Page 81 of The Psychopaths

“No, I just?—”

“Just what?” His voice drops dangerously. “Do you just want to comfort him? Console him? How exactly were you planning to ease his suffering, Lilian?”

The innuendo hangs heavy between us, making my cheeks burn. “It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it?” He steps closer, towering over me. “I’ve seen how you look at him. How you’ve always looked at him. The stepbrother you couldn’t have. The golden boy who kept you at arm’s length.”

I start to deny it, but what’s the point? He already knows my secrets.

“Please.” My voice breaks slightly. “If you feel anything for me at all?—”

A sudden bang interrupts us. Aries slams his palm against the glass, making us both turn.

“Stop it!” His voice is muffled through the barrier, but his fury is clear. “Leave her alone!”

He’s not looking at me—his attention is fixed entirely on his brother. His hands press against the glass, knuckles white with tension.

“Let me go, Arson.” Each word is precise, controlled despite his obvious rage. “This is between us. Always has been. She has nothing to do with it.”

Arson’s mouth curves in a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “But she does now, doesn’t she? Thanks to you. If you hadn’t kept her at a distance, if you hadn’t made her so hungry for attention, she wouldn’t be so...responsive to mine.”

Aries pounds the glass again, harder this time.

I watch them—identical faces twisted with identical rage, mirror images of fury. The twin connection between them crackles like electricity, even through hatred.

“Stop it, both of you.” I step between them, though the glass separates us. “This isn’t helping anything.”

Arson’s eyes never leave his brother’s face. “Oh, I think it’s helping quite a bit. Don’t you want to hear what your precious stepbrother has to say, Lilian?”

His hand moves to a control panel on the wall, fingers hovering over a switch.

“Let’s all have a nice family chat, shall we?”

Arson flips the switch with a theatrical flourish. A light above the window turns green, and suddenly, Aries’s voice fills the corridor.

“—swear to God when I get out of here—” He stops abruptly, realizing we can hear him now. His eyes lock on mine. “Lilian?”

“I’m here.” My voice sounds small even to my own ears. “I’m okay.”

Arson leans against the wall, arms crossed, watching our interaction with predatory interest. “Isn’t this cozy? The family reunion you wanted, Little Sister. Though perhaps not quite as you imagined it.”

I ignore him, moving closer to the glass again. Now that I can speak to Aries directly, I drink in every detail of him—the weight loss, the shadows under his eyes, the tension in his shoulders.

“What did he do to you?” Aries asks, gaze traveling over me as if checking for injuries. “Are you hurt?”

“Nothing.” I press my hand to the glass again. “I’m fine. I came willingly.”

His expression hardens. “Willingly? Lil, he’s dangerous. Whatever he’s told you, whatever he’s promised?—”

“I know exactly what he is.” Our eyes hold, communicating more than words could. Years of silent watching, of careful distance, have made me fluent in Aries’s unspoken language. “I found Mother’s files. I know what they did to him. To others.”

Shock crosses his features. “You shouldn’t be involved in this.”

“I already am.” My fingers trace patterns on the glass, wishing I could touch him. “I have been since the night I saw you in here.”

“How touching,” Arson interjects, voice dripping with mock sentiment. “The star-crossed siblings, separated by glass and circumstance. Tell me, Brother, does it hurt to see her caring so much? After all your careful distance?”

Aries ignores him, focused entirely on me. “Listen to me. Whatever he’s planning, whatever revenge he wants—you need to get away. These men backing him, they’re dangerous. More dangerous than you know.”

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