Page 76 of Trouble

Louis stretched. “I guess I’ll go tell Wesley the happy news. And then we’ll go graverobbing.”

37

Louis

“You sicksonuvabitch!”

It turned out Wesley wasn’t nearly as thrilled about having his lover threatened as he’d been about spying on ours. I cocked my head at the tied-up criminal on the rickety chair in front of me. His eyes were wild with anger, his muscles bulging in a futile attempt at getting free. “You touch him, I’ll cut that girl of yours to fuckingpieces!”

“It sucks to be on the receiving end, doesn’t it?” I asked him while I cleaned my nails with the tip of my hunting knife. “Wanna hear the funny part? Audrey’s the one who came up with this plan. I know she doesn’t look it, but she’s tough as nails, that one. How about your Roger? Think he’ll be tough, too, if we start slicing bits off him to send toyou?”

Wesley didn’t respond; he simply glared at me with all the hatred of a trappedbull.

“See, I’m not so sure he will. So here’s my proposal to you, Wesley. You put a bullet in my dad’s brain, and me and my brothers will leave your boyfriendalone.”

“I’ll never betray William,” he growled, tugging on his tied wrists once more. “Not like you and your ungrateful fucking brothers. Bunch of twats, the lot of you. You never deserved to be born into the Steelempire.”

“Ah. Yes.” I sighed melodramatically and let the blade of my knife dance across my knuckles. “You always did envy us, didn’t you? Sucking up to my father so much and yet you always knew… you’ll never be a Steel, no matter how many of us you kill. I appreciate that you’re in a bit of a tough spot, so I’ll give you a couple of hours to mull our offer over: Do you give up dad, or do you give up the only person who actually truly loves you? Because make no mistake, Wesley—William Steel does not love you. He is incapable oflove.”

Without waiting for him to answer I stepped behind him and undid the bindings that tied him to the chair, but kept the duct tape tying his wrists together inplace.

“Where are you taking me?” he demanded as I poked him in the back with the very tip of the knife, ushering him toward thedoor.

“Out for a little late-night excursion. You put a bullet in my twin, so I’m afraid that means you’re gonna have to help with thedigging.”

* * *

Liam drove.Despite his wounded arm, he assured me he could drive just fine, and to be honest I’d have rather had him by the wheel than in charge of our hostage anyway. Wesley was a big guy who’d been trained by the same men me and my brothers had—if he spotted a weakness, he’d go for it. So I spent the car ride to Highgate Cemetery in the backseat with a gun aimed athim.

Unfortunately for me, I could still catch glimpses in the rearview mirror of the small looks of adoration Liam shot Audrey’s way. When she put her hand briefly on his while he was changing gears, it took all my willpower not to look away from Wesley so I could no longer see them in myperiphery.

The image from when I’d walked Wesley into the shitty safe house to find Audrey on the couch with Liam was seared into my brain. She’d told him she loved him. And I’d believedher.

It wasn’t so much the words themselves as it was they way she’d said them—the absolute desperation on her face when she’d thought he mightdie.

Yeah, she loved him. She loved him like you’d love your soulmate. Like I lovedher.

She’d made her choice, even if she hadn’t fully acknowledged ityet.

I fought against the black chasm of despair opening up like a gaping maw in my chest. I couldn’t wallow in my own misery—not now. She might have chosen my twin, but I still loved her until it ached. And I loved him—and Isaac and Marcus and Blaine. I needed them all to be safe, and until they were, I couldn’t dwell on the hollow pit of agony where my heart had oncebeen.

* * *

As savvyas Audrey was with the business side of the mafia, she still needed quite a bit of training on the physical aspects. I caught myself thinking of which fighting styles would be best to teach her so she could defend herself while I pushed her delectable round arse over the cemetery’s high fence. Without thinking, I let my fingers find the seam of her pants and brush up against the heat between herthighs.

“Stop that, you bloody pervert!” Audrey hissed from her precarious perch atop the fence. With a glare in my direction, she pulled her leg up and then managed to slide down the other side without furtherhelp.

The realization that I wouldn’t be the one to help her settle into life in our Family stabbed through my gut like a fucking icepick, and I forcefully shoved it aside before I scaled the fencemyself.

Notnow.

The cemetery was pitch black, save for the light from the London skyline faintly illuminating the edges of the old graveyard. Liam switched on his flashlight and we began walking the familiar path to our mother’sgrave.

I’d been here plenty over the years. Leaving flowers. Asking forguidance.

We’d been very young when she was killed, but I still remembered her funeral as if it was yesterday. It’d been the worst day of mylife.

Anger boiled in my gut at the knowledge that our own father was the reason she was gone. He’d murdered the woman he’d proclaimed to love, the only person who’d ever looked out for us, all to preserve his power.His fucking power.It was all that’d ever mattered to him, in theend.

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