Page 26 of Crave

I shook my head. Our little brother loved her, there was no denying that. He was old enough to defend as well. The moment he heard the recording he’d go to her. That was a fact. We couldn’t have that, not until we found out the truth. “We say nothing to him. Not until she’s told us everything.”

“I fucking knew she was poison.” Theo growled.“I fucking knew it.”

“I need you to come with me to Jude. He won’t listen if it’s just me.”

“That’s because he thinks you hate him.”

I flinched. “I don’t hate him.”

“Then stop forcing him to be part of the business. You know he wants nothing to do with it.”

Anger flared. This was so Theo and Jude. I leaned closer. “Then maybe he needs to stop driving around in his fucking BMW and spending the money this business creates. Just like you, Theo…you’re either in and part of it, or get the fuck out…and find a job.” I searched his eyes, remembering all the times I watched him shove a line of coke up his nose. “And stop taking from our clients.”

“Hey.” He grinned. “If they want to take care of my needs, who am I to say no?”

“You’re a fucking Ares.” I answered. “It’s about time you all start acting like one. Now, are you going to help me with our brother, or do I have to do this like I have to everything…on my fucking own?”

“Lead the way.” Theo motioned toward the door like an asshole. “Daddy.”

Motherfucker. I ground my jaw and walked out, heading across the hallway to the south wing…and where Jude’s bedroom sat separate from the rest of us.

My brother wasn’t like me. In fact he wasn’t like any of us, spending his time with his nose deep in books, preferring the company of his yuppy, snobby friends to his own blood. But he was blood, and it was about time he started acting like it.

I didn’t even knock, just bore down on the handle of his bedroom door and pushed in. He was there, huddled over a mess of open books, turning to peer at me over a set of glasses. I stopped and stared. “I didn’t know you wore glasses.”

“I didn’t know you were so fucking rude barging into someone else’s bedroom, although I should have.” He muttered, pulling his glasses free. “You never did respect anyone’s privacy.” He looked past me to Theo. “What now?”

He sat in silence as we closed the door, then proceeded to tell him everything. I showed him mom’s video, some of it at least until he looked away. But when we showed him Angelica he went silent. “That’s not her. It can’t be.”

“It is,” I countered. “You heard it yourself in mom’s video and you can clearly see her.”

“How do we know we’re just not falling into a trap?”

“A trap of what?” Theo snapped. “They already betrayed us. This is the reason why dad died, for all we knowing they could’ve murdered him.”

“Then who murdered mom, Einstein?” Jude muttered.

Theo thought about it as my mind raced trying to make it all fit.

“Maybe Angelica murdered them both.” He said finally.

We all looked at each other. Could a hundred and thirty pound woman kill two people bigger than her? Drugged and tied up, it was possible, except there were no drugs found in their system. Did Angelica have a gun?

No.

I tossed her room, trashing it and there was no evidence of any weapon at all. It didn’t seem plausible. “All I know is she is hiding all of this. Even if it has no connection to their deaths, which I highly doubt it’s still a reason to investigate.

“And exploit.” Theo murmured.

“Come on.” Jude winced. “She’s our sister.”

“Adopted sister.” Theo added. “She was forced on us, remember? Now it’s time to do a little forcing of our own.”

“When?”

Give me the day, okay…then we can do whatever you want. “Tonight,” I answered, slowly meeting their gaze. “We do it tonight.”

Chapter Seven