The Deception series boxset: FaCade, Cadence, Beneath Innocence (35 page)

I gasped, snapping out of my daydream when a loud crack fractured the air. Dante pulled out of me and moved so fast I didn’t have a chance to stop myself from falling off the sofa with the sudden movement.

Everything happened so fast that I couldn’t register who was stood in the broken doorway.

My hearing caught him before my sight did. My eyes landed on the last thing I expected to see.

“Hello, Dante.” Cade’s icy voice matched the chill in his sinister grin.

I was sure my heart stopped as I passed out and gave in to the darkness.

I KNEW WITH ONE LOOK that I would kill him. My own brother, the mirror image of myself. The fury was too intense and I blew out a deep breath to take control back. My fists tightened, my knuckles cracking into place when I shifted my gaze from Faye slumped on the floor, her clothes around her knees, and back to Dante.

I couldn’t breathe when I felt the familiar fog take over my senses. My bones hardened as my blood solidified, readying to protect the organs they encased as I allowed the hunger to consume me.

I hadn’t relished in the destruction for years. After what happened, I never allowed it to control me anymore. But I knew, right then, I needed it.

I wanted to rush over and scoop my woman into my safe arms. I wanted the visions of her being violated by a man who wore my face, shared a womb with me, and loved once upon a time to be untrue. Nothing added up so I needed to tread carefully.

The brunette who sat at the table shot out of the chair and made for the door. I allowed her past me, knowing the guys would see to her. I wondered why she was watching my brother rape my girl. I’d make sure she paid for that later. Apart from her, we hadn’t passed another living soul on the grounds. Where was his security?

My girl moaned and shifted from her position on the floor.

“Did you hurt her?” I asked, containing the grief consuming me.

His cold stare didn’t match my own, it couldn’t.

“I asked you a question, Dante. Did—you—fucking—hurt—her?”

He smirked, tipping his head to the side. “You think I was raping her? Forcing myself on her?”

My chest hurt with the way I refused to allow my breathing to alter, pushing back the rage in my blood at the sight before me. Calm was the deadliest weapon and I intended to use the most lethal.

I blinked slowly when he took a step towards me and I smiled, placing my gun on the table beside me and slipping off my jacket.

“Let me tell you something, Cade,” he continued walking towards me, rolling back his shirt sleeves as I flexed my hands. “Raping Star is impossible. Especially when she’s more than eager to open her legs for me.”

Listening to him intently, I rolled my head around my shoulders, shivering delightfully at the grind in my neck. I needed every single one of his words. I needed the fury to free my wrath. Dante wasn’t aware of what I was capable of. He’d never known that side of me; the fighting in underground matches, the illegal cage fights. Nor was he aware that I had won every single one, and enjoyed it, right up until I had gone too far and killed one of my own friends.

If I had done that to a friend, he had no fucking idea what I could do to him.

I laughed, tipping my head back gleefully. “Is that right, Dante?”

He laughed with me, nodding, now stood in front of me. “Feisty little bitch, isn’t she? Then again, she always was. Star likes being fucked up the ass almost as much as she enjoys my cock deep down her throat.”

I leaned close, resting my mouth at his ear. “Just answer me one question. Did she call out your name or mine when she came?”

I knew he was playing me. No way would my girl let him near her unless he forced her.

I allowed him the first hit, I needed it. Every part of me came to life with the pain that shot through my face.

My body hardened, my muscles morphing into weapons that would damage him. My senses heightened, allowing me to figure out where he was going before he’d even moved. My lungs condensed, needing little oxygen to keep me fueled. The Devil himself joined my rage as I took him down.

I think he was shocked at the power I held over him. He gave back well, but he wasn’t made to match my physical strength. He clearly wasn’t used to being hit back, either. Prick. He would never have expected the force of my fight; the last time we’d scrapped was when we were maybe eleven or twelve and he’d floored my ass. He had made a mistake thinking it would be the same this time around.

Each spray of his blood on my skin fueled me further. Each grunt of pain that left him with the fury of my assault delighted my senses. The sound of his bones crunching made me smile and the way he lay limp and barely conscious made me laugh loud and deep. He was a tough motherfucker, no doubt about it, but he didn’t have the same driving force as me, no matter how much he tried to convince himself otherwise.

I stared at him, arranged in his own blood, the red stain in the cream carpet was mesmerizing and I watched in awe as it spread out in a circle around him. Maroon 5’s
Animals
played in my head, although not in context with my feelings for my brother. I couldn’t help but hum along.

I stretched, cracking each joint back into place and unfolding my fingers to alleviate the pain in my knuckles as I reached for the gun.

He mumbled something I couldn’t make out and I sighed in disappointment. “Do you remember when we were kids, Dante, and you took my new bow and arrow? How I swore to you that if you broke anything of mine ever again then I would kill you?” I pressed the muzzle of my gun into his temple. “Not only did you take my girl.” I pressed harder. “You broke her. You broke her heart, you broke her innocence and you broke her in two by separating her from me.”

He struggled to open his eyes, but when he did I hated the way they still held that victorious glint. “And I enjoyed every fucking second. She was never yours.”

I closed my eyes for a second. “You’re wrong. She was always meant to be mine. There was never meant to be two of us, Dante, and now there won’t be.”

