Page 96 of Wrecked for Love
I flinched as his laughter echoed around the room. “My brother had more honor than you or any of your men!” I fumed.
“Honor?” Gideon mocked, but then, almost as if humoring me, he shifted. “Maybe he had it…before you became his burden. He was a good kid. Ever heard the story? One of his friends tried to pull him into a carjacking crew. Your Cody was a talented mechanic, wasn’t he?”
I’d never heard this story before, but Cody had crossed paths with plenty of shady characters, even before The Revenants.
“He didn’t want anything to do with it, Claire. So yeah, maybe he had his honor then,” Gideon continued. “Butyouchanged him. Sibling love—who knew it could be that strong? That’s why he lasted as long as he did.”
My head bowed. The “feisty” front Lucien Voss had once mocked me for was gone. Gideon wasn’t entirely wrong. I had been Cody’s downfall, and there was no undoing that.
The senselessness of it all pressed down on me. But I couldn’t break. Not with a life growing inside me. Raising a child under The Revenants’ reign was not a future I’d allow. I had to find a way to free myself. It would take time, but for now, I’d play along with whatever conversation Gideon wanted to have.
“Pity he didn’t know when to cut his losses,” he carried on.
“Because you didn’t give him a choice!” I shot back.
“He should’ve known better. We’re no charity. We live by a code. You and your brother? You were thorns in our side—there, I’ll admit that. But stop trying to rewrite history, Claire. Cody made his choices. Just like you did.”
“And what choice did I have, huh?” My voice cracked, memories surging up like a flood. “Watching him come home with bruises and blood on his hands, barely able to look me in the eye. That night at Brentwood…he wasn’t even supposed to be there. I had to stay behind and watch him die. And if you think I wasn’t going to fight, well, you know how the rest turned out.”
“You still speak loudly despite only surviving on one lung. But let’s be real, Claire. Your life is so tragic. Lost a lung, lost your brother. But hey, I still gave Cody the respect he earned. Buried him like one of my own, even though he died because he betrayed me.”
As if anything about Gideon Purcell’s “burial” could ever be called proper.
“Don’t act so righteous!” I growled, wishing I could erase that smug grin from his face. Or perhaps remove his mouth altogether.
“I didn’t give him a fancy headstone, if that’s what you’re whining about,” he sneered. “But tell me something. Ever wish you’d stopped him from working himself to the bone to pay for your surgery? Let yourself, I don’t know, die with a little grace?”
“I have,” I said bluntly.
He regarded me briefly before saying, “I did care about you, Claire. Or maybe I just pitied you. I’m not sure. But I remember thinking about you back then. Didn’t I send flowers when you were in the hospital? The only ones you got?”
“How thoughtful. But you’re not getting anything from me.”
“You know, Claire, I can make back the money you stole in a few days. The real issue? What you left behind has been giving me one hell of a headache. And I hate headaches.”
“Take a painkiller!” I spat out.
“Know what I hate even more?” He leaned in until his face was inches from mine. “Headaches caused by girls.”
I tutted. “Oh, I feel so special.”
“Don’t!” He crouched, his hand darting to cup my chin. I jerked away, but he caught me, squeezing hard. “Your suffering is my painkiller. Think about it. If you hadn’t pushed him to quit, Cody wouldn’t have turned on me. He wouldn’t be dead. You killed him, Claire!”
I twisted free, and this time, he let go, rising to pace in front of me. “And your brother wasn’t the only one. That fool vet? Took me a while, but I got him too. How’s that for your conscience?”
“My conscience isn’t your concern.”
He let out a cutting laugh. “Keeping that devil of a dog has been a nice bit of revenge. Watching it all come together, it’s almost sweet.”
Dog? Did I hear him saydog?
He clapped, and suddenly, I heard barking from behind a closed door. It was like the dog had just been shaken awake. A moment later, one of his men appeared, dragged along by a snarling husky with its teeth bared.
Bobo…
But this wasn’t the same dog I remembered. His fur bristled like he was possessed.
“What did you do to him?” I struggled to break free, desperate to get to Bobo. Gideon gestured, and the guard let me go.
