Creed sat in the chair beside Winter and opened the envelope, pulling out the letter.
Winter touched his arm, stopping him before he unfolded the letter. "I know what I said, but you don't have to read it now."
Creed leaned over and kissed his mate "I know, but if I don't read it now, I will never get the courage to do it. I need to say goodbye."
Winter cupped his cheek and pressed their foreheads together. "I..." He started then stopped and leaned back. "I'll stay by your side."
Creed nodded then sat back in his chair taking a couple of breaths before unfolding the letter.
Hey Little Brother,
I'm not sure when you will read this letter, but I want you to know that I love you. You were the best friend and brother I could have been blessed with. If I have never told you before, Creed, I'm proud of you. You did something in your life that I would not have done by selflessly putting the love of your country above all else. I, on the other hand, was always searching for a way to fulfill my desires and goals. I might have been your older brother, but you've taught me that living a good life can also be a part of my dream.
The only thing I wasn’t expecting was to fall in love, but it is also something I don’t regret. Caroline is the best thing that has ever happened to me, little bro. She breathes a new life inside of me and gives me something to live for other than my selfish desires. Her laughter melts my heart, and her comforting touch soothes my soul. Now I understand how Roe felt when Latoya died; she took not only his heart but a part of his soul with her.
Caroline is the other half of me, and I hope that one day you will find the other part of you. And now, with the impending birth of our child, I worry that I might not be a good father. Caroline tells me not to worry, but I can't help it because I don't think I'll be around to see my child be born.
"What the fuck?" Creed gasped, sitting up.
"What...what's wrong?"
"I don't know," he answered absently and continued reading.
Creed, I think I might be going insane. It all started a few months ago, before I found out that Caroline was pregnant. If things were happening before… I never realized that I was in danger. A few months ago, I noticed someone was following me whenever I left the office. At first, I thought it was my paranoia. I’ve always considered myself a logical man, but I couldn’t help feeling as if I was going crazy. After that, I lost a few local bids, even after the CEOs and I had an agreement and all that was needed was for us to sign the contracts.
Honestly, I didn’t overthink it because in business things happen, but each time I would lose a bid, my biggest competitor would swoop in and get it. I was angry and thought I had a spy working for me. It didn’t help that someone tried to hack into our computers— for what reason I don’t know. I had the foresight to hire a good information technology person who caught the virus before it attacked our system. But I felt like that was also a distraction to get something else. Again, I’m not sure what that could be.
Someone is fucking with my business. Creed, I have no fucking idea what's going on, and I don't know who to trust. Not my business partner or my employees. Before Caroline, my company was the most essential thing in my life, and I would do anything to protect it, now my mate and our child come first. But what the hell am I protecting them from? Hell, if I don't know what's coming my way. The only people I can trust are Caroline and Winter. At this point, they have been my saving grace throughout all of this without even knowing what’s been happening.
I want to trust in Jarrod’s words that he cares about the company as much as I do, but there’s this feeling that my business partner is going to stab me in the back. Then there is Terry. He’s a friend of Caroline and Winter. He shows up out of the blue and always seems to disappear before you know what he’s up to. Honestly, I’m not sure how to describe this feeling I get when I’m around the other man, and it has nothing to do with him being an alpha. Not to mention, the last time he was in town he kept asking about my company and not long after our computer servers were hacked.
Maybe all of this is in my head, and perhaps I’ve developed a mental illness from our birth parents. We were never sure how they died. It still cuts me deep that no one looked for us. At this point in my life, I wonder if our parents are really dead. It was as if one day they were there and the next we were in the boys home. I have no doubt they are part of the reason I find it hard to trust anyone other than you, Caroline, and Winter.
What really hurts is that I don’t have a lot of proof, just the feeling in my gut that something isn’t right, because as soon as it started, it stopped. I was no longer being followed, we were getting contracts that we’d bid on, and no one was trying to break into our systems. But I still feel as if something is wrong. And maybe my distrust is why I feel that things aren’t right. I would go to the authorities about what I’m feeling, but I don’t have any proof.
Roe always told us to trust what we are feeling, and I’ve lived by those words. Gods, I hope I’m wrong, and all of this is purely my fear of becoming a father making things seem more than they are. But, Creed, if I’m not wrong and something does happen to me, I need you to do a couple of things for me. Protect my family. Take care of Caroline, our child, and Winter. Other than you, they are all that I have in this world to call my own.
The second thing I ask is if I didn’t find out what was happening, please do it for me. Everything I’ve gathered is in the safe in my home office. You know the combination; it’s the date we promised we’d never forget. I pray to gods that I’m wrong and it was all in my head. Remember, baby brother, I love you, I’m trusting you with the most precious things to me — my family.
Love,
Richard.
Creed dropped the letter on the table and covered his face trying to absorb his brother’s words. Richard knew he was going to die.
“What does his letter say?” Winter asked, causing Creed to look at his mate.
“He cared about you. He saw you as his family.”
Winter sighed. “I cared about him too. He was the big brother I never had. But that can’t be all that he said. You were reading a long time.”
Creed wasn’t sure what to say to his mate about what Richard revealed to him. Instead, he handed the letter to Winter who looked as if he wasn’t sure. Creed nodded, and Winter took the letter from him. Creed’s mind was reeling with possibilities. There were things he needed to find out. Winter had told him Richard died on impact as well the guy who’d hit them.
So it was just an accident, right? But what if it wasn’t?
“Um…Creed, I know I have terrible handwriting, but I can’t understand this so how did you?”
Creed’s brows creased together as he looked at Winter, and then the letter in his hand. “What do you mean?”
