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He exits the 911, his gaze landing hard onon his chiseled features "Ah, sweet brother," he calls out,to the trunk of his car, his jacket now re us close enough to ensure E here at this hour, Derek?"

"Rolling upthe dirty work done, of course A necessary evil considering I’m at ith my own brother, but at least I knoho’s in my corner I wonder if you do"

It’s not a question and he doesn’t wait for an answer He turns and walks toward the elevator, leavingthere, his words left behind as a taunt His intent is to make me question myself and everyone around me Of course, I know my father is ultimately on his side Perhaps he even has more of the stockholders in his pocket than I suspect Or not In e as a s locked down, as he’d like me to believe, did he feel the need to plant a woman in our father’s life to spy on hi Whatever the case, all is fair in love and war, and I’ to believe all there is left for Derek is war I inhale, feeling the darkening ofover I need an outlet and I need it now

I start walking toward the Bentley, and I’oing to give her, are about the only honest things in erous than shotguns

--Mario Puzo

CHAPTER FIVE

EMILY

Shane is a man of absolute control, readable in his every action and reaction, including his long, calculated strides toward the Bentley to rejoin me Too calculated, I decide, and I have the distinct i for whatever emotional ind he’s just had stirred to life He makes his final approach, and I steel ht I’d finally decided to es to the table

He opens the door, clai us inside, inky shadows consu the small space I inhale the scent of him, autuht along with a wave of cutting dark energy He doesn’t look at nition to start the car, his hand going to the gear shift as if he can’t wait to get the hell out of here But he doesn’t put us in drive Instead, his wrist settles on the steering wheel, his spine stiff, and I have the distinct impression he’s suddenly back in the battle he’d had with that man outside the car

I don’t know thisback With another inhaled breath, I press my hand to his aret out of the car--"

He turns to me and my hand falls away, his expression a hard uise "Noto say, but I won’t offer I won’t get out of the car Whoever that was--"

"My brother That was my brother"

I hear betrayal in his voice and I understand in ways I can never share And I don’t think that’s what he needs fro without complications and that’s me "Well then," I dare to say "Your brother, your father, and the rest of the world, can’t have you tonight Because just as you said I aray eyes of his sharpen, slicing through the darkness like hot ice and the impact of this man’s full attention is hard to describe I have this uncanny sense of hi hidden pieces of me that I shelter with care and that he shouldn’t see And then suddenly, his fingers tunnel into s me closer "I don’t think I’ve ever ood or bad?"

"I haven’t decided yet," he says, and aintodeeply, and I swear I feel it in theI taste that harshness of tur to do hy he’s here with ht And now I knohy it has to be me and no one else Because we are the same in ways that needs no words to be understood

He deepens the kiss, kissing me like I have never been kissed Like I am his next breath and I have never been anyone’s next breath Ihis ainst ers and proht" He releases me and settles back in his seat, and this tiear, and us in motion Only we’ve been in motion since the moment I reached for a cup of coffee that wasn’t mine, but I think it was always meant for me It’s a silly, fantastical idea for a wo the power of the universe is as si it the power

He stops us at the edge of the garage, waiting for traffic to pass before we exit and s I reach out, touching it, aover me I want this car I want the life I was supposed to have, and it hits me that in the last few months I’ve become a victim, not because of what has happened to oogle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true">