Chapter 22
22
GIDEON
For reasons I couldn’t understand as a child, Rowan’s mother was miserable. She cried more often than not, and floated about our large house like a ghost, pale and sad.
She begged to leave, and one day, my father let her.
“Dionne!” Rowan screamed with all his might as she took him away with her.
I ran after them, hands outstretched. But Father snatched me before I could make it out the door. He held me as I screamed for my brother.
“I’ll find you!” I promised.
Rowan was taken away, and then I was the one that roamed the house, searching for my playmate. My brother. My friend.
I was lonely once more, until the day Father brought me to Kingsbrook so I’d forget.
Except, I never did.
“ W hat do you want from me?” Rowan crosses his arms over his chest. “You saved me because I’m your brother. But there’s more.”
What do I want from him? His gratitude. His loyalty. I want him to do for me what I did for him.
“All of your men are dead. Your wife has betrayed you. You’ve lost it all. Except for me.” I point to my chest, punctuating my words. “I’ll always be here for you. No matter what. With my help, you will get it back. The question is, will you be there for me, little brother?”
He stares at me for a long while, still struggling to process it all. But he sees me. He remembers me.
Finally, he seems to accept everything as truth. That I was there for him like I promised long ago. “What do you need?”
“I will stand with you to take Boston back. You will stand by my side, where you belong, and help me defeat the Sinacore Alliance.”
“I’ve sworn my allegiance. I won’t kill them.”
It stings to hear my own brother say he won’t help me. But I understand. While I’ve been watching him for years, he’d forgotten about me. I might have been his world at one point, but he was so young that eventually I became nothing more than a distant memory. Dionne, the imaginary friend.
My jaw ticking, I say, “All right, then promise me this. You will not help them against me either.”
He nods. “I promise.”
We move quickly. As much as I’d love to sit and reminisce about days gone by, do some brotherly bonding, maybe a bit of fishing, the longer we take to organize an attack, the harder it will be to unseat Declan.
Rowan and I scour the blue prints of the McKenzie house, and together, devise a plan to take it back.
“There will most likely be men posted here and here,” he points to the map. “But Declan won’t know about this open spot here. That’s how we will get in.”
“What about this? What’s there?” I ask.
On and on we plot, and I enjoy every minute of it. That is, until he says, “While you’re securing the first floor, I’ll search for Lou. I need to see… I need to see her one last time.”
My teeth grind together. Louisa the traitor. How easily she gave him up. I don’t tell him that she came to me yesterday. That her father set up the meeting so she could say just how sorry she was for what she’d done, and that she was willing to give me anything in exchange for Rowan. As if I’d give him up to her.
Instead, I handed her the necklace he always wore, along with two pennies, and said, “I’m sorry. If you’d come to me an hour sooner…” I trailed off, letting her come to her own conclusion.
She cried and called me a murderer. I laughed. Stick and stones thrown by a traitor mean nothing to me.
To Rowan, I say, “She may not be there.”
“I have to look.”
I don’t push, afraid that it will make me seem suspicious. As it is, his trust in me is tentative at best. It’s too new. Too uncertain. Any wrong move on my part will send him running back to the alliance.
After coming up with both a plan and a backup, we head to Boston in the helicopter. Ten of my men, including Scarlet, meet us a few blocks from the McKenzie house.
Fully armed and ready to do war for my brother, we move in. Except, we aren’t the first ones there. Someone’s beat us to the punch, parts of the house already in ruins from another battle.
We immediately switch to the backup plan, the one where we’re outnumbered. My men disperse and circle the house, while Rowan and I continue through the side door. I follow closely at his heels, my rifle aimed at the floor, but ready to fire.
My fingers twitch as we press against the wall, listening intently for any signs of danger. In the distance, men are fighting. Hand to hand combat mostly, with lots of grunting, but there is the occasional shot. Something like an explosion shakes the house and large chunks of plaster fall from the ceiling, creating a ball of dust all around us.
“The police will be here soon,” I tell him. “If we don’t find Declan beforehand, it will be impossible.”
He gives me a sharp nod, but I get the feeling that finding his former underboss isn’t his first priority. It’s finding that traitorous bitch.
I bite my tongue to keep myself from saying anything that will push him away from me. Instead, I motion for us to continue.
Rowan rounds a bend and is instantly attacked by two men. I drag one off him and fling him to the ground. I’m on him before he can get up, my fist making quick contact with his throat. He tries to gasp, but finds his windpipe fully collapsed. Within a few seconds, he’s purple and dead. I smile. No one fucks with my brother.
On my right, Rowan dispatches the other goon just as fast. However, we don’t get much of a break as two more men appear through the dust.
“Do you recognize them?” I ask Rowan.
“No. But Declan hired a lot of men without my knowledge.”
“Did they turn on him?”
Rowan shakes his head. “Doubtful. Come on. Upstairs.”
Cautiously, we move upwards, past the first floor. We look into every open space, searching. When we reach the third floor, Rowan goes into one of the rooms. I’m only a few feet away, watching his back like a hawk, making sure this little endeavor to find Louisa doesn’t cost him his life.
“You’re alive?” I hear from inside. A moment later, Louisa is in his arms. “You’re alive.”
He detaches himself from her. “What are you doing here?”
“We came to take the house back from Declan,” she says.
“Who’s we?”
“The Sinacore Alliance and me,” she tells him.
Shit. Luca’s here. I peek over the railing, searching for Sofia’s brother. He’s nowhere to be seen.
