arguing won’t solve anything. All it’d do is alienate him and have him turning to our father. “Dad has manipulated me my entire life, and he’s going to do the same to you. I’m trying to protect you. Whatever he’s told you, I guarantee it’s not the full truth.”
“Dad wouldn’t lie to me.”
I understand why Arlo feels this way. Unlike his relationship with his mother, Arlo has a great relationship with our father. Of course, I know it’s Dad’s way of buttering him up for this very situation. He’s been grooming him for years without Arlo realizing it. I thought I had more time, but I was a fool. Right now, I’m regretting sheltering my brother so much. He’s so incredibly naïve, and I must accept some of the responsibility. I should have told him before Dad got to him, but there’s still time to reach him. We have a bond he doesn’t have with anyone else.
Footsteps echo on the floors out in the hallway, and I know I don’t have much time. My eyes dart over Arlo’s shoulder, checking the coast is clear before I whisper, “I will tell you everything. I’ll hold nothing back and answer any of your questions if you hold off on making concrete plans.”
His eyes light up with natural curiosity. “You mean that?”
“Yes. I would never lie to you.” Unlike others I know. “Don’t go anywhere. I’ll find you after I’ve spoken with Dad, and I’ll explain it all.”
“Okay.”
Grabbing his head, I press a kiss to his brow and vow to keep him safe. There is nothing I won’t do to protect my brother. I’m prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice if it comes down to that.
As my father enters the kitchen, wearing a disgruntled look I’m used to, I swear I’ll find a way to murder the prick if it’s the only way to save my brother. Even if I die doing it.
ChapterFour
Athena
“Let’s talk.” Dad drills me with an impatient look.
I warn my brother with my eyes as I step back. Arlo nods, and I rein my fear in knowing he won’t do anything rash until we have spoken further. I push it from my mind for now, needing my wits about me for this conversation with my father.
“How was practice?” he asks Arlo.
“Good. Coach is happy.”
My father’s smile is genuine, his pride in his only son authentic. I have never been on the receiving end of such smiles, irrespective of my achievements, because I was born the wrong sex. For years, having an heir to take over was all he spoke about. The day Arlo was born was the best day of his life.
Fear creeps up my spine again, and I wonder if I’m the naïve one to believe I could ever save Arlo from his fate.
“We’ll talk in my study,” Dad says, refocusing his attention on me.
I give my brother a quick hug and grab my purse, walking out alongside my father.
“Must you goad Cadance all the time?” he asks as we stride side by side toward the rear of the house where his large study resides.
“She goads me too, and I’ve told her talking shit about my mother is not acceptable, but she continues to do it.”
