Page 21 of Act of Brotherhood
The man was in his signature white lab coat. Something he never seemed to be without when they were within the building.
Auberi flashed a wicked smile. “I can behave myself if the stupid wolf can.”
Stupid wolf?
Garth nearly came up and out of his seat, but the look James gave him said he was tired of having to separate the men. It was hard to blame him. Auberi and Garth had already come to blows more than once as of late.
Tensions at PSI were high.
One of their own was severely injured with the very real possibility that he would not recover.
James glanced at Auberi. “How are you feeling? Because you sure in the hell didn’t rest like I told you to.”
Auberi shrugged nonchalantly. “As I told the others, the blood of a virgin healed me perfectly. I don’t require any more rest.”
James and Garth groaned in unison at the vampire’s remarks. They could only hope the man was joking. But knowing Auberi, one could never be too sure.
Auberi had also been seriously injured in the battle that had left Gram in his current state. Pride had the vampire refusing treatment. He was slower than normal but otherwise seemed fine.
Shame. It would have been nice to have the enemy take out the asshole and save Garth the time.
Win some. Lose some.
“Any news on your brother yet?” asked James of Garth.
Garth stiffened then shook his head. “No. I’ve reached out to all his last known contacts. He no longer runs with them.”
Auberi sneered. “Now he’s too busy in his high-powered position in the enemy’s ranks.”
Garth said nothing because there wasn’t anything he could say to make it better. It was true. Grid was deeply embedded with The Corporation.
The vampire snorted and grinned, showing the slightest bit of fang in the process. “Tell me, Viking, did both apples not fall far from the tree? Is there a part of you that is as twisted as your brother?”
James cleared his throat. “I think we know that isn’t the case.”
“Do we?” asked Auberi. “I seem to recall a time in this one’s past when his loyalties came into question—or was itnothim who stopped me from ending the life of his brother over a century ago?”
Garth remembered the day as if it were yesterday. Auberi reallyhadnearly killed Garth’s twin brother, Grid. Auberi had blamed Grid for the death of a young woman whom Auberi had held close to his heart. To this day, Garth still wasn’t sure who the woman had really been to Auberi, only that she’d mattered to him.
A lot.
And Grid had been suspected in her gruesome death.
There had been a time when Garth could never fathom the idea his brother could harm a woman at all, let alone in such a manner. The woman had been butchered. There was simply no other way to put it.
Recent events had shed new light upon his brother and it was like history was repeating itself. Grid had hurt women. He may have even killed some for all Garth knew. Grid was deranged and an animal. He’d sided with pure evil, and from what Garth had learned recently, Grid was as bad as, if not worse than, the men he worked for.
It felt as if the sins of old were coming back with a vengeance, scratching at scabs that had never fully healed over. Each revelation brought with it remembered pain. Garth had been so blind to his brother’s true nature all those years ago. He’d believed that a kernel of good was still in his brother. That wasn’t the case. There was nothing left but rot.
His brother was a cancer that needed to be removed.
Like the vampire had wanted to do long ago.
Too much water was under the bridge between Garth and Auberi. It was impossible to form the words telling the man he’d been right about Grid all along.
Grid was a monster of the worst kind.
The type who came across as caring and invested in others, but who really lived to torture and inflict pain. His mind was twisted. Had Garth not had it all thrown into his face in the last few weeks, he’d have continued to live in ignorant bliss, assuming Grid was off living his life in peace all these years.
