Abel (Sabine Valley 1)

I should dig in my heels. My faction comprises one-third of Sabine Valley and thousands of people. My father might have been just another flavor of Bauer Paine, but I’ve done a lot of work to help our people in the five years since his death. Things are better here now, better than they ever were under Paine rule, even if the territory still holds their name. That should be more important than anything. Even Harlow would say as much.

But…

I can’t let her be hurt. I just fucking can’t do it. I can be ruthless in every other way but that. She’s too important to me to let her pay the price for my sins. I swallow down my rage. “You really are a monster.”

“Pot, meet kettle.” He doesn’t blink. “How many people died in that fire because they were drugged and unable to flee? Don’t think too hard, Eli. I can tell you the answer. Forty. Forty fucking people dead because your old man wasn’t content with slitting my father’s throat in his sleep. It would have been forty-seven if we didn’t get out, and you wouldn’t have lost a damn bit of sleep over it.”

“That’s not true.” I know better than to argue, but the words slip out all the same. “I cared.” I cared so much, I did the unthinkable that night. I just didn’t realize how out of control things would get, hadn’t possessed the foresight to realize my father’s plans would include the other factions.

Intentions don’t matter; actions do.

“You can say that, but you didn’t do shit to stop it. That’s not caring. That’s cowardice.”

“I’m not a fucking coward. Your father was a rabid dog, and the entire faction suffered because of it. You know it, and I know it. You’re just pissed because we took him out before you had a chance to.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. I didn’t mean to say that, either.

“You always did like to spin the truth to suit your purposes. Whatever I planned for my father, I never would have done shit to hurt my brothers or our people, and you damn well know it.” He pushes to his feet. “And you’ve pushed me far enough tonight. Guess it’s time to pay Harlow a visit.”

True fear clogs my throat, shattering my control. “Abel, wait.”

“No, Eli.” He turns away. “You don’t get to try to call my bluff and then change your mind when it’s time to pay the piper. Or when it’s time for Harlow to pay the piper.”

“Wait. Fucking goddamn it, Abel! Wait!”

He ignores me, stalking across the bedroom and wrenching the bathroom door open. A waft of steam escapes, and he gives me a cold look over his shoulder. “Look, she’s all ready for me. Nice of her, don’t you think?”

“You fucking bastard!”

His dark laugh trails after him as he steps into the bathroom and closes the door. The click of the lock sounds unnaturally loud in my ears. I yank against my cuffs, but they don’t give. Of course they don’t give.

That doesn’t stop me from trying. If I can get to the bed, get to the key…

I try to hop the chair sideways, but my head is still fucked up, and I overcompensate, tipping over. I land on my arm and curse. No matter how hard I struggle, there’s not a damn thing I can do.

Once again, Harlow’s going to pay the price of my sins.

7

Harlow

I know who it is the second the bathroom door opens. There’s no way Eli could have escaped the cuffs. He’s capable, but even he has his limits. I duck my head under the spray, prolonging the moment before I have to turn around and face Abel.

It doesn’t help that the bathroom is set up in the most utilitarian way possible. The shower is an open-air one, just like in a gym: a shower head and a drain in the middle of the tiled floor. There’s a toilet and a sink and…that’s it.

Which means there’s nothing between me and Abel.

I turn slowly and slick my hair back. He’s leaning against the door, a contemplative expression on his face and heat in his eyes. My body responds even as my mind digs in its heels. I know he can make me feel good, but the price is too high. It was one thing to go through with the consummation, to let my anger slip its leash, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a regular occurrence.

I reach to turn the water off, and he gives a sharp shake of his head. “Leave it on.”

I doubt Eli can hear us through the door and across the room, but obviously Abel wants to ensure it’s true. I step away from the water. “Hand me a towel?”

He snags the white towel off the counter and walks to me in the slow stride of a predator on the hunt. It takes everything I have to not take a step back as Abel stops in front of me and wraps the towel around my shoulders. We’re too close, and it’s all too easy to remember what we were doing last time he had his hands on me. I force myself to hold his gaze. “Let go.”