Page 74 of Two Chambered Heart

“Did she? I couldn’t tell, between the cum all over my hand and her running out of my room in tears. Mixed signals.”

Kayden bristled. “Don’t worry, I dealt with the tears. I’m sure she’ll be back for more.”

“What are you doing?” Jason ground out, his anger rising with Kayden’s.

“I’m not letting you push her away because of your fucked up martyr complex.”

“I don’t need to push her away. She’s going to run as soon as she finds out what we do.”

Kayden wasn’t going to let him off the hook. “Why do you think that?”

“She was born into a drug den, Kay. Everything bad that’s happened to her is because of drugs. She said so herself.”

Kayden wasn’t convinced. He questioned whether she was truly unaware, or whether she had already put the pieces together. With everything she’d seen and the little dribbles of information he’d given her here and there, he’d be shocked if she didn’t already understand they were kingpins in the criminal underworld. She knew they dealt in pharmaceuticals. He’d literally told her that. The only information she was missing was that it was opium they were dealing.

And just how fundamental they were to the opium epidemic in the city.

“I don’t think she will.”

“You’re relying on what you want and not on reality. You want her, so you think she’ll accept what we do.”

As the machine loaded the last of the crates into the truck, the realization hit Kayden. “I’d stop for her.”

“I know. But I wouldn’t.” Jason got the first bike on the forklift. “I’d keep going for you, though. When you want out, just let me know.”

Kayden let his brother’s words settle in his blood like lead, and a fury swept through him. He would never choose himself over Jason. He didn’t want to have to make that choice.Jason and his fucking martyr complex. “I hate that you’re trying to make me choose between you and her. I won’t do it. It’s not even fucking necessary. And no other women in the house with Corey.”

Jason just scoffed at Kayden’s demand.

“I’m serious. It fucked with her head.” Kayden shoved his brother, maybe for the first time ever, but Jason’s stubbornnesshad grated him raw. The years of managing his brother’s trauma while swallowing his own curdling into something rancid. Something he couldn’t choke back. Not now. Not with Corey in their life. He wasn’t going to let her slip through their fingers.

Jason held his hands up, probably only acquiescing because of the anomaly in Kayden’s behavior. “Fine. If that’s what you want, fine.”

They loaded the second motorcycle up in silence. The quiet lingered as they drove the truck to their next location to meet with their hired transport security and EP team.

When they pulled the truck up to the meeting point, Kayden’s attention immediately focused on scanning through the thoughts of everyone there. Transport security assisted them in getting the bikes out of the truck and took control of the vehicle. The EP team would drive with them as a convoy to the drop-off.

“Tac Op is on standby, on location,” Archie said through their earpieces. “Everything clear on your end?”

Kayden caught Jason’s eye. He hadn’t picked up anything of concern. The team, as usual, was concentrating on their job. They were all professionals.

“Clear,” Jason confirmed through the comms.

Kayden barked out commands to the transport team. Archie already had the truck's GPS programmed to their next destination. The team pulled out from the meet point in perfect formation, Kayden and Jason close behind the truck, with their EP vehicles following.

The sky had darkened with thick black clouds since they’d made it to the warehouse, a storm brewing out in the distance.

“Are we going to get caught in the rain?” Kayden asked Archie as the wind whipped and whistled around him.

“There’s a tornado warning, but we won't see rain until later this evening. You should make it back before the storm starts.”

Great.

The sky got darker the further they drove.

The transport truck slowed, taking a turn off the highway.

“You’re about five minutes out from the main gate, down this road,” Archie advised.

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