Chapter Seven

Ibroke a promise to my brother. Something that I’ve never done in my life. I promised him that I’d look after her, but I can’t. Since that night almost a month ago in front of her apartment, I knew I had to keep my distance.

I still watch over her from a safe distance, but not for as long as Zayden would insist upon, I’m sure. I make sure she gets to the bar safely and home safely, all the while she’s none the wiser.

I can’t be near her. She’s too consuming, too intoxicating. From the moment I laid eyes on Blake Carlson, I understood why Zayden was so obsessed, why he was so hell-bent on keeping her for himself. She’s practically magnetic, the soft rasp of her voice, the supple curves of her body, and those intriguing eyes, all wrapped up in a package that would bring the most disciplined man to his knees.

After the first night, I looked into her, and though there wasn’t much that came up, what I did find was less than pleasing. No doubt Zayden has done deeper research than I have, and I can only imagine what went through his mind when he saw those photos.

I did my best to keep my distance, to observe but not engage. And then that went to hell real fast when that piece of shit smacked her ass. I had someone look into him, and apparently he has neurological deficits from how long his brain was deprived of oxygen. The police are looking for what his friends described as a big, scary dude with tattoos. I almost laughed at his friend’s incompetence, but it was nice to know there wouldn’t be any heat coming down on me for my rash action. Zayden seems to be bringing enough heat for the both of us.

His lawyer called me and said that he got the hearing moved up to today. He also told me that Zayden has been in three fights since he’s been incarcerated. Which, of course, is not surprising, but it sure as hell is unhelpful to his plea of being the victim.

The smooth-talking lawyer I hired was able to get me a ten-minute conference with him before he had to go to court. He said that I need to talk some sense into him. Obviously, he doesn’t realize my twin doesn’t have the capability for anything of the sort.

When the door buzzes open in the cold jail conference room, my stomach dips in anticipation. I haven’t seen Zayden since the first time I came here. Mainly because I haven’t wanted to see him since I kissed his sole obsession. He’s observant, too observant. What I did was despicable, no matter how much he doesn’t deserve her and how delusional he clearly is if he thinks he could ever really be with her. Either way, it doesn’t matter. He saw her first, he claimed her first, and I broke my brother’s trust.

Swallowing over the guilt I have building inside me, I school my face as Zayden comes strolling into the room with a nice, clean blue suit on. He sits down at the table as the guard stands in the corner.

Zayden’s eyes are on me instantly, narrowing in accusation.

“You haven’t come to visit.”

I give him a bored look as I tilt my head.

“Sorry, I’ve been running a business, several actually, just trying to keep things going since my partner got himself locked up.”

Zayden doesn’t drop his accusing look, though, his eyes tracking me like a hawk.

“Did you expect me to come every day so we could chitchat? Have some brotherly bonding?” I scoff dryly.

“You were supposed to be giving me updates on her,” he says as his jaw clenches.

“You didn’t specify that,” I say as I glance at my watch.

“Fuck you!” he snarls as the guard takes a warning step toward him. Zayden blows out a calming breath before looking back at me. “You knew I would want updates. Why haven’t you come?”

Choosing to sidestep his question, I redirect the conversation.

“I hear you’ve been causing trouble in there.”

“Only a little.” He smirks in a sinister way that would make any normal person’s skin crawl.

“Yeah, well, your little bit of trouble is going to cause you big problems when it comes to sentencing, you fucking idiot.”

He rolls his eyes at me and shakes his head.

“The lawyer and I have it all planned out. They were all self-defense. You know how jail can be. They tried to take advantage of me,” he says as his entire demeanor shifts and he allows his voice to shake and his eyes to fill with terror.

My god, he’s a fucking psychopath.

“Hope your acting classes have paid off because you’re gonna have to sell it hard.”

He waves me off, dropping the scared act as he adjusts his seating.

“Now, back to my angel. How is she?”

I nod. “Fine. I assume you know the routine by now. To and from the bar, an occasional lunch with her friend. Fairly mundane life.”

“Any problems?” Zayden asks.

“Actually, yes,” I say, causing Zayden’s eyes to snap up to me.

“There was an incident at the bar. A guy was harassing her, and then he slapped her ass.”

I hear one of Zayden’s molars actually crack as his jaw clenches to the point of steel. His chest is heaving as he stays silent, no doubt trying to control his rage.

“And?” he practically growls.

“And he was discharged from the ICU two weeks ago with long-lasting neurological deficits.”

The fire in his eyes dims a bit, returning to a calm smolder.

“Excellent news, brother.”

I dip my head in thanks as I pull my wallet out, removing the Polaroid photo I took for him. When I set it on the table, he grabs it instantly, lifting it up in his shackled hands as he stares at it reverently.

“My angel,” he whispers underneath his breath.

I don’t know why he calls her that, she isn’t his anything, but if you tried to tell Zayden that, I’m sure he’d rather cut out your tongue than accept the truth.

His eyes trace over the image for several more seconds before he tucks it into his pocket and nods his head, closing his eyes tightly. When he opens them up again, a clarity I haven’t seen in years fills them. For a moment, if you didn’t know better, you’d almost think Zayden was normal. He’s calm, composed, and not a ticking time bomb eager to go off at the slightest inconvenience, just for a taste of blood.

“Let’s go. Sooner I can get out, sooner I can be in bed with her,” he says as he stands.

I frown at that.

“You’ve been in her bed? Zayden,” I say with a curl of my lip.

“We’re soulmates,” he says simply, like that is the most basic piece of knowledge there is in this life.

Instead of arguing with him, I shake my head and turn to walk out of the room as the guard escorts him through his door. The courthouse is just next door, so I make quick work of exiting the jail and stepping into court.

Once I’m through security, I find Zayden’s lawyer pacing the hall. As soon as he sees me, he hurries over.

“Tell me you calmed him down. I tried to talk with him the other day, and he fucking lost it on me.”

I nod. “He’s calm.”

“Good.” He nods. “If he plays his cards right, we just might be able to get him out of this with house arrest and probation.”

“And if not?” I question.

He gives me a sharp shake of his head that has me cursing under my breath.

Fucking hell, Zayden.

The judge rattledthrough the case information way too fast. Judge Martinez barely looked at Zayden as he put on the performance of a lifetime. Honestly, I almost believed him, and I know him better than anyone in the world. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to affect the judge in the slightest.

“Zayden Graves, rise for sentencing.”

Zayden stands, that same innocent look splashed across his face as he stares up at the judge hopefully.

“For the charges of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon, I find you guilty and sentence you to five years in the Washington State Penitentiary, with the possibility of parole after three years.”

With that, the gavel is banged and gone is my calm and collected brother. A roar rips through him as he attempts to jump over the table. I’m not sure what his goal was once he got over, but several prison guards rush him immediately, slamming him to the ground before wrapping him up in even more restraints as they haul him out of the room.

His screams are heard even after the door is shut, and his lawyer shakes his head as he packs up his briefcase.

“Sorry, Mr. Graves. Looks like the judge had his mind made up before we even showed.”

I look at him but don’t respond as I stare at the judge. Judge Allen Martinez. I’ll come up with his home address later and make sure to check on him. I heard there was going to be a terrible gas leak.