Page 23 of GAF Factor

“Cash is right.”

“In what way?” I asked, getting my back up against the wall.

“They took something from him. I’m not talking about Rafe. I’m talking about his choice. If he had been able to save Rafe, he would have walked away, no questions asked. But they forced his hand. Zavala wanted to send a signal to Cash that no matter what he did, he was more powerful. That’s why it had to be a public display. That’s why it was so gruesome and horrible.”

“Zavala is dead,” I pointed out.

“But the people who backed him are not,” Jack continued. “Rafe won the battle, but whoever is behind this will win the war if Cash walks away. That public execution was not just about Cash. It was about every single fucking person on the planet. No man or woman can touch Zavala, or the people who fund him.”

“IKE fucking touched Zavala,” I spat.

Jack nodded, but I got the feeling he was only appeasing me. “They will rebuild, and they will be watching. Cash dared to interfere in their business, and if he doesn’t fight back, they will come for him. It may not be right away, but they will. They will come for all of us.”

His statement sent chills down my spine. I didn’t want to listen to his words. Even if he was right, Cash didn’t leave for those reasons. He left because he was crushed by the guilt of not being able to save his brother.

I cleared my throat and turned back to the rest of them. “Either way, Cash is not here and we need to rebuild. Lock, if you would please take over, I would greatly appreciate that. Rae has all the codes to Cash’s office.”

I nodded to them and they all stood, filing out of the room. I snagged Jack’s arm on the way out and kept him back. Once the doors were closed and we were alone, I turned to him, my anger rising to the surface.

“You’re going to tell me right now what you meant when you said they forced his hand.”

Confusion flitted across his face for just a moment and then he cursed, taking a step back. “He never told you.”

“Obviously not.”

Sighing, he turned from me, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. “Eva?—”

“Don’t you dare even think of lying to me or telling me it’s not your story to tell. He is my husband, and if he’s going through something this horrible, I need to know what it is.”

When he faced me again, his eyes were filled with pain. “Did he tell you how Rafe was executed?”

“I—He said he was burned.”

“At the stake. Tied to a fucking stake and burned alive.”

The anguish in his eyes told me it was really fucking bad.

“Cash tried to stop it, but he was too far away. He watched it all through his scope, taking out anyone he could, but there was nothing he could do for Rafe. Nothing except?—”

“Tell me,” I whispered, pressing a hand to my stomach as acid churned inside. I closed my eyes, not wanting to hear any more, but needing it at the same time. Cash said he had pulled the trigger, but this was so much worse than I had imagined.

“There was nothing he could do but put him out of his misery. He was fucking burning alive and Cash had to watch from a distance. There was nothing he could fucking do for him. Eva, he’s the one who pulled the trigger and killed his brother.”

7

KAVANAUGH

Eli sighed,taking a sip of his water. “I still don’t understand what happened.”

“Just didn’t work out,” I shrugged, taking another shot. I signaled for the bartender, but I should have just asked him to leave the bottle.

“Why didn’t it work out? I thought you were going to talk to her, make a change.”

Yep, that sounded like something I would say. In fact, I was pretty sure I recalled saying something very similar after I found out she was going to live. “No more lies, I told myself. No more jealousy. Just make it work. Some way, I’d find a way to make it all work,” I rambled.

“And yet you sit here,” Red snorted.

“Yep,” I said, taking another shot.

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