Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen—they passed in a blur of ecstasy. And my brothers—before they legally became my brothers—were in as deep as I was when it came to women. For Griff and Felix, that was enough for a while.
Me, I needed more.
I needed red.
But I wasn’t the only one who discovered a taste for blood all those years ago.
The differences between Raife and I, however, are immense. I may be unhinged, but I’m constantly working to channel my urges. It never stops, the self-restraint, the need for more.
I make no mistakes.
When Raife gets violent, truly violent, there’s nothing controlled about it. It’s a wildfire in a gasoline-drenched forest. He cost us one mistake with Murphy already, one that would have ended everything if it weren’t for Felix’s talents.
I won’t risk another slip. Not when I’m so close to ensuring every single person on our list gets what they deserve.
I sit back against the leather, letting out a breath of dry amusement. “You know you can’t go back, Raife. None of us can.”
Finally, he drops his smile. Black oil eats up his brown eyes. “No, I can’t. Just like you can’t move forward. You are who you are.Lucas.” I narrow my gaze at his, but otherwise keep my expression slack. “We all are.”
After a second, he opens the drawer to his right and pulls out papers. Then he tosses them into the bin beside him, watching, waiting for my reaction. I know full well it’s the document Felix and I drew up this morning. The same document he made a fucking deal to read.
I work my jaw, the only sign of agitation I’ll allow myself to reveal.
“Once upon a time,” he continues, “you wouldn’t have given a shit about my method for madness, so long as I was mad. Remember yourself, Lucas. We were real brothers once, before our empire. Two boys who saw each other for what we were and never had to, neverwantedto, hide it. You will eventually lose control, and when you do—when you lose every last shred of it until you can’t see red from black, right from wrong—I will be here. Ready to back you up, the way you should be doing for me.” He leans closer, and my gaze threatens to burn straight through his skin. “Because that’s what brothers fucking do.”
Carefully redoing the buttons on my collar, I stand. I watch him for a second, taking in the anger simmering behind his words. The mad glint in his eyes that we share.
I lean forward and rest my palms on the desk. “Don’t mistake our brotherhood for weakness. I’m the same person I was when we first got out. The difference is that back then, I was a boy who dealt with guilt by giving into every temptation. Shortsighted, unprepared. Uncommitted. I evolved into a man a long time ago.” After pushing off the desk, I shove my hands into my pockets and tip my chin back. “I suggest you do the same.”
He stands, but I’m already turning away. I don’t have time for his shit. We have lives to ruin, and time’s a wastin’.
“It’s only a matter of time before she gets to you, my friend,” he calls as I walk out the door. “And I’ll be watching every step of the way.”
