“You’re not fucking taking her,” Jameson growls.
Rage shoves me behind him and juts his chin toward Zane. “Take the boy.”
“No, I’ll do it!” I call out.
“The fuck you will,” Jameson barks, waltzing over to where Aire is standing. “You get Zane. Make him work or kill him, I don’t care. It will be over my dead body you take Lily out of here.”
“I’d rather it not be,” Aires states, not showing an ounce of fear despite being outnumbered. This man is pure confidence, nothing like Ronaldo’s arrogance.
“I’ll give you a day to decide.” Aire pulls a cloth from the pocket of his slacks, wipes the blood from his cheek, then tosses it on Leo’s corpse.
“Zane goes free,” I call out, winding my body from behind Rage.
“Lily, no,” Jameson breathes, grabbing for my wrist. I twist out of his hold.
“You don’t get to tell me what I do. I’m an adult. I make my own decisions,” I tell him. Turning my attention back to Aire, I state, “No harm comes to Zane, and I’ll do it. One year.”
“One year.” He holds out his hand, and I slip mine into it, ignoring the electricity zapping through my palm. “I’ll be back for you in two hours. I think you’ll like New York.”
I pace my bedroom floor, staring at Zane as Monroe stitches the gash on his head. “Your brother is beside himself, Lily.” There’s a softness in her voice that comes from being a healer. I’m glad Jameson has her.
“It’s a year. He could use the break,” I scoff.
“Don’t ever say that.”
“At least I’m breathing. Aire could have killed me.”
“He would have had to go through every brother here.”
“Exactly. I’m not being the cause of that.”
She dabs around the stitches to clean the tiny dots of blood then throws her equipment back into her bag and gets to her feet. “He’s going to have one hell of a headache, but he’ll live.”
“That’s the least of his problems.” Seeing Leo murdered…it’s going to haunt him. He’ll want revenge and be entitled to it.
She pats my shoulder, and I cover her hand with mine.
“One year,” I whisper.
The door clicks closed with her exit, and I take up the space beside Zane, resting my head on his chest, absorbing his warmth, counting the soft beats of his heart. Movement shifts beneath me. A groan rumbles up his throat.
“Zane?” I murmur, sitting up.
He blinks his eyes, lines creasing his brow, tugging at the stitches. “Argh…” he hisses, raising his fingers.
“Don’t touch it.” I drag his hand away and keep hold of it.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Leo—he killed Leo.”
“Shhh…it’s okay.”
Water wells in his eyes. His chest vibrates. Sitting up, he swings his legs off the bed and snatches his hand from mine, running it through his hair. “I need to bury my brother.”
In the next breath, he’s on his feet, slamming the door open so hard, it bounces off the wall, knocking a mirror to the floor. Shards of glass splinter like confetti.
“Zane,” I call after him, giving chase until we’re in the main room, sucking all the oxygen out of it. Brothers still crowd the space, but Leo’s body has been moved. There’s no evidence he was ever here.
“Where’s his body?” Zane shouts.