Page 11 of Betrayed in the Dark
Maybe that’s all this is about. My shoulders relax a fraction at this notion.
“No.” Vin shakes his head. “This is more of a family matter.” His eyes move to Leo before he gives a quick jerk of his chin.
Leo runs his fingers through his dark hair, briefly eyeing Eli before his gaze lands back on me.
No. No. No.Something doesn’t feel right.
If this is a family matter, then why is Eli even here?
“It’s imperative to us that you’re safe,” Vin starts. “You have always been our top priority, but recently, we’ve been too lenient in a world with so much darkness. So much cruelty.” He pauses, looking deep in thought as he stares at his desk, and then slowly, he nods. “So, with that said, we have asked—”
“No!” I spit out, my hands falling to my sides, transforming into fists. “No fucking way in hell.” My heart races beneath my chest, panic swirling throughout me. This can’t be fucking happening.
“Madeleine,” Vin states, his voice laced with authority. “Eli is the best one for the job. He will keep you safe and—”
I take two steps, my palms landing on the desk with a loud thud as I lean closer to Vin. Fury radiates through my veins. “I am quite capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need a bodyguard. I don’t need him!” My chest heaves with each breath I take as my eyes dart to Eli, who sits there calmly. All six-foot-five of his muscular body. His gorgeous, deep brown eyes hold mine, causing my breath to catch in my throat. His thick, brownhair is tousled as if he had run his fingers through it a hundred times. Something he does when he’s nervous.
Am I making him nervous?
I quickly look away, my eyes connecting with Vin’s, who stares me down, an eerie calm surrounding him. “Eli,” he says, his eyes still on me. “Do you mind giving us a moment?”
I don’t dare look away from my brother, not wanting him to win this one. I won’t back down from this fight.
After hearing the door close, I stand straight, crossing my arms over my chest, my eyes drilling holes into Vin’s face.
God, I wish he didn’t look so much like me, or I’d call him ugly.
“I’m only going to ask you this once,” Vin says calmly. “Did something happen between you two that, as your brother, I should know about?”
My lips part but then close just as quickly. I scoff, turning to face the wall of books behind me before suddenly saying, “No. Don’t be ridiculous.”
It isn’t totally a lie.
As my brother, he definitely doesn’t want to know the details about what happened between us.
“Then why do you hate him so much?” Leo asks.
My shoulders drop, my hands dwindling to my sides. “I don’t…hate him.”
I’ve tried.
Believe me, I have, but never with any success.
“Well, you sure fooled us,” Alex notes, making me roll my eyes. Sometimes, I really despise how smart Alex is. He’s the brains of our family. The one you go to when you need security footage retrieved, a computer hacked, a new identity created, etc. But he’s also the one you go to when you spill a glass of red wine on your white carpet at two a.m. in a drunken panic.
Yeah, he wasn’t too fond of that wake-up call.
I turn to face the four of them.
None of them believe me.
They’re all looking at me like I’m the problem.
A clearing of a throat causes me to look at Mauro, whose dark eyes say more than he’ll ever be able to after sustaining injuries from the same explosion that killed our father. There’s not much I can hide from him. He’s the most perceptive of all of my brothers. And probably the deadliest.
However, this is one secret that he and the others can never discover.
“Alastor won’t like this,” I utter, my voice steady, hoping the threat of him might cause them to reconsider their ludicrous plan.
