Page 91 of Surrender (Angels Halo MC Next Gen)

He smirked coolly at me, knowing he’d hit a sore spot. I tried to erase all emotion from my face, my mind, and tune him out. But it was useless. My head hurt too badly, my emotions too raw. “Isn’t it, though? You never know who is hiding in dark corners. Or random windows with a sniper rifle.”

I jerked so hard against the cuff, I felt it cut into my wrist. “Bastard.”

Vaughn inclined his head. “That’s a given.”

“You shot me!” I seethed.

“But did you die?” He turned his attention back to his tablet. “Trust me, little sister. If I’d wanted to kill you, I would have already taken you out.”

A laugh bubbled out of me, sounding half manic. “That was your mistake right there, Vaughn. You didn’t kill me.”

Brown eyes clashed with mine. For a long moment, we had a stare-off. Hate and rage simmered within me. As soon as I was free, I was going to put a bullet in his thigh. Maybe three. And then I was going to—

A door sliding open had his head lifting, his eyes rapt. Christ. I knew that expression on his face all too well. I’d seen it on Ryan’s face every time he looked at Nova. Felt it myself with Elias. It was an overwhelming sense of rightness that only one person could bring out.

Obsessive love. Sickness. A side of the crazy that was a little lighter, but so much fucking scarier if left to fester. It gave me pause, made me wonder if what he’d said was true.

Could he possibly be my brother?

I was witnessing a fraction of our family’s mental illness right before my eyes. One my brother and I both suffered from.

Shit.

Maybebothmy brothers?

Dread rolled through my stomach, and I knew who he was looking at before I even turned. But I prayed it was someone—any-fucking-one—other than the person I knew would be there. Slowly, I shifted my gaze to follow and felt the world turn upside down.

“Abi.”

CHAPTERFORTY-SEVEN

samara

As soon asshe saw me, relief filled Abi’s face. “Thank goodness you’re awake. I was so worried about you.”

She crossed to me. Abi was dressed in jeans, a simple tank top, and with her red hair damp around her shoulders, I realized she must have showered. Like my family’s many private jets, this one had a bedroom and a full bathroom. I could smell the scent of Abi’s body wash and hair products coming from the still-open door.

Her arms were gentle as she bent to wrap me in a hug. With the arm that wasn’t restrained, I hugged her back, the tape around the IV in the back of my hand pulling slightly. “What are you doing here?” I whispered.

Pulling back so she could see my face, she scanned her eyes over me. “Vaughn told me you were in an accident. That he needed to take you back to New York so your dad wouldn’t worry. I know everything, Sammy. You don’t have to hide anything from me now.”

“What do you mean by ‘everything,’ Abs?” I glanced over at Vaughn, but his eyes were primarily on Abi. Reverently, he watched every move she made.

Sympathy filled her eyes as she took the seat beside me. “I had no idea your dad was sick. I wish you would have said something about his dementia. My grandma Alicia suffered from it before she passed a few years ago. It was a side effect of her second fight against brain cancer. It was really rough on Dad and Aunt Kassa. But Uncle Gray took it the hardest. He looked so much like his own father that Alicia kept thinking he was his dad. She alternated between trying to fight him and being terrified of him.”

Taking my hand, she entwined our fingers, attempting to give me a sense of solidarity. “I completely understand why your dad shouldn’t travel. Vaughn was so worried when he found out you were in the accident.” She gave me a mock glare. “But you should have told me he was your brother. I never would have told you about my…”

Heat suffused her entire face, and she abruptly cut herself off. “Why didn’t you tell me you were his sister?”

“What the actual fuck?” I snapped, shooting Vaughn a glare.

“I only told her the truth,” he said in Russian.

“You’re fucked in the head,” I spat in the same language so as not to upset Abi. “Have you been spying on us? On my papa…?”

My blood turned to ice.Papa. His severe episode that had sent him straight into Kovak’s domain, thinking I’d been taken. Mom had thought something was off. And even Ryan had said Papa kept saying he was an impostor. That Ryan wasn’t the right son.

Realization filled me, and I jerked against my restraints. “I’m going to kill you!”

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