Page 38 of From the Ashes

“Look, K. We can do this the easy way, or I can knock you out and carry your heavy ass down the stairs and take you back that way. Either way, you’re coming home. It’s too dangerous for any of us to be out on our own at the moment, and it’s bad enough Camilla is at the De Marco mansion instead of behind our walls. We can’t have us spread across three different places right now.”

I blow out a frustrated breath and throw the sheet off me. Stars blur my vision when I stand up, and the urge to throw up the contents of my stomach almost knocks me back on my ass, but I manage to keep myself upright.

“Fine, let’s go.”

At least this way I can get to the bottom of what Caleb told me last night, and if it’s true, I may very well help him dismantle everything we’ve built.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CREW

The door to my office swings open, and I breathe out a frustrated breath.

Will they ever fucking learn to knock?

Bishop strolls in, his suit perfectly pressed considering he’s been wearing it since he left here sixteen hours ago, but he looks tired and dejected. Leaving Camilla at Hills Global when we know she’s not coming home to us tonight must have been hard for him, but he’s right. She’s asked for space, and we need to give it to her, even if that’s the last thing we want to do.

He drops into the seat across from me and leans his head back, staring up at the ceiling for long minutes.

I don’t rush him, giving him time to process whatever it is that’s on his mind while I look over a spreadsheet I don’t understand. This is usually his forte, but I thought I’d take it off his plate so he could rest when he got home.

The door swings open again, and I don’t even pretend to conceal my irritated huff. You’d think by now I would have given up on them knocking, but apparently I’m just a glutton for punishment.

Kaos stalks into the room, his dark hair sticking up in all directions and dark circles under his eyes. Is he hungover?

Kovu follows him in, his eyes darting between me and Kaos, before he takes a seat in the sitting area in the corner. Why do I get the feeling this is not going to go well?

“How’s Camilla?” Kaos asks Bishop, who has finally torn his eyes from the ceiling.

“She’s okay. She looked tired, but apart from that, she was fine. I caught her assistant on the way out and gave her our numbers. Told her if anyone shows up at the office that looks suspicious to let us know, but even she seemed pretty shaken.”

“And you’re certain they were threatening her?” Kaos asks.

Bishop nods. “Positive. She hid it well, but she was freaked out when I walked in.”

He turns to glare at me, and I sit back in my seat, waiting for whatever it is he’s angry at me about. I raised three boys, and their teenage years were fucking hard. They each had their own issues, so I’m no stranger to being blamed for everything that goes wrong in their lives.

“Did you shoot Caleb?” The question throws me off guard because it comes completely out of left field. What would give him that idea? I would never hurt any of our family, nor have I ever had any thoughts to do so.

“Of course not,” I snap. “What the fuck gave you that idea?”

“He told me that’s what happened. That it wasn’t Bianca that shot him, it was you.”

The tension in the room is palpable, but I can’t tear my eyes off my nephew. The look he gives me is pure hatred, and I realize what’s happening here.

Caleb may be trying to tear us apart from the outside, but he’s also trying to do the same from the inside. Hurt Camilla. Lie to Kaos. And God knows what he has planned next.

I breathe a steadying sigh and reach for my phone. I quickly type out a message to Wyatt before dropping it back to the desk and meeting his eyes.

“I would never hurt my brother. I mourned him every single bit as much as you all did, and his return has been just as shocking to me as it has you, and I haven’t even seen him in the flesh yet.” My gaze flicks to my screen, and I find the email I requested waiting for me. I’ve never watched it, never had the stomach to, but I had Wyatt keep it should we ever need it in the future, and I’m fucking glad for my foresight.

“I had Wyatt keep this in case we ever needed it, but I’ve never watched it. What I can assure you of is that I was not the one to shoot Caleb.” I turn the screen so we can all see it, and Kovu moves closer, his curiosity getting the better of him.

Caleb’s bedroom comes into view, but there’s no one in the scene as seconds tick by until he finally walks into the frame, his eyes darting around. He looks stressed, which isn’t an emotion I can recall my brother often exhibiting. He was always so calm, but in the grainy video, he appears anything but.

Bianca appears behind him. Her long black hair is straightened down her back, and she’s wearing one of her signature minidresses. As I take her in, I question what it was exactly that any of us saw in her. It certainly wasn’t her personality, but even looking at her now, I don’t see the appeal.

It’s probably the little spitfire we’ve welcomed into our lives that’s made every other woman appear bland in comparison to her.

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