The Devil You Know - K.B. Winters Page 0,74

he looked tired. No, not tired, he was exhausted. “Had a visitor last night.”

“Yeah, who?” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees as I mentally prepared myself for another shit storm. For more violence. More bullshit.

“Brendan fucking Rhymer.” His words were calm, eerily so and that bad feeling returned with intensity. “God, that fucker is even more hideous now. His skin looks like a melted fucking candle, and he smells like Hannibal Lecter had a barbecue.”

My lips kicked up into a half-hearted grin, but I wanted more details. “What did he want?”

Jasper sat back with a smirk. “To let me know he was the one who blew up that Lambo in the parking lot.”

“Big fucking shocker. Did he say why?” He had to have a plan if he met with Jasper. In person.

“Wanted me to know it was him. Him. Not Daddy Dearest and not the pervert priest.” Jasper shook his head, disbelief written all over his face.

“Crazy asshole got it in his head that his old man doesn’t give a fuck about him and won’t ever hand over power, so he came to let me know we now have two Rhymers to worry about.”

I could buy that explanation. Almost. “But why tip his hand now? Doesn’t make sense.”

“Hates Mueller and thinks if he’s out of the picture, it’ll make the old man more vulnerable. He’s not wrong. Without the protection provided by the church, The Crusaders would be in shambles.”

His gaze remained fixed on mine, gauging my reaction to everything like he suddenly didn’t trust me. “He’s been watching Mueller. And Mueller’s been watching Kat.”

Ice slid through my veins at his words, and I felt my skin go pale.

“Where is she?”

“Safe,” he growled and produced an envelope, which he tossed across the desk. It landed right in front of me. “Open it.”

I did, hoping like hell that it wasn’t photos of Kat being stalked by one of Mueller’s crazy followers. What the black & white photos were of, was worse. Much fucking worse. Photo after photo of me and Kat.

Kissing.

Laughing.

Eating.

Fucking.

Making love.

In every fucking photo we looked like a couple in love. So deep in love that an ache formed in my chest because in that moment I realized what I had with Kat. At the same time that I realized it was over. We were over.

“Nothing to say?”

He leaned forward, an angry look on his face that I knew well, but it had never been aimed at me. Not once in more than twenty years.

I leaned back and sighed, knowing I was caught and knowing that I had to take this, whatever it was, like a man.

“What do you want me to say, Jas?”

He smacked the deck in anger. “I want you to tell me that you’re not fucking my sister.”

“I could tell you that, but I’m not a liar.”

“That’s up for fucking debate,” he growled and glared at me. “You fucking lied to me every time you were supposed to be protecting Kat. But no, you weren’t protecting her, you were fucking her!”

“Watch your fucking mouth, Ashby! Be pissed at me all you want, but don’t act like Kat is too stupid to know the fucking difference.”

It pissed me off that he even thought Kat would let any man use her. Ever.

“So, what, now I’m supposed to believe you have feelings for her? Give me a fucking break man, I know you.”

“Do you?” I sat back and examined Jasper closely as I wondered if he did know me. “Because if you knew me as well as you seem to think, you’d know that I’ve been in love with your sister for years. Years, Jasper. And you know why I never did anything about it?”

“Because you were worried I’d kill you?”

I flashed a bitter smile at his words, ignoring the ache they caused.

“Because of our friendship. At least I thought it was a friendship, now I’m not so sure.” And that hurt worse than anything.

Jasper shook his head, refusing to let my words sink in. “She’s my sister, man. My fucking sister. That’s Bro Code 101.”

I shrugged. “I’m just a dumb fuck who never went to college. I guess I missed that lesson because here I was thinking you and I were brothers. Thicker than blood.” I stood on heavy legs and shook my head.

“But that was all bullshit, wasn’t it, Jas? Meant to keep me close, to be your fucking lapdog, not your friend.” All the years I stayed away from Kat, denied my heart the one thing