Dulce

He nods, his eyes drifting down to Abe. There is so much pain in Cain’s expression before he wipes it clear.

“I didn’t know for sure, not right away. But the way you looked at me at the party made me question how a man with his hand up someone else’s skirt could look so sad. Then when your name kept coming up and Abe’s didn’t it made me suspicious. The story was convincing, you being the heir and a playboy. And you are much more standoffish than your brother is. It was a nice, easy fit. But I’m not a nice and easy girl, so I kept thinking it over and started to wonder if your dickishness was an act to protect me by pushing me away rather than to hurt me.

My eyes move over his face as I watch him take in my words, his flinch letting me know I’m right.

“When we got here, I asked Abe how he knew about Sarah and Casey, and he told me he’d driven Dmitri to the hospital today, but all his tires were shredded by you last night.”

“It’s actually my car with the shredded tires. He fucked with it last night. I just took his instead so he couldn’t go searching for you.”

I bend down and grip Abe’s sleeve, making him groan since it’s the arm I shot.

“Then there was this. He grabbed the dash in the car, which made his sleeve slide back a little.”

Cain looks down at his brother’s hand and sees the bite mark I caught when he braced himself.

“He took Sarah?” Cain shakes his head in shock.

“You sound surprised. Forgive me if that seems odd. You had to know what he was doing.”

“Not to begin with. I wanted no part in the family business and made myself emphatically clear about it, but my grandfather was stubborn enough to assume he could win me over.

“Abe thought I was a fool. He wanted me to take over and bring him in as my second. That had always been the plan, you know, at least for everyone but me. I was looking for ways to bring them down from the inside, but my grandfather evokes loyalty like you wouldn’t believe. Nobody talks and nobody walks away. Still, I kept digging. I stayed because while I was there, it stopped them from grooming my brother.” He laughs darkly, and it cracks something in my chest.

“It’s painful to witness. I stayed to save him, and yet he stabbed a knife in my back the first chance he got.”

It’s sadly prophetic. With names like Cain and Abel, they never stood a chance.

“I’m sorry. If it makes a difference, even if you went the other way and embraced your legacy, Abe would never be content as your second. He likes the taste of power too much. He’d have just gotten rid of you.”

“And stepped into my shoes.”

I pause at that because I’d been implying Abe would just step up. But Abe could step into Cain’s shoes without having to deal with new leadership issues because of how identical they are.

“He’d been practicing… my walk, my mannerisms, and seeing if he could pass himself off as me. I didn’t even realize it until someone would say something about the things I’d done or places I’d supposedly been. That’s when I started asking questions. He didn’t just want to step into my shoes. He wanted to be me.”

Abe is silent now, having passed out, so I stand, keeping my gun handy.

“I have to find Sarah. But you should know, if you don’t already, that Aslanov is involved in this too. I—”

The sound of clapping has me turning, but it costs me because Abe yanks my leg, knocking me off balance. I kick myself free, sensing he’s the weaker of the two targets. I let Cain, who is already diving at him and throwing punches, deal with him.

“Well, I have to say, I didn’t see it going down like this. Shame really. I usually get to at least try the merchandise first.”

I swallow hard, knowing who the voice belongs to. Not wanting him to see he’s hurt me, but the pain that slashes through my chest at his betrayal hurts more than any bullet ever could.

“Surprised?” Scott asks when I don’t give him the reaction he wanted.

“Meh, you need to work on your delivery a little.” I’m happy that my voice stays even. I’m so angry, I want to lash out. I have better control of my beast than Cain does, as Cain lays into Abe, using every ounce of his pain to fuel him.

Scott’s jaw ticks, but he shakes it off as he keeps his gun steady on me.

“Drop your weapon and kick it over to me.”

“No.”

“It’s funny that you think you have any power here. Now drop the fucking weapon, or I’ll put a hole in your head and one in Cain’s for good measure.”

Gritting my teeth, I lower my gun to the ground. Instead of kicking it to him, I kick it over the ledge of the cliff.

“Stupid bitch. You think you’re so clever. You won’t feel so smart when I’m finished with you.”

“Funny, that’s what Luke thought, too.”

A grunt sounds from behind me as the sound of fists hitting flesh assaults my ears, but I can’t look away from Scott.

“Where is Sarah?”

“How the fuck would I know?”

I sigh. Of course, it was all a ruse.

“And Casey?”

“We needed a reason to get you out here. It’s nothing personal. You were asking too many questions.”

“Is Casey even in the hospital?” I ask, ignoring the irony that my cover is intact, yet I still find myself in the crosshairs of a gun.

He grins without answering.

“How are you even involved?” I want to scream in his face and punch him until his teeth fall out. I can’t believe this is the same man I thought was my friend.

“So many fucking questions. Alright, I’ll bite. Abe needed someone he could trust. Someone who worked for him because Luke was only looking out for himself and his Bratva connections. Nobody knew about my involvement. I was Abe’s ace in the hole. We didn’t interact with each other, so nobody bothered to look closer.”

A thud near my feet makes me jump.