If he had already spread the truth, I’d find out in the next second or so.
He scoffed as he waved a hand through the air.“Like you’d fucking believe me even if I said I hadn’t.”
And there it is.
“Then you’ve made a very grave mistake by calling me here, Richard.Staying silent would have been a much safer choice for you.”
With that, I turned around and headed for the door, signaling to my guards with the tilt of my chin.Several gunshots followed just as I reached for the handle, bodies dropping to the floor before I’d even exited the building.
I couldn’t afford to risk Richard spreading harmful information around that could cause the exact kind of uprising he’d mistakenly threatened me with.And now that secret would stay buried with him and his unlucky bodyguards.
Pulling out my phone, I texted Scott the cleanup code for O’Neil’s, then got back into my car and quickly peeled off back toward the house.
The sun was already beginning to set, reminding me that time flew by so much faster than I could ever hope to keep up with.My fist tightened around the steering wheel as my mind fought to formulate some reasonable explanation for why my brother would expose us to even more problems than we were already facing.When had he even found the time to call with that surgery?And since when did he start confiding in his father-in-law?Drunk, no less.
If he did it within the last few hours then the only reason I could fathom was to get back at me for threatening him.But he had to know that would come back to bite both of us in the ass.And that I wouldn’t just allow him to sabotage everything we both had worked so damn hard to achieve and maintain.
The closer I got to home, the closer I came to accepting the brother I knew was slipping through my fingers.His brain damage was worse than I had anticipated, and I needed to do something to stop him from causing more harm I wouldn’t be able to repair without more bloodshed.
When I was about halfway home, an alert came from my phone, reporting that Jaden’s heart rate had suddenly spiked to a higher level than normal.I imagined she had woken from her nap and was now reexperiencing her grief all over again.She had just better not be throwing shit around in the house again.
Stepping on the gas, I raced home, but once I entered through the front door, something seemed off.I could hear shouting and scuffling upstairs, along with muffled Russian cursing in the background.
Bolting up the stairs, I followed the mixed noise into Jaden’s art room, my brain preparing for another goddamn nightmare to handle, but what I walked in on was so much worse than I could have pictured.
The room was a goddamn mess, with half of Jaden’s art supplies flung across the room, all of her projects completely destroyed.My guards were scattered throughout, their eyes focused on Sloane who had Daniel pinned to the floor, her fist stopping just inches from his face upon hearing me enter.Her eyes widened before she abruptly stood, her chest heaving from obvious exertion.
What the fucking hell?
“Sir,” she said, acknowledging my presence with a slight nod, but the uncertainty wavering in her voice left me more than unsettled.Her eyes then shot to the floor near the wall, my gaze quickly following in search of an explanation for what the fuck was going on.And then it hit me like a goddamn freight train.
Jaden was huddled on the floor, her bruised arms wrapped securely around her bare legs that were tucked into her chest.Her focus remained on the floor, but I could see the bitter enragement that sharpened her beautiful features.
But when her eyes finally met mine, I knew the devastating truth.
All at once, every single one of my demons inside me rushed to the surface in a wild frenzy, clawing out for the taste of blood and carnage to satiate their wrath.
My feet moved before I even realized it, my body nearly flying across the room to crouch down in front of her like the shield I was supposed to be.Jaden shut her eyes then, her body shaking as she clutched her knees tighter.I could see different parts of her paint-coated dress had been stretched out or torn, the signs of a fresh bruise blooming on her face and temple—all of it evidence of what my brother had clearly done punching me right in the chest.
Carefully reaching out, I took her face in my hands, softly coaxing my thumb across her cheek.
“Look at me,” I ordered, needing to see her eyes again, needing to claim her rage for myself.She sucked in a breath, and then opened her eyes, big bright hazel irises gleaming back at me.The brims of her lids began to quickly flood with an anguished hatred, and a single tear broke free to slip down her cheek.
Tilting her face, I assessed the discoloration and swelling building under her skin, my jaw clenching in response.My thumb stopped the single tear in its tracks, smearing it against her bruised face, the shadow of a wince catching my attention.
I needed to know what else he had done, needed to see every inch of his betrayal with my own eyes.Bracing myself with a deep breath, I wrapped my hands around Jaden’s knees and prodded her to open them for me.
“Let me see,” I murmured gently, keeping my voice as calm as I could manage.
A gasped plea left her lips.“No,” she begged, her hands clutching my wrists in a desperate grip to stop me.I shushed her fears away, my need to see what had been done to her far greater than whatever insecurity she was currently feeling.
Slowly prying her knees apart so that only I could see, the small traces of blood between her bruised legs tripled the wrath that was erupting throughout my body.My muscles tensed so hard with the need to burst free and destroy everything in my path, and I was counting down the seconds before I could do exactly that.
“I…I tried to run, not fight…like you said,” she murmured softly.
At her explanation, I closed my eyes and sighed heavily, absorbing what felt like the stab of blame directed at me for essentially disarming her.I had forbidden her from fighting on more than one occasion, ordering her to run instead.This time, her rare obedience had resulted in her harm, and the realization didn’t sit well with me for multiple reasons.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?”I asked, my gaze returning to hers.