“You stole from my family. You choked out my brother.”
“And I kept critical information from your cousin to protect your family. If Arsen realizes what I’ve done, he’ll kill me. That’s how important you are to me, Tallie. If you go to them now, you’ll throw that all away. Give me time to figure out how we can fix this. Please, Tallie.”
I want to scream in his face. The injustice of this situation. Sam’s an idiot, but he’s not dangerous and he’s not a traitor. He only wants to feel like he’s bigger than he is, and instead he got in deep, drowning in his own grand vision of power and influence. All over some stupid poker games.
I hate it, but Brenden’s right. If I tell my father that might risk triggering a serious confrontation, and I don’t think my family will survive it. They’re all involved with the Brotherhood at some level, except for Miriam and Tate, but they’ll probably get dragged in too before it’s all done.
How many siblings will I have left once the blood dries?
Damn him. I’m so angry with Brenden I can barely breathe.
“I understand why you did it.” I turn my back on him to keep myself from breaking down. “But I can’t forgive you right now. Not after what you did to Davit. You lied, Brenden. You kept this from me when you should have told me right away. We could have figured it out together.”
“I didn’t know.” His voice is hoarse and more emotional than I’ve ever heard. “What this is…”
He trails off, but I know what he means. That only makes it harder.
“Don’t come home.”
“Tallie—“
“I need time to think. Stay here and don’t come home.”
He grunts in reply like I’ve stabbed him in the guts.
“I’m going to the bank tomorrow. I’m opening the safe deposit box.”
“Then I’ll meet you there.”
“You don’t have to come.”
“Like I’m going to let you do anything without me now?” I glare at him over my shoulder. “I’ll meet you at nine sharp. Don’t fuck me over again.”
“I tried to protect you. I really did.”
“Yeah, well, it doesn’t feel that way.”
I shove out through the door. In the hall, I give myself permission to break, ever so slightly. I choke out an angry sobbut quickly bottle it back up again. This nightmare is far from over and I can’t let myself fall apart before it’s over.
I know Brenden had no choice. I know it on a rational level, but emotionally I can barely take it. The way he went about things, the way he hid this from me only to reveal it through some stupid, childish game, and his insistence that he’s doing the right thing only pisses me off even more.
My family’s future is on the line and I had a right to know sooner.
Still, he told me, and he did go against Arsen to protect Sam.
I’m dizzy and overwhelmed. There has to be a way out of this. Some way to protect my brother.
And as much as I hate it, I’m going to have to work with Brenden to figure out how, because I can’t do it on my own.
CHAPTER 21
TALIN
“Ifucking hate this thing.” He adjusts the collar of his suit and rolls his shoulders. I watch and try very hard not to smile, which only seems to annoy him more.
“Come on, you look so handsome.” I tug at his shoulder seam and try to adjust the shape. “Just like a beautiful used car salesman.”
“You’re not helpful.”
