Page 69 of Full Throttle

At that exact moment, a cell phone began to ring. All heads snapped to Collin’s side of the table to watch him pull his phone from his suit jacket. He answered with a sharp order. “Report.”

We all watched as he listened to whoever was on the other end of the phone. Slowly, a look of satisfaction settled over Collin’s sharp features. “Proceed—but remember, I want him alive,” he clipped before ending the call. When he turned his attention to us, he explained, “We have Kavi’s partner. He’ll be state side in a few hours.”

“Who is bringing Kavi’s partner stateside?” Dontell asked.

My eyes flicked over to the empty seat where Cain was supposed to be.

Collin, without missing a beat, replied, “The Donovan brothers.”

I whirled back, looking at Collin with wide eyes as my jaw went slack. My heart sunk into my stomach as Leon sat up straighter.

“Excuse me?” he barked as all Oasis drivers looked at Jer, who held up his hands in a calm down gesture.

“I had nothing to do with that decision,” he shot out.

“I ordered Xander to go,” Collin stated. “It only made sense for Cain to join him. I didn’t order Cain; as he has mentioned once or twice before, he doesn’t work for me.”

Why would it make sense for Cain to go to Russia?

“Sending Cain to fucking Moscow is sentencing him to death!” Dontell raged as he shot up from his chair. Suddenly, Leon was out of his chair, and everyone seemed to be arguing. All the while, Collin remained seated beside his wife, seeming completely unbothered.

My heart was on the floor, my other insides about to follow suit. “What?” I breathed. No one heard me, but how could they over Dontell’s shouting?

“Cain barely escaped by the skin of his damn teeth! You just let him go?” Leon roared.

Escaped?

“What?” I whispered, my nails now digging into the top of my thighs.

Slowly, I turned my head to look at him, seeing the passion in his eyes for Cain. I knew there was history between them, but I was in the dark about that. Just like I was about this.

“It’s done,” Dean clipped, his voice cutting through the arguments like a sharp blade. Irritation was painted all over his face. “Cain made his choice. He did it because he wanted to end this shit.”

Dontell and Leon shared a look, and then they both looked at Jeremy as a chilling silence fell over the room. My eyes collided with Kay’s. I’d only spoken to her in passing on Sundays when everyone came to Sullie’s. Today, her eyes were sharp and alert as she watched the chaos unravel. She stared at me for a moment before blinking and murmuring something to her husband. He gave her a nod and stood, buttoning his suit jacket. “There’s no sense in arguing over something that’s been done.”

“How long?” Leon bit off.

“How long what?” Jer asked.

“How long has our boy been in Russia while we’ve been here?” Mina jumped in, her voice filled with disbelief.

“Three days,” Collin answered, his eyes coming to mine almost immediately.

My chest caved in as I scanned the faces of the rest of Oasis’ members as they all realized that Cain hadn’t been around for a bit.

“Why?” I crocked once more, confusion weighing heavy on my shoulders like a cinder block. All eyes were on me once more, making me feel as if I was under a microscope. My skin felt hot, and all I wanted was to go hide.

Clearing my throat, I asked through my confusion, “Why did it make sense for Cain to go to Moscow?”

Jer jaw jumped once. Twice.

Then he hit me with it. “Because Cain used to be a member of the Bratva. Years ago.”

Everything I thought I knew shattered, my world turning upside down as the floor fell out from underneath me.

As my body fell into a deep abyss, I could feel my heart breaking once more over Cain Donovan.

“I know things must be confusing,” Jer said softly from behind me.

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