13. Kade

13

Kade

T essa has gone to bed, and Madden is in his office.

"Beer?" I look up to see my brother watching me from the doorway.

"Sure." I have nowhere to be tomorrow, now that I'm stuck here for a few days. Alberto wasn't happy, but there's fuck all I can do about it.

It's a warm evening. The trees sway gently in the breeze, and high above, stars twinkle in the inky sky.

I haven't been here since Christmas. Madden's had the place for years. He and Cin often come here to fish and hang out between jobs, but since my brother and I are no longer close, the invite has never been extended to me unless it's a holiday like Christmas.

Cin thinks I don't know he and Madden have a thing going on. But I've known for ages. Ever since I saw them making out in a club while they visited between stints overseas. I'm not sure why he's never told me. Possibly because it's not serious. Cin still fucks women, so it's not like they are exclusive.

There was a huge scandal last year when a photo of him and some actress they were working for hit the gossip sites. Her husband was not happy. It didn't dent Cin's reputation though. If anything, Madden had even more work inquiries after that little debacle.

My brother's always been a manwhore. From the moment he realized he could get whatever he wanted by flashing a smile and batting his eyelashes, he leveraged his pretty boy looks to the max.

And it worked. By the time he was 15, he had the local girls - and women - eating out of his hand.

He drops a bottle on the small table and flops down into an adjacent chair.

"Thanks for agreeing to take in Tessa," I tell him, aware that I haven't really thanked either of them for dropping everything at such short notice.

"It's our pleasure," he replies. Something in his tone makes me look up as I reach out for the bottle of beer. He has that look on his face, a look I've seen before.

The look that tells me he's crushing hard.

And I sigh inwardly.

I should have known this would happen. Tessa is like a wounded bird, and Cin never could resist a pretty broken toy. He falls in love too easily, desperately seeking the love our mother was incapable of giving him.

The same pattern has repeated many times over the years. Cin falls for an unavailable woman, loses his mind, and then, when it all implodes, he sinks into a black depression.

Madden has been the only constant. Women come and go, but Madden is there for him. On one level at least.

In many ways, Madden is just as unavailable as the women Cin falls for. I can tell he cares for my brother, but like me, Madden keeps his emotions locked down tight. If only Cin was the same. Life would be a lot simpler for him if he was.

"She's off-limits," I remind him before taking a long drink. The beer is cold as it slides down my throat, washing the taste of wine and pizza away.

" She's an adult, Kade. She can make her own decisions."

I turn on him. "Tessa is vulnerable, Cin! She doesn't need you panting after her!"

"Fuck you," he sneers. "Don't think I haven't seen how you look at her when you think she can't see. You want her too."

I put the bottle to my lips because he's right and I know if I lie, he'll see right through me.

"Yeah, thought so," he taunts. My fist clenches. The urge to strike him comes hot and heavy. It's been years since we had a full-on fight. When we were younger, I could beat his ass, but now? I'm not so sure. He's older, as tall as me, and while not quite as built, the army has honed his fighting skills.

Still, I'm willing to take a chance. Knocking the shit out of my annoying younger brother is just what I need to let off some steam.

"You know nothing, Cin," I snap. "Tessa is Alberto's daughter. Even if I was interested - which I'm not--" He scoffs loudly. "--I can't go there."

"But brother, forbidden fruit always tastes the sweetest." As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. Is that why I'm drawn to her? Because she's the one person I shouldn't want?

We sit in silence for a few minutes. I drink my beer and stew over the fact I know Cin will hit on Tessa the moment my back's turned, and she'll fall for his charms because they always do.

"You deserve to have someone like her," Cin says quietly.

I look up in surprise. "What do you mean?"

For once, he looks serious, which is very unlike him. Mostly, he lives to wind me up. He gets some kind of perverse pleasure in making me angry. Always has.

"I mean, you gave up a lot for me."

"Nonsense. I gave up nothing." He feels guilty because he thinks I handed over my autonomy to protect him.

"If you hadn't joined the mafia, so I had the money I needed to go to college, you'd probably be married with kids by now," he insists.

"Nah, that life wasn't for me." I was much too far gone by that point. Thanks to my mother, I'd had to grow up fast. If Alberto hadn't taken me under his wing, I'd probably be locked up by now. Cin too.

"Well I'm sorry you never got the choice. I think you'd be a better father than either of us ever had." Since we can't remember our sperm donor, that's a certainty. My phone buzzes from the table and I snatch it up before Cin can get a good look. The last thing I need is him giving me shit over who's messaging me this late. I glance at the screen, and sure enough, it is who I think it is.

Fucking Candy. I wish she'd get the fucking message. I told her it was over the last time we saw each other.

Another message pops up on the screen, and I sigh.

Fuck my life. It looks like I have yet another problem to deal with when I return to the city.