There’s definitely more to the story than Olivia is telling you, but she’s just like Mason. Push her too hard, and she’ll withdraw even further.
Olivia is going to bring me into the fold eventually.
She has to.
In the meantime, helping her find a way to stop the war is better than doing nothing.
Chapter Two
Mason
“Get out of my way.”
“You heard what the doctor said. You’re supposed to—”
“I don’t need you to tell me what the doctor said,” I cut in. “Move out of the fucking way, or I’ll make you.”
Oliver presses his lips into a thin, white line.
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you deaf?”
Oliver continues to lean against the wall, myriad emotions dancing across his face. I shift from one foot to the other and scowl. Then I let my eyes sweep over him with a bored expression. I inch closer, and panic crosses Oliver’s features.
I’m not in the mood to coddle him.
It’s not my job to erase the guilt gnawing away at Oliver. He has no one to blame but himself.
You dragged him away from the life he’s been building. How did you expect him to react?
Frowning, I glance at the empty hallway behind Oliver, trying to keep my anger in check. A heartbeat later, I drag my gaze back to my brother. Oliver takes a step to the side.
“You need to be careful,” he says. “There’s a lot more at play here.”
“Is there something you want to tell me, little brother?”
I hope he’ll come clean, if only so I won’t have to deal with the betrayal.
I don’t want to punish Oliver for trying to remove me as a chess piece in the hopes it would solve his problems.
I don’t even want to acknowledge the role he’s played in all of this.
Don’t be an idiot. You can’t ignore this forever. Brother or not, Oliver betrayed you once, and if word gets out and you don’t punish him, he might do it again.
Still, the thought of making Oliver pay doesn’t sit well with me. He’s the younger brother I’ve watched over my whole life.
I have no idea how many people know the truth about his involvement, and the thought makes me sick because I have no idea how long I can keep covering for him.
Not without risking everything I’ve worked hard to build.
All it takes is one wrong word, and everything will come crashing down around us.
Goddamn it.
“No,” Oliver replies. “I’m just saying you need to tread carefully, especially with what’s been happening. God knows how many more people they have on their payroll.”
“I’m used to having people who want to kill me,” I say. “I’m not going to sit around and wait for them to finish the job. I have things to do.”
Including two prisoners who need a special touch.
