Page 90 of Winter's End

A litany of chattering voices rose in the background.

“Gotta go.” Kellan hung up abruptly, leaving Travis and me to pick up the pieces of his puzzling words once again.

I watched the delicate dance of two bluebirds in an oak tree across the parking lot as I gathered my thoughts.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered. To myself or to him, I wasn’t sure.

“I don’t either, but we don’t have a choice.” Travis’ shoulders slumped. “I never have a fucking choice.”

My friend’s dejected face and tired eyes pulled at my heartstrings. I turned to face him and reached out, taking him by his shoulders so he was forced to look at me.

“We have to have faith this will be over soon. And then we can start our lives as a family of lost souls in a ridiculously over-priced house Billionaire Boys Club picks out for us. Don’t lose your hope now, brother.”

His eyes slightly brightened with that mirage, and I let him go to start the car up again. We had the rest of our day ahead of us. I wouldn’t waste it when our world could end tomorrow.

Perhaps I needed to hold on to my own hope, too.

Billionaire Boys Club had asked me to spar with him again tonight. His monster had connected with mine through the splitting of knuckles and swapping of sweat.

I was grateful for the distraction to pound out the clinging, anxious thoughts clouding my judgment.

I had two fight nights under my belt over the past few weeks. We were playing to a much smaller crowd, and my competition had been weak. Georgio had given me the directive to pound them to sand, and I had, but it gave me little satisfaction.

If Kellan was right, and I had to believe he was, then Georgio knew my origins and was biding his time. My criminal half-brother in blood gave no indication he had any knowledge of my past or my lineage—I was a trinket of his to use, like a well-trained show-pony. His ability to hide his true motivations was spell-binding. And terrifying.

My sparring partner today was also a confusing man. He’d given me the passcode to his building and to his apartment, telling me to ‘come over when I was ready.’

I couldn’t say we were true friends. We werefriendlierthanks to the binding force that was the threat of our own lives being taken, and the tether that was my little violet. We had become chosen brothers to survive this scenario and work toward futures we’d always wanted; always needed.

But friends?

I stepped from the golden elevator more glamorous than any home I had ever lived in and stiffly walked down the corridor to his condo in the sky.

I hesitated in the doorway, unsure of what to do. Did I walk in? Knock?

I settled on a quick three-beat knock. I shouldn’t be walking into his apartment unannounced like I had any right to be there.

“Come in, Chase,” a muffled voice gruffly called from the other side of the metal frame.

I punched in the door code and slowly ambled inside.

Not even a vision from God himself could have prepared me for the sight before me.

My beautiful woman was laid out on Logan’s marble island top like a hedonistic buffet on a golden platter. Her hair splayed around her shoulders and she had her eyes closed. Her soft pink dress draped around her waist. Logan’s head was between her creamy thick thighs and his ministrations were coaxing the most tempting moans from her delicate lips.

I would murder a man to be in his place.

“If you’re busy, I can come back at another time,” I said, as his mouth latched onto her clit with the air of a man well-practiced in such things.

Winter’s eyes flew open and caught mine in a sensuous stare-off; her body shuddered with Logan’s pleasure, but her gaze never dropped from my face.

Logan’s head popped up, and his wicked grin confirmed my suspicions. The timing of this alluring charade was an intentional ploy to bait me.

Suckling tit of a piglet. He would not get the luxury of my attention.

“Glad you could make it, Boxer Boy.” He stood from his prime location and strode towards me. The smirk on his face rivaled Shane’s whenever he’d won a game, or Travis’ when he’d outdone Drew in any contest.

When he stepped close enough, I caught the sweet musk of her arousal clinging to his chin in a shiny mask.

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