Page 38 of Blood Money

It takes me a minute to realize he’s talking to me. The few words Lydia and I have exchanged made me completely forget I mentioned my job. “I—um. I’m hired to eliminate problems.”

“Eliminate problems? Ever think to come home and eliminate the biggest one?” He moves his face to mine.

His eyes are hard and brimming with unshed tears. It makes my heart ache because I knew what was happening, and he’s right. I should have come back. But the thought of someone coming after him—this exact fucking thing—made me think Dad was the lesser of two evils. I can’t believe how wrong I was.

“Carter, if I would have come back without orders, it would have put a target on your back. I don’t work with good people. I work with criminals. If they thought hurting you would get to me, they wouldn’t think twice about doing it. I couldn’t let that happen.”

“But you did. He hurt me, Cyrus! You could have stopped it, and you didn’t. You could have saved me, and you didn’t!” he screams.

Before I can even reply, he storms out of the room, and Lydia is hot on his heels.

I want to go after him too and try and explain things better, but Carmen finally opens her mouth again, stopping me in my tracks. “Just so you know, my loyalty is to them. Not you. I’ll hold their secrets but not yours.”

I scrub my hand down my face. Right now, I’d much rather catch up with my brother and apologize until my face is blue, not deal with Carmen. But I’m sure word has traveled to Ghost now, and I can’t risk the liability of her. “Seems we have a problem, then, don’t we?”

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