Chapter 28 Neo #2
With the hand not holding the gun, Gordon pulls a remote from his pants pocket. The TV screen on the wall flickers on. Front and center in the frame is Wylder. He’s younger, but it’s him.
He’s not looking at the camera. He’s pouring two glasses of red wine. Behind him, a man is talking. Lecturing, really. Wylder doesn’t respond other than the occasional affirming noise.
Across from me, the blood drains from Wylder’s face.
Frowning, I glance back at the screen. There’s nothing interesting happening. It’s literally just Wylder pouring drinks.
But then I see the vial appear from under his sleeve, the sleight of hand that Dalton would be proud of, and the liquid disappearing into the vibrant scarlet.
Suddenly, I know exactly what I’m looking at.
“How would the world feel if they knew you murdered your father?” Gordon says, barely able to conceal his glee. “How would your brothers feel?”
“I imagine they’d be angry,” Wylder says. His voice is a little unsteady, but his eyes are burning.
“They’d hate you for it.”
Wylder laughs softly. “Only because they would’ve wanted to do it themselves. Don’t kid yourself that any of us loved our father.”
“But you love your brothers,” Gordon counters. “All the evidence we’ve gathered proves that. Just as it proves that you love this little brat here.”
My eyes narrow. Evidently, I only like it when Wylder calls me that.
He must feel the same, because he straightens and stills. Normally, this would be my signal to run.
But he’s not looking at me.
And there’s no chance either of us is going to warn Gordon.
“What’s your plan here?” Wylder’s voice is so mild that he could be inquiring about the weather. “Because I tell you now, I’m not leaving without Neo.”
“Hmm.” Gordon pretends to consider it. “I’ll give you a choice. You can either leave Neo here with me, or I can leak the video to the world right now.”
Like fuck will he do that.
Wylder seems to be thinking along the same lines. “You wouldn’t. You’ll lose your hold over us.”
Gordon’s smile makes my stomach churn. “No. I’ll just sit back as your world collapses around you before sneaking in to claim the pieces.
Society needs people like us working in the shadows.
What you’re forgetting is that they don’t care who’s getting their hands dirty, just that they are.
I can wait for your little empire to fall, knowing that I’ll be the one rising at the end. ”
Wylder is silent. His body’s tense, like he’s waiting for something, but what?
“That’s your choice,” Gordon says. “Neo, or The Firm. Neo, or your reputation. Neo, or your family. Neo, or your entire world.”
I blink through the sheen in my eyes, trying desperately to communicate with Wylder. Don’t choose me. Don’t choose me over everything. I’m not worth it.
Wylder either doesn’t understand me or chooses to ignore it. Because there’s no hesitation in his reply. “Neo. I’ll always choose Neo.”
“Men in love are so predictable.” Gordon sighs. The gun falls away from my neck, and my lungs expand fully for the first time in minutes. “Such fools. Willing to give up everything, and for what?”
Gordon strolls over to the laptop on a side table. “Last chance. Otherwise, this is being emailed to every top news outlet in the country.”
Wylder smiles as he straightens. “Go right ahead.”
“No!” I scream, but nothing more than a strangled noise comes through the gag. It does nothing to stop Gordon tapping at the computer.
Wylder glances at me, dusting a finger over his lips. I fall silent and watch, mesmerized, as he sneaks up behind Gordon.
“Let’s see how high and mighty you are now, Wylder Buckingham,” Gordon says triumphantly, oblivious to the monster now lurking at his back. “You like to play at being a hero, but you’re a monster. Soon the whole world will see it.”
“I’ve never been a hero,” Wylder says mildly, his hand shooting out to grab Gordon’s wrist. Even from here, I hear the bones break. The gun falls to the floor, but Wylder doesn’t bend to get it. “I’ve always been a monster.”
“Help!” Gordon screams, suddenly wise to the danger. “Help. Guards. Guards!”
Wylder’s dark chuckles raise the hair on my arms. “Oh dear. Perhaps your research wasn’t as thorough as you thought. You see…” Shadows detach from the walls, making their way to me on silent feet. As they draw nearer, I realize it’s Samson and Matthias. “A Buckingham is never alone.”
He holds up the item he palmed from the desk earlier. It’s a pen. A fancy-ass pen with a calligraphy nib on the end. “And we take it personally when one of us is threatened.”
I snap my head away, but it’s not fast enough to avoid the sight of Wylder plunging the pen into Gordon’s eye.
