Staring at his youngest brother, he was shocked by the mad rage staring back at him.
“There are always consequences in this life,” Landon said.
“What are you doing?” Jacob asked.
“I’m taking care of business, isn’t that right, Daddy?” Landon gripped the back of his father’s head, pulling it back, exposing his neck. The blade was still pressed against it. One wrong move and that blade was going in.
“Fuck you,” Maddox said. “Kill him. He’s gone mad.”
None of them reached for their guns.
Landon threw his head back and laughed. “Oh, I’ve gone mad; good one, Dad. I like that one.” The laughter died, and he bent down, his lips against Maddox’s temple. “I’m exactly the kind of monster you bred, Dad. Damn, your neck looks all old and wrinkly. I wonder if I should use a dull knife. Make sure you feel everything as you bleed to death.”
“You’ll never do it. You’re a fucking pussy.”
The smile was back.
Gideon didn’t know if their father had a death wish or what this was all about. Clearly, they had all underestimated Landon.
“I know where Tamsin is,” Landon said.
“What?” Jacob asked. “Where is she?”
Landon tapped his nose. “It’s a secret.”
“What the fuck, Landon? This is no time for games.”
“She’s safe wherever she is. No one can get to her, and I imagine she’ll have a lot better life than being the pussy and ass of the Savona men. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“We’re your brothers,” Jacob said. “This is not how to do things.”
“When you see the mess he’s caused, the deals he already has in place, you’ll thank me for hiding her. She needs to be kept safe. He promised her she’d be safe. I’m just making sure she is. No matter her attitude, she deserves a life away from all of this. Away from the blood, the pain.”
“I’m sorry about Sarah,” Maddox said.
The words were so surprising that even Gideon was impressed.
Silence fell in the warehouse, and he watched as Landon stared at the man he held a knife to.
“You’re sorry?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to do. You’ve always been so volatile. When Rick called me to tell me what had happened, I panicked. I couldn’t have you flying to England to her funeral. You wouldn’t have survived it.”
Landon stared at their father, and Gideon waited.
The blade never once faltered.
“You would have let me go to Sarah’s funeral?”
“Yes, so long as you didn’t go mad.”
Another few minutes of silence.
Gideon didn’t know what the fuck to think. He had mixed feelings. He wanted Landon to slide that knife across the bastard’s neck, to end his miserable life. The bastard had put his hands on Emma, intent on hurting her, and he didn’t want that man near his woman. Not now, not ever. He loved his brother. Killing their father was a death sentence. He didn’t want Landon to die.
Not now.
“I know the truth, Dad,” Landon said.