“Coby,” Evelyn said, stepping up next to Thane and leaning her head against his arm as if they were young lovers caught fucking in the middle of a date.
Thane pulled away from her and pointed a finger in her direction.
“This isn’t finished,” he said.
“Oh, I hope not,” Evelyn said, reaching a hand down to touch her own clit. “I know how long you can last.”
“Where’s Poet?” Cobalt asked.
Silence.
“Uh oh,” Evelyn said. “Big brother’s not gonna like this.”
“Thane,” Cobalt said. “Where is my brother. I know something’s not right. I can sense it. I lost my connection to him.”
Thane bowed his head.
“No,” Cobalt said.
Sylvia stood behind him, and she didn’t know all the history, but Penny had told her enough that she knew about Poet’s death, and how he’d saved her only to be attacked by another great white. It hadn’t been Evelyn herself who’d done the killing, but she’d been ultimately responsible.
“I’m sorry, man,” Thane said.
“He trusted you,” Cobalt said, looking down at his feet, and turning his head to the right and left as if trying to shake off something, or trying to understand something unfathomable.
Sylvia wanted to go to him, to comfort him. She could feel his pain. She didn’t even know the man, but she felt like she could understand the sorrow he was feeling. It seeped through his pores and floated on the breeze, wrapping around her like a blanket of suffering.
“He trusted you,” Cobalt repeated. “You said he could stay with you. He wouldn’t leave you. He said you were the real deal.”
His pain transferred to Thane who opened his mouth to speak and nothing came out. Behind him, Evelyn made a gesture with an open palm and her men started backing into the shadows once more, slowly and quietly departing. It was the smart thing to do. She was removing herself from the situation while Cobalt and Thane were both distracted. Sylvia could see her retreating, but she couldn’t say a word to stop her. In her heart, she was glad the woman was going. If she was gone, Sylvia would feel safe again.
“I loved your brother,” Thane said. “He was like my brother.”
“But he wasn’t your brother!” Cobalt yelled.
He lifted his head and glared at Thane. Sylvia couldn’t see his face, but she was sure he would have fire in his eyes. His voice cracked with agony. He was on the verge of crying, but his hardened mentality wouldn’t allow a single tear to flow. She’d known men like him. They couldn’t be broken, and if there was ever a moment to test them, this was it. Even with all the misery, he wouldn’t let himself fall apart. Not in the company of others, nor in private. He transformed sadness into rage. Cobalt was redirecting all that negative energy at Thane.
“He wasn’t your fucking brother!” Cobalt roared as he charged at Thane and with his fists clasped together, swung his hands up like a rock-solid club, and bashed it against Thane’s jaw.
“Unf!” Thane muttered as the hit surprised him and rang his bell.
“Hey!” Kino ran at the man, but Cobalt was a pissed off pitbull and swung his arm out, slamming his knuckles into the bridge of Kino’s nose.
The hit was so hard Kino did a complete backflip.
“Grab him!” Jagger yelled.
Rickshaw and Jagger both rushed at Cobalt as he leaned over Thane and swung his heavy fist down, nailing the fallen leader’s cheek and sending his head back down into the sand. Thane couldn’t move.
“No!” Penny yelled as she tried to run to his aid.
Sylvia grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
r /> “He’s killing him!” she screamed.
“He’ll kill you and the baby!” Sylvia told her.
“Thane!” Penny yelled as she slapped at Sylvia, trying to force her friend to let her go.