His screams fill the room, but Samson’s big frame blocks the view from me. “Easy. Don’t want you going all faint on us.”
There are some odd sounds coming from behind him. Matthias glances over and winces. “Yeah, definitely don’t look.”
Samson unties the gag from behind my head with uncharacteristic gentleness. “You okay?”
I nod rapidly. “The others?”
“All safe,” he reassures me.
“The guards?”
“All dead,” he says. “Well, all of them in the compound, anyway. Not sure about the external ones.”
A new voice joins us. Harley. “They’re all dead too. Perimeter is secure.”
Cade draws into my view as Matthias goes to work on my restraints. “Harley took them all out from a nearby hill. It was no fun for me at all.”
“You can go help Wylder if you like,” Samson grunts. “Since you seem to be pretty useless as of late.”
Cade turns around and lets out a laugh. “Jesus. I don’t think there’s much left of him to help with. Is he using a stapler?”
“Oh dear,” I say. “I feel a bit woozy. I had no idea staplers could be used for that.”
“Head between your legs.”
Ansel. Ansel’s here.
“I’ve got you, hun.” He pushes my head down firmly.
Tears drop down my nose, splatting onto the floor. “You came.”
Ansel tuts. “Course we did, you banana. We all did.”
I glance up at the other faces that’ve appeared. Dalton. Jackson. Jules. Wyatt. All staring down at me with expressions ranging from rage, to pity, to sorrow. “Wow. You all came for the brothers.”
“For you too.” Harley reaches over to squeeze my shoulder. “You’re one of us now. None of us would leave you behind.”
That’s it. The last of my restraint leaves as the events of the night slam into me all at once. I dissolve into sobs. Not quiet, dignified ones, but the kind that lead to lots of snot and hiccuping.
“Move, move!” Wylder’s bark has them parting like a sea. Then he’s on his knees before me. “Neo, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
I shake my head, another sob slipping free.
Wylder’s hand strokes through my hair. “Talk to me, baby. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“You all came,” I say stupidly. “You didn’t leave me here.”
Understanding shines in his eyes. I can see it, even through the blood spatter on his glasses. “No, we didn’t. You’re ours now. Mine. I’ll always come for you. I’ll always choose you.”
“Wait.” I grab Ansel’s wrist. “You have to stop the email!”
“Already done,” Ansel says soothingly. “I took control of the security system and blocked his servers as soon as I tracked you all to this building. There hasn’t been a leak.”
“Oh, thank fuck.” I let my head fall onto Wylder’s shoulder. “I can’t believe you risked everything for me.”
“I can. Best decision I ever made.”
Another sob shudders through me. Might be a while before I can find a way to make them stop. I’ll probably need to play a prank on Wylder and then have him fuck me silly until I feel more normal. “It was so reckless. What if it’d sent?”
His fingers pry my face back and grab my chin in a fierce hold. “Nothing is worth losing you. Nothing. You got that?”
I swallow a couple of times. “I love you. You know that, right?”
A smile blooms across his lips. “I know, brat. And I love you too.”
“I mean, I guessed that, given you were prepared to be outed for patricide.”
“About that,” Samson says grimly. “We need to have a chat about this when we get home.”
Wylder sighs. “Yes. I suppose we do.”
“And the betting pool as well,” Cade adds unhelpfully. “I think I won.”
“Terrible timing, Titan,” Ansel says.
After a few moments, they all drift away, clearing up any evidence that we were ever here. Wylder doesn’t move though, just continues kneeling between my thighs, his hand in my hair.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly, still feeling bereft. “I know you didn’t want your secret out there, and now it is. It’s all my fault.”
“How did you work that one out?”
“Because I should’ve known it was a trap,” I say heavily. “I should’ve seen the signs.”
“We all should’ve seen them. Us more so than you, given our training.”
“Still feel like it’s my fault.”
“But it isn’t.” He silences any further arguments with a kiss.
“And I won’t hear another word on the matter, okay?
I don’t give a shit that my brothers know now.
The whole world can learn about it if it means keeping you alive, because you come above everything and everyone else for me. Understand?”
And I’m crying again. Not out of sadness. Out of the pure, overwhelming love that’s filling me. I don’t know how to process it. I’ve never had this before, never experienced it.
Love. Such a complicated, all-consuming thing.
Fortunately, Wylder seems to know exactly what I need.
He pulls me onto his lap and holds me tight.
We stay there for a long time, Wylder willingly letting the others take the lead on looking after us.
While he looks after me.