Chapter Nine
“He’s up to something. Get out fast. I’ll grab my things. I’ll meet you at yours?” I stare into her eyes, wishing we had more time to figure this all out, hoping she trusts me, hoping she sees me, the real me.
As she rushes down the steps, I can hear father yelling.
Not wanting to stay a moment longer, I turn and run up to my room, taking the stairs two steps at a time.
I sprint down the landing. My presence in this house normally so silent.
I spent so many years trying to be unseen, to be invisible in a family full of loud assuming men, to stay off my father’s radar, but now my bare feet pound loudly against the cold hard floor, echoing from the ceiling as I run.
I can’t stay here a second longer than necessary.
I rip off my bottoms as I skid to a halt, tossing them on the bed.
Leaving me naked, I snatch up my duffle bag and start throwing clothes in it. I toss a pair of jeans and a t-shirt onto the bed and stuff as much of the contents of my wardrobe into the bag as physically possible.
My heart pounds as I try to gather my things before father finishes his tirade downstairs. I step into the bathroom, grabbing my wash bag and tossing that onto the top of the bag. The door slams open, and I whip my head to see Bellino.
My brother stands in the doorway. His eyes bore into mine, and I slowly turn to fully face him. I’m not scared of my brother. I know what he’s capable of. I know he has no loyalty to me. If Father has told him to kill me, that’s what he’ll be here to do.
“You here to kill me?” I rasp out as I search his eyes for something, some telltale sign of his intentions, but as ever, his mask is firmly in place. He leans on the door frame and crosses his arms. His gaze never leaves mine.
“Not yet.” His voice devoid of emotion, we’ve never been close.
He was always the favourite. I’m just the second, the spare.
Never destined to be anything, always overlooked.
I was beaten and bruised as a kid for not being more like my brother.
Forced to be left alone so Father could spend quality time with him, brought up by the staff.
Never allowed to be a child. Punished for my brother’s failures and detested because I wasn’t more like him.
My father used to come back from jobs and come to my room to torment me, punish me, and beat me. All under the guise of trying to make me into the perfect soldier, just like Bellino. If he was so perfect, why the fuck was I punished for so many failures?
Not yet—what kind of answer is that? I turn my back on him, not the smartest move, but I carry on packing the things I need before walking over to the dresser. I slide on a pair of boxers. As I pull them up, I stare at him.
“You think you’ll take what’s mine?” His gaze burns, but his body is relaxed. “You think stealing my fiancée will give you the keys to the kingdom?” He says it like he’s telling me it’s raining outside.
“I don’t want any of this Bellino, just her.” I step forward. “You don’t want her.” I look him up and down before smirking. “She’s not your type, big brother.”
I let my eyes roam from his face to his feet and back, knowing I’m taller than him and it pisses him off. He just glares. I tug on my clothes, snatch my bag off the bed and head towards the door. He steps in front of me, blocking the door.
“Be careful, little brother,” he snarls. “She will be your downfall. It will be so sweet to inflict that on you.”
I push past him as I hear the chuckle. It rumbles before it turns into that taunting laugh that echoes around the high ceiling and follows me down the stairs and out of the door.
I get to my car, rip the door open, and toss the bag into the back. I drop down into the seat, start the engine, and don’t look back as I accelerate down the driveway and out of the gates.
My mind’s reeling at the implications of what just happened. I’ve just painted an even bigger target on both our backs. This could be the most monumental move we make.
Can we survive? And if we do, will it be together? Fuck, I hope so, or I’ve just blown my world up for nothing.