I held his eyes, our goodbye said without words as I pressed my finger to the trigger.

“STOP!” Faye shouted. “Cade, please don’t. Don’t!”

I was shaking. She had pulled her clothes into place and was crawling towards me, fright so clear in her eyes it made my heart ache for her even more. I never wanted to see that look in her eyes again. She wanted to save Dante. Had he really not forced her?

“Cade, don’t. I can’t lose you like this,” she whimpered.

Me?

“He needs to die, Faye. He deserves it.”

“There are live cameras everywhere,” she whispered.

“We found this motherfucker. He took Cole down,” Frank spat, throwing a big guy to the ground.

“Malik! Is he breathing?” Faye asked.

“Faye!” Frank rushed over, picking her up into his embrace. I wanted her in my arms but instead I was looking down at my replica who was smirking. He must have been in agony, the sadistic prick. He was too smug for someone about to die.

“Where are the rest of your security men?”

He spat out some blood and then laughed. “Why would I need security men, you f.u.c.k.i.n.g idiot?” I pushed the muzzle of my gun into an open wound until he writhed and hissed through his teeth.

“My security system alerted the police to your presence as soon as you stepped foot on my property. They will be storming the dock within minutes.”

“We’re not stupid, Dante. We disabled your security system. No one is coming to save you from my bullet.”

And there was the chip in his armor. I relished in his gulp.

“That’s impossible.” He choked on the blood filling his mouth from the busted lip.

“Yeah, Blue’s pretty impressive.” I grinned at him, clicking my tongue and giving him a smug wink. The flash of fear in his eyes was fleeting but I saw it.

“You just killed her,” he gargled, more blood filling his throat.

“You can’t kill anyone when you’re no longer breathing, Dante.”

The high-pitched echo of sirens filled the air, the sound faint but definitely there. What the hell?

“Smile for the fucking cameras, asshole!” The big guy laughed. Frank moved forward, swiftly kicking him in the stomach, making him cough and wheeze.

“He has cameras everywhere, Cade,” Faye breathed, almost inaudibly. “There are live feeds that are nothing to do with the security system.”

I jumped to my feet. “All power has been cut!”

“It works on another server to everything else, you fucking cock sucker! I’m not stupid,” Dante growled.

“We need to get out of here.”

“Too late.”

The room swarmed with police officers screaming at me to drop my weapon. We didn’t plan for police. He fucking kidnapped my girl and they were aiming their weapons at me.

I threw the gun away and raised my hands slowly, my eyes darting to Faye to make sure she was safe. The room was at a standstill. Why weren’t they arresting us?

Dante struggled to his feet, wiping at the blood decorating him. “What would the public think of their famous leading man if I let them see this footage?” He smirked. Like I gave a fuck! Being an actor was a safe outlet for me; I did all my own stunts and fight scenes. It was an adrenaline rush and it made me stupidly rich. It was never to gain popularity or fans; they just came with the genes our folks gave me.

“They’d think you’re a kidnapper and rapist, that’s what I think.”

“Is that what I am, Star?” He walked over to her. My instinct wouldn’t allow me to stand and watch. I was instantly restrained by armed officers, my arms forced back in a harsh snap as I struggled in their hold.

“That’s not her fucking name!” I shouted. “Just arrest us if that’s your plan.”

No one but Dante moved. “That’s not the plan. You don’t come into my house, touch me and make accusations.”

“What are you going to do, kill us in front of twenty police officers?” My heart was beating out of my chest. I just wanted to get to Faye out of there. I should have shot him and left while I had the chance. I’d have risked a prison sentence if I knew she was safe and waiting for me.

“That’s the difference between me and you, Cade. I was always the one with brains. I don’t pay brutes to protect and serve.” He walked towards me.

“Is this where your brains got you, Dante? Alone on an island where you harbor kidnapped women?”

He was grinning again. I wanted to kill him. “You’ve outstayed your
un-
welcome.”

“I’m not leaving without her.” I gritted my teeth and tried to pull from the fuckers holding me but it was useless. One shoved his gun against my spine.

“I should kill you, but a slow death is more appealing to me. One where your heart crushes you when you realize she loves me not you, and when she comes home of her own free will, I hope it fucking breaks you.” He nodded to the cops holding me. They maneuvered me over to the table and pinned my hands down.

“I’ll let her come with you, Cade, and every time you touch her she will feel your scars and think of me, if she isn’t already.”

My scars? What the fuck? The gun firing pierced the silence, followed by Faye’s screams, and excruciating pain exploded in my hand before I even realized he’d shot me.

“No! You bastard, Dante. That’s your brother, let him go!” Her terror was keeping me from thinking about the lava in the palm of my hand.

“It’s okay, baby,” I managed to get out against the shock making my body vibrate.

“Oh and, Cade, she’s not your
baby.
”

Another shot rang out and my other hand ignited in pain. My vision blurred, my teeth chattering to over-ride the torture tearing through my hands.

Muffled grunts echoed around me, making me aware of my men trying to get free.

Dante held up his hand. “Get them off my fucking property, and Star . . .” He chuckled slightly and blew her a kiss. “I’ll be seeing you soon . . .
baby.
”

Blood poured from my hands like a running faucet, making me queasy as I was dragged from the room with the rest of my guys, and then hit on the back of the head with a gun.