“What was so important that I needed to be dragged out of bed at five in the morning?” Devlin asked as he entered the room, only for the last words to die on his lips.
He locked eyes with me, and genuine relief flashed across his face as he realized who I was. Taking one step toward me, I raised the gun and he stopped in his tracks. Speaking to James while looking at me, he remarked, “I’m guessing you have something to explain, James.”
“Yeah, we need to up our security,” James commented as he stood from his seat.
Walking to Devlin, he slapped him on the back and said, “Good luck.” Then, he turned to me. “Stella, it was nice meeting you. I’ll see you later.”
Without a backward glance, he walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the one they called the madman. Only he didn’t appear mad. He seemed almost happy.
“Stella, I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Does Hailey know you’re here?”
I signaled for him to sit with the barrel of the gun, and he followed my instructions without hesitation. After taking his seat, he leaned back and linked his hands together, resting them across his stomach. He was waiting for me to respond as I placed the gun on the table with it still gripped in my hand.
“I think you and I have some things to discuss,” I said, and he smiled at me.
There didn’t appear to be malice in his voice, but his smugness was pissing me off. “Ask whatever you need to. My life is an open book.”
“Hardly,” I responded and sat back in the chair. “Who is James to you?”
“He’s my brother, business partner, and best friend.” His answer was straight and to the point.
“How did you meet?”
He cast his eyes down before leveling his gaze with mine. “He was sold to the same man Papa sold me to.”
Guilt shot through me, but I refused to back down until I was completely sure. “And you created a family?”
“Yes.”
“Jesus, you’re as bad as Papa was about giving information.”
Devlin leaned forward and his voice grew dark and gravely as he said, “Do not ever compare me to that selfish piece of shit. I’m nothing like him, and if you give me a chance, I can show you.”
“How do I know this isn’t all an act? How do I know you’re not just like him, looking out for yourself?”
“Because Papa didn’t care about anyone but himself. I’m guessing you figured out the alarm code, so you tell me. Would he have used any birthdate but his own?” I shook my head slightly, and he exhaled some of the tension. “I know you’ve been through something terrible, but you have to trust that I’m not him. I’ll never be him, and if I even start to act like he did, James would kill me where I stand.”
“You have no idea what I’ve been through,” I returned, and his gaze cast down to the table briefly. “You couldn’t begin to understand what my life has been like, so don’t sit there and think you have any understanding of me.”
“I’ve been looking for you for years. Why didn’t you find me sooner?” Devlin inquired.
“I didn’t want to be found.”
“Not even for Hailey?” he asked, and I felt the low blow in my gut.
“Hailey has been better off without me,” I said and it was his turn to shake his head.
“She wants to know you. You could have found her sooner.”
“What makes you think I didn’t know where she was?”
“You knew what she was going through and didn’t take her away from it?” he asked and started to stand up.
“Sit the fuck down,” I scolded and lifted the gun off the table. Once he complied, I began to speak. “I was unable to get to her for close to seven years, but as soon as I found her, I did what I could to get her out of the situation. I wasn’t in a place to help her, but I made sure she was protected. I’ve done everything I could to keep her safe, and I probably shouldn’t be here, but I needed to ensure you weren’t using her to get to me. Or worse.”
“Where were you?” he asked quietly, and I lowered the gun back to the table.
“Until she was around twelve, I was . . . held captive.” I was going to gloss over the details. They weren’t his or anyone’s business, and if I could keep Adrik’s name out of it, I would. “The next two years, I healed from . . . everything.” I felt tears building in the back of my eyes, but I refused to cry in front of him. “Then, I took care of that bitch and got Hailey out of the hell she was pulled into. After that, I watched from afar, knowing she was better off without me.”
