Page 31 of My Shining Stepbrother

“I own the club and shop. I had no idea you worked at the shop, and I know I should have told you, but I couldn't find the courage to do that.” He sounds so vulnerable, but my anger only rises to new levels.

“Are you fucking serious?!” I slam my hands down on the table. “What else are you fucking hiding from me?!”

“I also own this restaurant.” He tucks his head down, ashamed of keeping these things a secret.

“Is there anything you don't own by chance?!” I shout at him.

“I don't own the restaurant we went to with our parents.” He says it as a joke, but I don't find the humor in it.

“Well, that makes me feel so much better, Reese.” I feel the tears burning in my eyes, wanting to spill. “What else are you hiding? You said you had a more important job than all the others, and I can tell it's none of them.”

His eyes turn dark with mystery but also sadness. “Rose… Please don't….” He whispers to me.

“Tell me now, or I walk out of here, Reese.” A new strength works through my veins as I push the tears back.

He runs his hands through his hair before settling them on the table. “Please don't leave after I tell you this. Let me explain everything to you.”

“I won't promise I won't leave, but I will promise to listen.” I sit up straight with my back against the chair.

He throws his glass back, swallowing all of its contents. “Have you ever heard of the Hidden?”

“Yeah, my mom told me about him when I was in high school. He kills people, and nobody knows who he is. People only know it's a guy because of a shadow figure once seen. They don't know if he works alone or with a group.” The nights I stayed awake waiting to see if he would come for my family came rushing back to my mind. He went after bad people who wronged others. My mother was my first thought, and I always feared for her.

“Rose… You know him.'' His words hit me like a freight train. Reality crashes around me, and I feel my breath get caught in my throat.

“Reese… Please don't say it… Please…” I beg him, but his face falls even more.

“I'm The Hidden.” He says it is like the weight of the world has been lifted from his shoulders.

The man I started to fall in love with is dangerous. He is a hired Hitman, a fucking killer! The man who has treated me as though I'm the most precious thing in this world is a man who brings pain to other families. My heart shatters as my whole world explodes.

Fuck! I'm falling in love with Reese!

What should I say to him?

How do we move forward?

Can I look past this and into the eyes of the man behind them?

Chapter 15

- Reese -

I faced my fear and told her the truth. I saw the look in her eyes, though. She was afraid of me.

I was sure she would run. That fear alone broke me inside. I should have told her everything the moment I met her. The moment I knew she meant more to me than anything else in my life.

I don't know what hurts more. Is it her staring at me without speaking or the fear of her running out of that door and leaving my life forever?

She opens her mouth and closes it several times while I sit watching her. I can't imagine the thoughts running through her head.

“How did this start?” She doesn't look into my eyes when she asks me the question I was unprepared for.

“I'm not sure where to start.” I look down at my shaking, sweating hands.

“At the beginning, I wanted to know everything. I won’t make a decision until then.” The little strand of hope inside of me starts to shake. I have to say this right to keep her with me: no lies and no sugar coating. Rip off the band-aid and get it over with.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath to relax my mind and body. “I’m not sure how much you know about my father, but it all started with his childhood.” I pour myself another glass of wine as I reflect on my childhood. “He grew up in Russia as a child, and his family was not your normal type. They were all a part of a secret organization and mercenaries.”

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