Page 77 of Dangerous Command

“I’m never going to let that man near you again,” I said.

“Who was he?”

“No one.”

If I could help it, that’s who Muro would be for the rest of Mack’s life. Mack deserved more than this world could give him, and though I wanted to curse myself for thinking that taking a job with the Adlers would be fine, I knew that they had nothing to do with our situation. Even if Mack and I had run away, Muro would have always been lurking in the shadows. It wasn’t my fault for taking the job with the Adlers, nor was it Derek’s fault for asking me to help him find Muro.

In fact, that was what kept us alive.

Derek’s dark eyes filled my mind, the way he had urged me, begged me to go, to run away, to never turn back. Because that’s what he had given up his own life for. But how could I run, when I knew the fate that waited for us, when I knew Derek wouldn’t survive unless I did something?

I love you, Mads. Don’t you understand that? I’ll protect both of you.

So why won’t you let me help you?

But it was only now, driving away, that I realized that Derek would have always protected me. He was the new leader of a long-lasting mafia legacy, but love still mattered to him. He had been trying to tell me that he knew about my family for so long, but I could never admit it to myself.

He wanted me to prove my loyalty. And what had I done?Nothing.

I had to face my fears. I couldn’t run away anymore.

“Fuck,” I muttered. First, I had to take care of Mack, then I could do the rest. I grabbed my phone and dialed Wil. He picked up.

“Where the fuck is my brother?”

“I need Ethan’s number,” I said.

“Ethan?”

“Yeah. You’re half-brother?” Ethan might be more sympathetic to Mack’s situation since he had been through something similar himself, the unwanted bastard child of a criminal father.

“Why would I give that to you? You lied to us. You took my brother—”

“Trust me on this,” I said harshly.

“Screw your trust.”

“Please,” I begged.

A few moments passed, then Wil said, “Do you love him?”

“What?”

“Do you love my brother?”

I needed to stop hiding from the truth. “Yes,” I whispered. “Of course.”

“You better call me back and tell me what’s going on after you get a hold of Ethan,” he barked.

“Deal.”

I quickly jotted out the number and thanked him, then dialed Ethan.

“Yeah?” a deep male voice asked.

“You don’t know me,” I said, “but I need your help.”

“Who is this?”