All He'll Ever Be

Chapter 9

Carter's POV

Daniel is my only brother who doesn't knock. He never has.

I know he isn't going to this time either. His steps are hurried, angered and I have to suppress a sigh of irritation. I'm fucking tired and I don't have time for his bullshit.

"This war between Talvery and the Romanos doesn't have anything to do with us."

Daniel's always had a knack for speaking as he enters the room, regardless of whether or not my gaze is down on my desk, focused on a spreadsheet of product and how much is selling. Having high demand is good, but some of this doesn't make sense. And it's only on the border of our territory that touches the Romanos' territory.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I ignore him.

"Did you go to the club with Jase?" I ask Daniel as I continue down the order of supplies.

"Did you hear me?" Daniel questions me, kicking the office door shut and making his way across the office to sit in the chair opposite me.

"I did. You didn't tell me anything I don't already know." Shutting the laptop computer, I finally give him my attention and for a moment I'm caught off guard.

"You look like shit," I say, and I don't hide the surprise in my voice.

My brother's eyes spark with a hint of humor as he smirks at me and replies, "And you look like a fucking Ken doll. Drug dealer Barbie style."

A huff of a laugh escapes me as he runs his hand along the scruff on his jaw. "Addison isn't sleeping. She's having a hard time with this."

"With what?" I ask him, feeling a chill in my blood.

"With the shit that's going on. The war, not knowing who tried to take her or what they were planning."

"She doesn't need to know about a damn thing," I say beneath my breath with every bit of humor long gone. "You shouldn't have told her anything. We stay on lockdown. We wait for the Talverys and Romanos to trim their own numbers. If you have to tell her anything, that's all she should know."

Daniel's head tilts back slightly and he runs a hand down his face, his body slumped in the chair. "She's not allowed in the north wing and I don't want her leaving without me or someone else with her... and I'm not supposed to tell her anything?" he questions me, letting his chin drop and daring to look me in the eyes.

"The women should stay out of this." He fucking knows better.

"Says the man who started a war over a piece of ass."

"Careful." He cocks a brow at my response, but I stay firm.

Leaning forward, he puts both palms on the desk and asks quietly, like it's a secret, "What's going on with you?"

I steady my back against the leather chair, letting one hand fall to the armrest, my fingers tracing along the steel nail heads.

"I wish I knew," I tell him in a breath. "We have to move forward with this and there are some things that will benefit us, but it's a careful walk from here until the end."

Daniel nods his head, his eyes never leaving mine. "And when are we getting revenge on Marcus? The man who tried to take what's mine?"

"We don't know that it was Marcus who tried to take her."

"Who else would have done it?" Daniel asks but even as the last words slip out, his conviction wanes. Our enemies are surrounding us. The only saving grace is that they fear us, and they have other wars to fight.