Page 259 of Saving Her

My soul.

“Come on.” He tugs me toward the door. “I have a fresh length of rope that’s going to look perfect against your skin.”

31

Luca

Torian keepshis weapon trained between Benji’s eyes. “I can stay like this for however long necessary. We all know as soon as one of the guards watching this block stumbles upon the asshole with a gun to my head, they’ll take you out.”

He’s right. I’ve been lucky so far but that luck will soon run out. “He’s my brother. He’s yours, too.”

“He’s no brother of mine.”

Benji raises his hands in surrender. “There’s no excuse for what I’ve done. But let me explain. Let me tell you why.”

“I know why.Money. For fucking pieces of paper, you greedy shit.”

“Torian, I’ve had enough. I’m done here.” Hunter lowers his weapon and walks to Benji’s side. “We can’t do this. Not out in the open. We have to move this somewhere else.”

Torian doesn’t budge.

“I’m serious,” Hunter growls. “You’re angry. And for good reason. But whatever’s going on in that head of yours can’t happen in a public place. You also need to give him a fair hearing. If Layla—”

“Leave her out of this,” he snaps.

Layla lets out another sob. “I’ll never forgive you, Cole.”

“You’ll never forgive me?” he roars. “Are you kidding?”

She flinches, then hikes her chin and straightens her shoulders. “Stella will never forgive you. Keira will never forgive you.” She adds strength to her tone. “Luca and Hunter and Deckerwill never forgive you.”

He doesn’t respond. He just stands there. Weapon pointed. Finger on the trigger.

“I’m lowering my gun, too.” Decker points his barrel to the sky as it descends. “We can discuss this with civility. Stella deserves that much.”

Still, there’s no movement from Torian. Not a flinch or loosening of his posture.

I keep my aim on the back of his head, the weight of this situation becoming heavier through the quiet.

I’ll never get away with killing him. I wouldn’t want to anyway.

One bullet would steal everything I have.

I built a life with these assholes. I found a semblance of home.

“I’m lowering my weapon.” I stare at Benji, hoping these aren’t our last moments together. “We’re going to do this the right way.”

Torian scoffs. “You trust I won’t kill your brother, then shoot you, too?”

No, I don’t. This could be suicide. But I have to put faith in everything we’ve been through. I have to trust I’ve earned enough of his respect to grant Benji a hearing.

“We’re family. And families fuck up sometimes.” I lower my gun, my heart pounding at the vulnerability as I place it back in my waistband. “You can’t expect any of us to be perfect.”

Torian swings around, removing the threat from my brother to place the barrel against my chest. “I can expect whatever the fuck I want.”

I hold his gaze, glare for glare. “You’re a smart man, but you’re not thinking straight. Don’t let a knee-jerk reaction destroy your family.”

His lip curls, his weapon digging further into me.

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