19. Brady
Brady
The knot in my shoulders tells me I’ve been hunched over my computer for hours. I lean back in my chair to roll my neck.
Outside, night has fallen. I’ve been so focused on my work I didn’t realize my office had gotten dark. Everyone else in the building must’ve left hours ago.
I stand up and stretch. I wonder how irritated Cora is about the fact I’m out late again. If she’s anything like me, she’ll still be pissed about the note I left her this morning. And she’s very much like me, all the way down to our stubborn pride.
Through my wall of windows, the city lights below me twinkle like perfectly arranged stars.
My phone rings, and I frown at it. Liam never calls without texting first. He starts talking as soon as I answer.
“Stay calm,” he says. “Cora’s okay.”
My adrenaline spikes. Sprinting out of my office, I yell so many questions at Liam without stopping that he’s forced to shout over me. The more he tells me, the more my fury builds.
I swing my fist into the nearest wall. It happens to be a glass conference room. The wall shatters behind me as I keep moving.
I have to keep moving.
“Where is the fucking bastard?” I demand.
“In the basement,” Liam says. “We’re not going to finish him until you get here.”
Damn fucking right they won’t. That bastard’s end belongs to me. He hurt my wife.
“And Cora?” I ask again. I’ve already asked about her a dozen times.
It isn’t enough.
“She’s okay,” Liam says. “She’s at your place.” His patience is thinning, but he can’t understand.
It isn’t enough to be told she’s okay. I need to see her for myself. She’s strong, but she still must be shaken up. All because I failed to protect her.
It’s my fault.
Guilt sinks like lead to the bottom of my stomach.
My fucking fault.
“Brady,” Liam shouts.
“What?”
“Did you hear me? I said come meet us in the basement.”
It’s a direct order from my older brother. To disobey would be to go against our family, to break the foremost rule of this life.
I feel my guts churning as my insides tear apart. Cora’s my family now too. She’s my wife, and no matter how goddamn frustrating she can be, it’s my responsibility to guarantee that she’s safe. I can’t be assured of that until I’m holding her in my arms.
Liam needs an answer, and I make my decision.
“Not yet.”