Page 91 of Risks of Temptation

16

Malin

"Try to sleep,"I say, but Emilia is still upset with me.

She cannot be part of anything to do with this mess from now on.

She shouldn't have gone into the station with me, but I didn't have any other choice.

It would have been a nightmare if she hadn't been there to help me.

The expression on ma belle's face kills me. She's trying hard to be brave to stay with me, not understanding what she would be part of if she did.

Get her to Omoa. Andre and the other guys will take care of her. She can be with her sister, and I'll find them when I finish this.

"Why should I sleep? So I can wake up, and you can drop me off and leave?" she asks with hurt in her voice.

"Ma belle, we've been through this," I reply in a frustrated voice. I shift the gear of the truck and drive through the narrow lane.

"Am I ever going to have any say over my life?" she asks as my phone rings.

I sigh. "It's Gustave. I have to take this."

She turns and stares out into the blackness.

"Is it done?" I answer.

"Louis is straightened out...for now, at least. But we're going to need to prove some things," Gustave replies.

"Such as?"

"I'll fill you in later. We have other issues. I'm on my way to Belize. I'll send you coordinates. You can't take your target to Omoa."

My gut drops. "Why?"

"Interpol knows. Kalim is tracking—"

"He found me and just gave me twenty-four hours."

"Why would he do that? Louis gave him strict instructions."

"We're brothers." The comment hangs in the air. Gustave and I have baggage from when our father sent me away. Our reunion wasn't exactly happy. I hadn't seen him from the time I was twelve until I was in the Marines. Our father intentionally kept us apart. Even when our mother died when I was fourteen, he didn't allow me to come to the funeral. Besides the few messages from my father from time to time, I didn't communicate with him or Gustave.

I didn't understand why my father kept himself away, or Gustave didn't want anything to do with me. We were close when I lived in France. So I blamed Gustave for abandoning me, as much as my father.

I was also instructed by my father to tell everyone I was an only child before I went to school in America. I didn't understand why, but he warned me if I disclosed anything about our family situation, there would be consequences. What they were, I didn't know.

When I was in my early twenties, my father arranged a meeting in France between him, Gustave, and me. It was the first time I had been back, and after an angry conversation, my father revealed everything about the Global Leaders.

From that point on, I had a quick lesson in what my father had been setting me up for. Gustave, being five years older, already was in the midst of the chaos. But our roles were meant to be different.

At first, my rage clouded my ability to see straight. I told my father and Gustave to burn in hell and left the meeting, adamant I wasn't doing anything either of them wanted me to do.

But I couldn't sleep at night. What they disclosed to me was too disturbing. And it was ingrained in me from age twelve to protect freedom.

When I finally calmed down, I went back the next day and moved into my role. In my mind, my brothers were Andre and the guys. Gustave wanted to pick up where we left off even though we still had to stay apart most of the time, but it took me years to get to the point where I fully trusted him and thought of him as a brother.

When the kidnapping happened and Andre and I got our orders, as soon as I saw Bridgette's photo, my mouth went dry. It was Gustave's daughter. A segment of the Global Leaders tried to get Gustave to go against the current regime in power. When he wouldn't, they kidnapped her. Once Bridgette was safe, Interpol did a joint secret operation with the Marines. Our entire joint team assassinated every man involved. No one except Gustave, Louis, and myself knew why.