“You idiot,” Louisa continues. “If you’d told me the truth from the beginning, I would never have… But you’re here now and you’re alive. How are you alive?”
I come closer, wanting to see her face so that I can determine for myself if she’s being sincere.
“Gideon didn’t intend on killing me,” Rowan tells her.
She frowns. “But he told me he’d executed you.”
“When did he say that?”
“I went to see him,” she cries. “I begged him to return you to me. He gave me your necklace and two pennies.”
“Gideon didn’t say anything.” He reaches for the necklace, only to find it’s no longer there. “It must have fallen off,” he says absentmindedly. “You’re doing this for me?”
“Yes. I regretted everything the moment I did it. Then Axle told me the truth and I died a thousand times inside. I love you, Rowan. Please forgive me.”
“We’re both to blame, Lou. Fuck, what a mess.” When he brings her in close, her eyes land on me.
I take a step back. Perhaps I jumped the gun on judging her. Her murderous glare tells me I definitely did.
“You came with Gideon,” she hisses. “Are you working with him now?”
“He’s my brother.”
Her face snaps to his. “What?”
Shots ring out nearby and he turns to the door. “Another time. I need to get you out of here.”
Grabbing a hold of her, he tugs her past me toward the stairs. Although some of the fighting has died down, there are still men going head-to-head.
“Gideon!” Scarlet comes out from one of the rooms. “Luca’s here.”
“It seems that way,” I say. “Let’s go before he sees us.”
But escape isn’t easy. We descend the stairs to find Luca and Gunner approaching, their weapons ready.
Damn. I was hoping to avoid a confrontation today. It will make keeping my promise to Sofia very difficult, indeed.
“Well, will you look at this? The whole family’s gathered.” I mask my apprehension with a wide grin.
“Gunn.” Scarlet greets Luca’s minion.
“If I’d know you were here, I would have loved to fuck you up a little.” He blows her a kiss.
She laughs. “The day you’re actually able to fuck me up, I’ll let you fuck me too.”
I look at her, then at him. What the fuck is happening here?
However, I don’t have time to dwell on what I’ve just witnessed between those two, because just then, Declan screams, “Enough!” from the second floor.
He aims his gun toward Rowan’s head. I immediately lift mine toward him, ready to take him the fuck down.
Rowan laughs. “You better say your prayers before you fire that shot, Declan. Cause you’ll be only seconds behind me.”
“Better dead than— gurg !” One instant, he’s standing. The other, he’s holding his throat and falling. That’s when we see one of Rowan’s few remaining loyal men, his bloodied blade still in position from stabbing Declan in the back of the neck.
And just like that, it’s over.
With Declan gone, the other men switch their attentions on each other.
Luca instantly finds me. “You’re done, Gideon.”
“Are you sure about that?” I reply. “From my point of view, you’re the one about to meet your maker.”
Luca’s to one side, I’m on the other, and Rowan’s the monkey in the middle.
“Rowan, it’s time,” I tell him.
“Why the fuck would he go with you?” Luca asks.
“Because he’s my brother,” I reply smugly, and revel in the shock that fills Luca’s eyes.
Everyone glances at each other. Luca’s men tense even more.
Rowan seems torn, his head turning from Luca and Louisa, to me.
“If you stay with them, little brother,” I say, my throat oddly tight, “You will die. And I don’t want to fight you. Not today.”
“Then don’t.”
His eyes are sad and pleading. In that moment, I see him as the little boy being dragged away by his mother. I see him crying out to me, and hear the promises I made in return.
He’s not a boy anymore, but my promise remains. I found him. I protected him. I always will.
I look at all of them, lingering on Luca, then Rowan. My lips pull tight. I cannot force him to leave, and I cannot hurt Luca. There’s nothing left for me here.
“Let’s go,” I say to Scarlet. And we walk away.
It’s late by the time I arrive at Kingsbrook feeling more defeated than I have in a long time. My muscles ache and several cuts and bruises cover my body. But that’s not what has me dragging my feet into the house.
I tell myself that Rowan didn’t turn his back on me. That he chose the alliance because it’s what he knows. Until a day ago, he believed me his enemy. His mind still has to come to terms with the fact that things aren’t always as they seem.
He will come back to me, and when he does, I’ll be here.
Yet, as much as I repeat the words, it’s difficult for me to accept them as truth.
That’s what I’m thinking when I walk into the manor, my shoulders slumped.
“Gideon.” Sofia is standing by the fireplace, her expression worried. “I thought you’d be back sooner.”
“You waited up for me?” Something like hope gives me enough reason to smile.
She comes to stand in front of me, her hand lifting to touch a sore spot on my forehead. “This might need stitches.”
“I’ll call the doc tomorrow. He’ll come and patch me up.”
“Declan really put up a fight, huh?”
“It wasn’t just him.” I touch her now too, savoring the softness of her cheek. “Luca was there.”
Her eyes snap to mine and fill with horror. “Oh God. Please. Please tell me he’s all right.”
That sinking defeat returns, but I don’t let her see it. “I promised you.”
My assurance doesn’t seem to make a difference. Her skin suddenly pale, she shoves away from me, her palm over her mouth. She runs to the kitchen, and I give chase.
“Sofia. He’s fine. I didn’t know he’d be there. I swear it.”
If she hears any of it, she doesn’t stop. Instead, she goes to the sink and doubles over, heaving into it.
A moment later, she’s falling to the floor. Unconscious.