AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s the same thing I’d like to know.
Where the fuck is my brother? And why isn’t he at least returning my calls?
I look at my phone. My screen saver is a picture of us when we were just kids. Neither of us is smiling, but it’s the only one I have of us from back then. We didn’t have parents to keep memories of us. It was just us. So when I found this at my foster mother’s house, I took it and kept it and added it to my phone. It’s an image only I can see with facial recognition, because I’ll be damned if I let anyone see any type of weakness.
While those days were hard, knowing that I’ve had the same person all my life, even from the womb, I think has somehow gotten me this far.
And I hope it will continue to do so.
But now it leaves an empty space in my life. And a deeper unanswered question—why did he leave me behind?
Whatever his reason to leave, did he really not think I could help him? After everything we’ve built together?
“Has he run away?” Crue asks, and I don’t know how to answer that. I don’t know what he did. And I hate that, the not knowing. Imagine having someone in your life constantly and then one day they’re gone. I’m not referring to a life partner. I’m talking about someone I shared a womb with, for fuck’s sake. That is a different thing altogether. No life partner would ever come close.
At least that’s what I tell myself.
Maybe it’s different for Alek. He doesn’t really like to talk much as it is, and I’m the person he talks to the most. And even then, he uses as few words as possible.
“I doubt it,” I say.
I try my hardest to push the uncertainty down. I won’t show weakness, especially in front of these two men. But I owe them at the very least, the answers I can give, considering in their own silent way they’ve also supported me during this time.
Had I been in their shoes, I would’ve come for their business the moment I saw an opening. Then again, it’d take an entire army to take me down. It hardens my resolve to know they measure me as such.
“You believe he’s alive?” Dawson asks.
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
“In danger?” Crue asks. I want to laugh. Alek in danger? Alek could kill all of us so easily. He is the most lethal person I know. And I know a lot of evil men.
“Never,” I say.
“I believe you. I doubt Alek could be in danger,” Dawson says. “My men still haven’t found information on his whereabouts.”
I let out a slow sigh. It’s the most I can manage to hide the exhaustion behind the mask. Both of them have feelers out, in addition to mine, and still nothing.
I wish I could say I’m surprised that not even the best have yet found Alek, but in my eyes, he has always been the best.
“Thank you for looking into it,” I say. An uncomfortable tension ripples through the room, and I hate the words on my tongue. My jaw tics as I straighten my back and lean into my throne. “If you hear of anything, let me know immediately. Until then, I’ll sort out the River Bently situation. But I’m not letting him in so you can make this into some kind of boys’ club.”
Dawson chuckles as they both stand. “Let me assure you, Anya, that none of us think our balls will compare to the size of yours. Boys’ club or not.”
“What a vulgar thing to say to a lady,” I retort, but I can’t help finding amusement and appreciation in his words.
I watch them leave, then check my phone. There’s a text from River.
River: I’ve been thinking about those perfect tits of yours all day.
I exhale a sigh. Is this really the fucker I’m considering letting in?
Absolutely not.
I need to find a way for River to accidentally trip and fall into the path of a bullet fired from one of his own guns.
CHAPTER 14
River
