The Kingdom (Preacher Brothers 1)

But Dom was blinded by his need for her, his arousal. He didn’t understand she was a liability, a risk to all of us. She’d seen our faces, and the fact was she could ID us to the cops. Hell, she worked at the fucking jewelry store we just robbed. I didn’t know what it was about her that drew him so irrevocably to her, but that line needed to be broken, that tether severed.

And I was going to be the one to cut it.

I should have left the house as soon as we talked about the job and payout. I should have pulled myself away from the dark temptation to finish her off and “save” my brother. Instead, I’d stayed. And that had been a mistake.

I heard Dom head out to the garage to work out and could practically smell the desire that came from him. I didn’t know if he’d fucked her yet, but if he had, it would make things even more complicated. A Preacher boy claimed hard—that was for damn sure.

Although none of us had ever claimed a woman, whatever we set our mind to we did it with everything in us. It’s why we were the way we were, why we were so good at our job. It was why being professional fucking thieves came so natural to us.

When we were focused, that was it… all bets were off, nothing could deter us. And that’s what Dom’s issue was now.

I’d handle it, and after it was all said and done, he’d see it was better this way, that I’d done him and all of us a favor.

I headed down to the basement, and when I reached the landing, I cocked my head to the left and looked at Dom’s closed bedroom door. He didn’t even fucking lock anything, not the door that led upstairs, and I knew for a fucking fact that the bedroom door was currently unlocked.

And although she wouldn’t have been able to escape, not while I was here, this lack of concern he had regarding her pissed me off. He was too lenient with her, trusted her, because he wanted between her legs.

I walked toward the door and stopped in front of it, listening. It was silent, and I imagined her sleeping, curled up in the center of his bed, unaware of the monster who stood just feet from her, only a slab of wood protecting her from me.

I reached out and grabbed the handle, turning it and then pushing the door open. I saw her sitting on the edge of the bed, her back to me, her head slightly downcast. Because of the angle, I couldn’t see exactly what she was doing, but I assumed she was looking at her hands, thinking about her situation, worrying.

She was probably terrified, as she should be.

I took a step into the room and I saw her back straighten, her head lifting slightly, but still she didn’t turn around and face me.

“I wondered when you’d come back,” she said softly, no fear in her voice.

Did she know it was me standing right behind her, a loaded gun in my hand, intending to kill her?

I didn’t say anything, and she didn’t turn around.

“I’ve been thinking about what we did, how I feel.” I heard a tremor of desire in her voice for my brother. She inhaled and then exhaled slowly. “This is crazy, Dom. I’m insane for how I feel for you.” That last part was whispered, but I heard it all the same.

I didn’t say anything, didn’t feel anything but my one goal, my one task. And that was to finish this so she didn’t ruin our lives.

I didn’t care how my brother felt for her. I didn’t give a fuck what she thought she felt for Dom. This family was everything to me, and she wasn’t a part of that. She wasn’t a part of the plan.

“But what I know for sure, even through all of this, how ludicrous all of this is, Dom…” She paused, maybe thinking about what to say next, maybe regretting all of this. “What I know is that the very thought of leaving, of not being with you, makes me feel… unfulfilled. It scares me.”

I could hear the passion and sincerity in her voice, the genuine emotion she felt. I never understood those who let their raw emotions control them. Love was nothing more than a chemical reaction. It was fleeting, extinguishable. It was easy enough to turn off and on.

“And I don’t know what all this means, Dom. I don’t. I’m stupid for feeling anything more than hatred and fear for you. But the way you touch me, the things you said to me—whispered—makes me feel like this isn’t the worst thing I’ll ever do in my life.” She inhaled sharply. “It makes me feel like this is exactly where I’m supposed to be.”