Page 38 of The Brotherhood

“You know… I can’t… help you. If you don’t let me.”

The odd warning in her tone brought a surge of dread that froze him. This was it. Fuck, he would lose her.

“I can’t…” she barely whispered. “I miss you, Ethan.”

Her words punched the wind from him. “Cat—"

“I know it’s not work,” she said, barely above a whisper. “I know it’s not stress.”

He couldn’t even answer her. Couldn’t fucking breathe.

“I know you want things that… you think I can’t give you.”

His grip tightened on his self-control. “I’m keeping my distance to protect you,” he said, adding another excuse to his mountain of lies.

“I talked to Big G,” she blurted suddenly.

His brain short-circuited, bringing his legs to a sharp halt.

“What?”

She hesitated too long.

“What about?”

“Never mind,” she hurried on a shaky whisper. “It’s not important.”

8-Bit forced his pulse down with a slow exhale. “You need to tell me, Cat,” he warned softly, his panic spiraling. “Was AL involved?” Because if he was…

“I… I don’t want to talk about it while you’re mad.”

“Cat,” he forced, carefully. “I’m not mad. I’m just worried.”

She gave a dry, half laugh with her, “Really.”

“What did you talk to Big G about,” he demanded, the screens all around him turning into a blur in his rising panic.

“Aboutus,” she shot out, her anger barely bridled, making him sick.

He suddenly paced like a caged animal in the middle of a forest fire, only the fire was inside him and if he breathed the wrong way he’d crack open the vault and give in to every goddamn thing he’d been holding back.

“I asked Big G if he would teach me,” she blurted.

The words hit him like a bullet to his chest. The world tilted. “Teach you,” he barely breathed as the fire raged closer.

Her silence was its own confirmation.

“Teach you what, Cat?” he forced out.

“To… to be what you need,” she quipped, crying.

His stomach fucking dropped with anoh fuck. “No,” he breathed, his head beginning to shake faster.

“No?” she returned through barely contained sobs. “I’m afraid you don’t get to tell me no, Ethan.”

“The hell I don’t,” he said, his control snapping. “You havenoidea what you’re asking, you havenoidea who they are in the dungeon.”

“What?” she shot back, confused and pissed now.

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