Page 125 of Boulder's Weight

He doesn't give me time to recover, dragging me toward the lit warehouse while the second man follows, gun trained on my back.

Inside, the space is cavernous and mostly empty.

Metal shelving units line the walls, some holding crates and boxes.

The center of the warehouse has been cleared, with a single metal chair positioned under a hanging light.

And standing next to that chair, his face illuminated by the harsh overhead light, is my worst nightmare—Benji.

He looks both exactly the same and completely different from when I last saw him.

Still tall and broad-shouldered, with the same sharp features we both inherited from our father.

But there's a hardness in his face that wasn't there before, a coldness in his eyes that makes him seem like a stranger wearing my evil brother's skin.

"Hello, Cady," he says, using my birth name deliberately. "Welcome home."

"This isn't home," I spit, struggling against the man still gripping my arm. "And that's not my name anymore."

Benji's lips curve in a smile that doesn't reach his eyes. "You can change your name, your hair, your location... but you can't change who you are. Blood is blood."

I snarl at him. "That's rich, coming from someone who tried to kill his own brother."

Benji sighs, as if I'm being particularly tiresome. "Sam will live. Probably. The other guy and the bitch too, more than likely. My men weren't there for them." He steps closer, studying my face. "They were there for you. Just you."

"Was it worth it?" I ask, staring him down even if I am terrified. "Hurting innocent people just to get to me?"

"Innocent?" Benji laughs, the sound hollow and wrong. "There are no innocents in this world, Cady. Just the strong and the weak. The predators and the prey." His voice hardens. "You made your choice when you betrayed your family."

"I betrayed nothing," I say firmly. "I exposed a monster who was hurting children. If that's betrayal to you, then you're just as sick as he is."

The blow comes so fast I don't see it coming—the back of Benji's hand connecting with my cheek, snapping my head to the side.

The taste of blood fills my mouth.

"You don't talk about our father like that," Benji hisses, glaring at me like he very well might kill me. "You destroyed everything he built, everything he worked for."

"He built it on the suffering of children," I say, spitting blood onto the concrete floor. "It deserved to be destroyed."

Benji's face contorts with rage, but before he can strike again, the warehouse door opens.

A man I don't recognize enters, followed by two more armed guards.

"Is the feed set up?" Benji asks, composing himself now that we have more company.

The man nods. "Ready when you are."

"Good." Benji gestures to the chair. "Sit her down. Make sure her face is visible to the camera."

The guard forces me into the chair, using zip ties to secure my already bound wrists to the metal frame.

I struggle against the restraints, but they only dig deeper into my skin.

Benji steps away, speaking quietly with the newcomer.

I strain to hear their conversation, catching only fragments.

"...club is watching the other warehouse..."

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