Page 92 of Caged Bird

I knew exactly where the master bedroom was. I’d studied the floor plan, so my feet didn’t falter.

And neither did my grip on my brother’s knife.

I’d never used one on a human being. But I was quite sure that in that moment, I would if I had to.

I was that mad.

I pushed open Guerra’s bedroom door.

And found myself face to face with his gun. His fingers caught my wrist, digging in painfully, and I dropped the knife, my fingers refusing to hold on to it, even though I desperately wanted them to.

It hit the floor, and Guerra kicked it behind him before any of the rest of us could even move.

He was a slightly past middle-aged man with a pot belly, but it was suddenly very clear to me that Carlos Guerra wasn’t thesort of man who relied on his security team for his safety. He clearly knew how to handle himself a whole lot better than I did.

I’d made a rookie error. I’d let emotion fuel my actions.

Everyone stilled behind me, the weapon pressed to my forehead.

Ophelia sighed. “Honestly, Scythe. I blame you for this.”

From the corner of my eye, I saw Scythe throw an irritated look over his shoulder at our older sister. “Why is it always my fault? I’m not the one who ran up those stairs like I was Rocky.” He huffed out a sigh. “Just blame the middle child for everything, why don’t you?”

Guerra raised an eyebrow in Scythe’s direction.

He shrugged. “I hope you don’t have sisters, bro. That’s all I’m saying.”

Scythe’s grunt of pain told me Ophelia had probably elbowed him in the kidneys.

To his credit, considering he was in silky, dark-blue pajamas, and we’d woken him up, Guerra seemed quite calm. “Why are you in my house, and what do you want?”

It was me who spoke. “I came to warn you. Your wife is going to try to take your life.”

A half-amused laugh spread across his thick lips. “Is that right?”

“She’s been cheating on you with my husband and she’s convinced him to kill you.”

I hated calling Eddie my husband, but I knew that here, tonight, the title would work in my favor.

His bushy eyebrow lifted. “And just who is your husband?”

“Eddie Sinclair.”

Any amusement in his expression disappeared. His eyes darkened, and he pressed the gun harder into my head. “You’re Eddie Sinclair’s wife? That traitorous fucking bastard, I should kill you now. Or better yet, you no doubt saw the chains andcages downstairs. I should put you in one of those and wait for the next auction. Your pretty face might as well make back some of the money your piece-of-shit husband owes me that I sent my wife to collect.”

Both Zane and Scythe moved behind me, but I spread my arms, holding both of them back, knowing if they stepped forward, the man would be dead in less than the time it took to blink. I’d seen the way Scythe had killed the guard outside. It was what he’d been trained his whole life to do, and having partners and children clearly hadn’t put that side of him to rest.

But I needed Guerra alive.

I needed him to know where Eddie and his wife were. And I prayed that Otis was still with them, and that they hadn’t already sold him off to the highest bidder, just so they had enough cash to go buy fucking McDonald’s for dinner.

I took a breath, dragging it in deep and holding it in my lungs until it burned.

I’d lost my head for a second. Let my anger and my memories cloud the one thing I had truly come here for.

I wasn’t here to take down Guerra’s trafficking ring. I wasn’t as stupid as Eddie. I knew if Guerra was dead, there would be someone else to take his place, and that it would never be a man like Eddie who nobody here respected or cared about. Only narcissists like my husband and Guerra’s wife could believe that.

All I wanted was my child.

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