Page 73 of Flame
His uncle.
* * *
I thoughtI knew what it felt like to be helpless—but this moment somehow tops any other.
Watching Rafe pace his kitchen, his hands clenched into fists, his head bowed. “No,” he growls for the countless time. “No. My uncle may be an asshole, but… No. No. He wouldn’t be into that shit. He wouldn’t. And Gino? The motherfucker’s been gunning for me since day one. He’s just fucking with my head.”
He has a point—but I can see the situation from a different angle. That of a man who desires only control, willing to do whatever it takes to exert it over his nephew. Like, goad him into a gang war for seemingly no benefit.
Or beat him.
Force him to commit a crime.
Torment him.
“If you went after Gino directly, what would happen, hypothetically speaking?” I ask, picking the less volatile topic to start with.
“Nothing good,” Rafe says bluntly. He sighs, bracing his hip against a counter, his gaze distant. “It would escalate fast. Besides, Gino’s territory isn’t worth the risk.”
“Why?”
“We’d have to muscle into his business. You can’t rely on sheer force to accomplish something like that. You need allies.”
“Allies that your uncle can’t associate with if he’s supposedly ‘clean,’” I say.
He swivels toward me. “What the fuck are you getting at?”
I flinch, but I don’t cower. Meeting his gaze, I say, “I think he’s been lying to you. I think he’s the one pulling Gino’s strings, and I think he’s about to do something worse.”
Something so bad that even Gino was alarmed by it.
But…as his expression transforms into a grim frown, I come to a startling realization.
“You knew,” I say quietly.
“Iknewhe could be a petty son of a bitch,” he corrects. “So, what are you getting at? He used Gino to run his titty bar?”
I sense it’s better not to say anything. Whatever he’s going through is personal. A dilemma that no one else can unravel but him.
The same way I have to face my brother’s part in this scheme.
“So what?” he demands, though I suspect he’s speaking to himself more than me. “He dabbles in human trafficking now? He wouldn’t. Why?”
He glares at the wall as if it might give him an answer. A muscle in his jaw quivers and I can almost see the struggle taking place in his brain between logic and loyalty.
“Rafe…” I finally step forward, placing my hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t.” He shrugs me off, crossing over to the couch. “I don’t need you to look at me with those bunny eyes right now. I need…”
“Answers,” I say, finishing for him.
“Damn right.” He inclines his head, fixing me with a cold stare. “Let’s start with the obvious. Your brother’s name unlocked Faith’s phone. Don’t tell me that’s a coincidence.”
Tears burn behind my eyes, and I don’t even try to keep them from falling. Nodding, I cross over to sit beside him.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” I admit, hating the way my throat tightens. I’ve kept these secrets in for so long…
But in a hoarse whisper, I finally spill them. I tell him about Lexi. Her death. The bracelet.
