Page 62 of Pray for the Damned

He nods. “You’re right, I didn’t. But don’t lie and say you didn’t love every fucking second.”

“Kade,” Emmett warns. “She has a right to be upset. You should have told her who you were.”

“Like you should have told her I existed?” He turns his attention to his brother.

“I can’t believe this.” I shake my head and shove myself out of the booth. “I don’t know what the hell you thought you were going to achieve by pretending to be Emmett, but I’m done. With both of you.”

Before I can talk myself out of the decision, I walk across the bar and continue around to the back office that the bar manager uses when they’re not on leave.

As soon as I’m out of sight, I slide down the wall and cover my face with trembling hands.

I should have known things were going a little too well for me. I should have known it wouldn’t be long before everything came crumbling down.

I’ve never considered myself lucky, but this feels like a particularly hard kick in the teeth from the universe.

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

KADE

“That went well.” I lean back in my seat with my ankles crossed and swipe my twin’s untouched glass of whiskey.

I down it in one go, hoping the liquor will settle the war waging inside me. On the outside I may seem cool, calm, and collected, but the thought of losing Waverly has the heart I thought was long dead clenching in my chest.

I knew there was a reason I closed off my emotions as a child.

It was safer then, and it would likely be safer now. And yet I can’t make myself walk away.

“You couldn’t just let me break the news to her? You had to insert yourself?” Emmett snaps.

We talked about it this afternoon and then again when we both arrived at the club, and both times we decided I wouldn’t show myself until he’d had the chance to explain, but when the time came, I couldn’t remain in the shadows.

I’ve done too much of that already, and I refuse to live my life like that anymore.

I shrug. “She would have reacted the same way regardless.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know that.” I look toward the bar, but Waverly hasn’t reappeared from the back room yet. I don’t think there’s an exit that way that I don’t know about, but I tug my phone from my pocket and open the tracking app just to be sure. “You forget that I’ve been watching her almost as long as you have. I know her, and she always runs at the first sign of trouble.”

“Have you got a tracker on her?” he asks incredulously.

“And you don’t?” I raise a brow. “I knew you were a hypocrite, but fuck me, you’re worse than I thought.”

He sighs and leans back in the booth as dejection fills his features. We knew it was going to be like that. I don’t know why he’s so surprised.

“What now?” he asks, and my brows shoot up in surprise. Is he asking for my opinion?

“We give her a few hours to cool down, and then we make the choice for her.” I shrug.

“Please don’t tell me you’re suggesting kidnapping her.” He scrubs a hand down his face.

“Is kidnapping really that much worse than stalking and murdering for her?” I ask.

Where’s that other waitress? I could really use another drink if I’m not going to follow Waverly into the back room and drag her out where I can see her.

Emmett stares at me for a moment before dropping his gaze. Yeah, I got him there.

I’m not sure how he justifies his actions with the guy upstairs, but to me it seems like he’s crossed just about every line the Bible draws.

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