I wouldn’t be the reason for darkness in her life.
The ache in my chest spread throughout my sore body, and I let out another unsteady exhale, clenching my jaw.
Xander had explained to me that she pulled a gun on him, and while he could have easily taken control of the situation, he said he would rather enjoy his hands being attached to his arms.
Smart man.
I would have ripped them from his limbs and mailed them back to his brother. Giftwrapped, no less.
When I asked where my angel was, Xander and Cam merely smirked at me. Three months ago, I would have chopped their smug little heads off…
Three months ago, those fuckers wouldn’t even be on the island.
Three months ago, I would have been able to keep an eye on Tony and obliterate Gwen’s plan.
Perhaps then, Tony would still be alive.
My brother.
My lip curled in disgust. Of course, the universe would make me share DNA with a pompous, egotistical buffoon.
As Karina rolled onto her side, I wondered if I would've actually tried to save him if I’d known the truth. If Ray Romano had told me years ago that I was his bastard son, would my loyalty come easier for me?
Would I have been with the Matthews Family in St. Louis and Chicago? Or would I have been in New York with Tony?
Would I have had to immerse myself in Gwen Davenport’s life to get Dean Connors to comply with Romano’s wishes?
A tug pulled in my chest.
Would I have been blinded by the light that was Karina Jones? Would I have been blessed to know her?
Fucking hell.
Karina stirred, her face tightening as she thrashed back and forth. She was often plagued by nightmares, ones detailing her assault. My jaw jumped as I watched her, balling my hands into fists in my pockets.
She would have to fight this battle on her own. No matter how much I wanted to save her, I would have to be the villain in this chapter as well.
It was said you shouldn’t wake someone up from a nightmare, Kevin Matthews being the number one expert on that subject. The number of times I'd nearly killed that cock sucker were incalculable. One night, I had come close, stabbing him in the arm with one of my blades. I shook my head. I hadn’t checked on Kevin in some time. The men had orders to keep him fed.
I should have killed him months ago.
You never will. We both know that.
My muscles tightened, a dull pain sinking down my spine.Fuck.This was why I didn’t deal with explosions. They were messy, expensive, and so fucking painful. It was worth it, though.
Ray Romano was dead.
For good this time.
Long live the fucking king.What bullshit.
There was no way he could have survived that blast, unless he followed me, but he didn’t. Myfather—a growl slipped from me—was dead. The irony of it all…the devil himself brought to his knees in front of the reaper by flames.
If I allowed myself time to think, self-hatred would take over, and at least three people would be dead come sunrise. So complicated.
“Mmm, Col?”
That fucking sound.
