Page 118 of Wilde and Deadly

“They pay me more.” The answer was flat, unapologetic. But something shifted beneath the surface. A flicker of justification. Like he thought the numbers alone made it make sense. Like he had to believe they did.

Liam gave a low, humorless laugh. Shook his head. “You’re gonna die for a paycheck.”

The smirk barely held. Just a fraction too tight. “You think this is just about money?”

“Isn’t it?”

His jaw flexed. A flicker of something there—anger? Doubt? Resentment?

“I got here first,” he muttered, more to himself than to Liam. His gaze flicked aside, as if remembering. “Elliot brought me in. I got Sully a job. Me. And somehow, I ended up the afterthought.”

Liam stilled. “Sullivan.” Not a question. A statement. “This is all about Sully?”

The laugh that followed was sharp, bitter. Not even a denial.

“I was the one here first. I put in the time. And somehow, he became the one you all trusted. The one who fucking mattered. You sent him overseas, into battles, and you regulated me to the glorified babysitting jobs.”

Liam didn’t blink. Didn’t move.Let him keep talking.Brody was on a roll now, pacing and agitated.

“Sullivan has rules. A code. He pretends that makes him better than me.” A scoff. “But tell me, Liam—what’s the difference between us, really? He kills for the job. I just stopped pretending I needed a reason.”

There it was.

Not just money. Bitterness. Resentment. Maybe something even deeper than that.

Liam couldn’t stop the laugh of disbelief. “All this is because you couldn’t stand being second to your own twin?”

The pause was just a beat too long.

Which meant Liam was right.

“It doesn’t matter,” Brody muttered and stopped pacing. Again, he seemed to be listening to something.

Liam felt it this time. A faint vibration beneath his boots, the kind he might have ignored if his implant wasn’t fried.

A train? Or something else?

“Sounds like I need to shift to Plan C.” He tapped his ear.

Liam went still. Shit. How had he missed the earpiece? Brody was in contact with someone else, someone who was feeding him information.

Atlas Frost?

Another Praetorian operative?

Brody exhaled, rolling his shoulders like he was resetting. His smirk returned, but this time, it was sharper. “Your cousins have found us and they’re armed for war. So…” He grabbed a duffle bag and dragged it over. “I am sorry for this, Liam. Believe it or not, I did like you.”

Liam kept his expression blank, but his pulse kicked hard. “Plan C?”

“Yeah, Plan A was to frame Cade. I figured with his and Davey’s history, it was a done deal, but Davey had to be all fucking noble and go hear him out. Plan B was to frame you, which I’ve been laying the groundwork for, just in case. I even mentioned my suspicions about you to Cade a few months ago. Just an offhand comment, a gentle push in your direction. It was brilliant. Should’ve worked, but after that whole thing with Elliot?—”

“YoupoisonedElliot. Your best friend.”

Brody shrugged. “And I hate my twin brother. So what?”

The words hung between them.

“Yeah, okay, fine. If you want to point fingers, I poisoned him. It was meant only for Benji. Not my fault Elliot ate a slice.”

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