Page 66 of Covert
As I watch the city streets roll past the windows, I make up my mind.
I'm going to kill my father.
It's the only scenario in which I'll ever be able to be with my guys. It'll take time and planning, but it's the only choice.
I thread my fingers through my brother's scarred ones and give him a squeeze. I tilt my head towards the front seats and mouth "Safe?"
"Yeah, we're safe," he replies.
"I'm sorry you found me," I say simply, my voice somehow sounding younger and older at the same time.
"I'm sorry I found you, too."
"I know he's going to make you hurt me, but I want you to know that it's okay. I'm stronger now."
"I tried to warn you." His voice is steady, but soft. He's not placing blame, but he knows what comes next will be hard for both of us.
"That was you? My apartment?"
"Fuck, Nik, have you been living like that the entire time?"
I shrug a shoulder. "Believe it or not, it's kinda hard to stay off-grid and still live, ya know?"
A silence falls between us, heavy with the weight of what we're driving towards.
"Three guys?"
I chuckle. "Four, actually. Diesel's with a local motorcycle crew."
He lets his head fall against the headrest.
"Where did I go wrong with you?"
I shove him with my shoulder, trying to lighten the mood. "Your little sis knows her worth and is woman enough for four men."
"Please never say those words again. You're not a woman. You're my little sister."
"I can be both."
He huffs a bitter laugh and squeezes my hand back. “Still mouthy as ever.”
“You love it.”
He doesn't answer right away. Just stares out the window as tense silence settles between us.
“You know what they’re going to do when we get there?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says, jaw clenching.
“They’re going to make an example out of me.”
He doesn’t deny it. Doesn’t offer false comfort.
"He's going to make you hurt me to teach us both a lesson."
Angelo's jaw clenches, and I watch as the muscle there bulges.
The car slows as we reach the gates of my father’s estate. They open without hesitation, and my stomach twists at the sight of the place. Same manicured lawn. Same white stone. Same suffocating silence.
