Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,87

world started to crumble.

The moment I parked alongside, cutting the engine and jumping out, Kito rushed toward me, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Masters. I couldn’t stop him. There was no reason to, but I knew you might be upset.” Kito flanked my side, his tone riddled with uncertainty.

“Who is it?” I barked as I opened the front door. Suddenly, the hairs stood up on the back of my neck.

“Hello, brother.”

I’d often planned on what would happen the moment I set foot on Irish soil again, the words I’d say or the reaction I’d face at seeing my brothers. It wasn’t the one that occurred when seeing Liam standing in the foyer, his hands in his pockets and an expression that wore on my emotions instantly.

He’d aged, more so than I would have expected, his once happy eyes dull and lifeless, lines crisscrossing his forehead. Still, he remained boyish, his blond hair another reminder of our beautiful mother.

An intense ache formed in my heart.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Even my voice couldn’t hide the mixture of ugly emotions.

“I had to come since you refused to talk to me.” He swept his gaze toward Kito, obviously tense.

A part of me wanted to throw him out of the house, but if he’d traveled all the way from Ireland, there was a solid reason. “I’ve had business to deal with.”

Liam dared walk closer to me, offering a genuine smile. “You look good, brother. Better than the rest of us.”

There were dozens of retorts I wanted to spout off, but there was no time for childish semantics. “I don’t have much time, Liam. There is an issue I’m being forced to deal with.”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

I narrowed my eyes, ignoring the curse words coming from Kito’s mouth, the man obviously distracted by something on his phone. I walked even closer to my brother, staring him directly in the eyes. “What in the hell are you talking about?”

“Mr. Masters. You’re going to want to see this.” Kito’s voice held urgency.

“It will have to wait,” I stated, still keeping eye contact with Liam. Whatever my brother had on his mind had been troubling him for some time.

“I don’t think it can wait.” Kito’s heavy footsteps forced me to snarl.

“What?” I barked as he held his phone in front of my face. Oh, my God. I had to blink several times in order to understand what I was seeing. The pictures. The horrible pictures of the crash ten years before had been splashed across the news. My hand shaking, I took the phone from him, my mind shifting to the night all those years ago.

The horrible sound as the metal twisted.

Her horrific cry.

“What is it?” Liam asked, although his voice seemed to be in a tunnel.

“Did you do this?” I asked, shaken to the core. I shoved the phone into his hand, watching every nuance, ever facial tic as he glanced at the horrible pictures.

Swallowing hard, Liam lifted his gaze after several seconds. I could see tears in his eyes. “I would never do anything to hurt you, Gabriel. I love you. You’re my brother. I came here to warn you this was going to happen.”

* * *

Alessandra...

All I could think about was the woman I cared for desperately. Her face. Her voice. Her touch.

Her sex.

I’d sent for her, making certain Kito would have her ready to leave at a moment’s notice. I wasn’t going to wait until the decision was reversed. I had to get her the hell away from here. I would protect her from the evils of this world.

I laughed to myself, realizing my thoughts were ridiculous.

I was the evilest thing in this ugly world.

There were no words to describe the darkness that had settled in me or the emptiness that had followed. I’d been stripped of my privacy, my wretched past displayed for everyone in the entire state of Colorado to see. I’d retreated to my office, unable to think clearly, uncertain of what to do.

But I already knew the ramifications, the first call coming in only minutes later. The deal with Mr. Braxton was off. There was no recourse, no way of repairing the damage that had been done.

I stood staring out the back door, the warmth of the sunlight flowing over me from the open drapes. There was no need to hide any longer. My entire underbelly had been exposed. I even found the warmth invigorating, very much so for a man with no