Page 100 of Burned

Now, Isobel stares into the emptiness where a warm fire should be flicking and crackling.

She wraps her arms around herself.

It’s a defensive gesture. And the way she does it looks a lot like Erin’s.

I correct myself. No, a woman. Women do this. Close themselves off when no one else is protecting them.

A flicker of warning heats the back of my neck; do not compare these two.

Carlos wants that. He wants the two women turned into blades.

But even Carlos doesn’t know the explosive secret that only Isobel and I share. Now she crosses her arms over her midsection, holding herself tight.

Holding on to a memory.

One that only belongs to her and me.

The past threatens to drag me back. I need to move forward. Now more than ever.

“Isobel,” my voice tightens more than I want.

“Marina handled messages,” Isobel says, turning slowly. “Before our fire. And after. For years.”

“Messages that helped the Morettis with their attack on the Village,” Rafe adds.

“Did she work directly with Carlos?” I ask.

“Anyone with enough to offer her,” she says. “And yes. Carlos was one of her best customers.”

I go for the obvious. “Money.”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“What then?”

“Information.” Her mouth tightens. “And revenge. Before he even met Lucian.”

“You’re talking in circles, woman. What did Carlos get from Marina?” Blaze leans forward. “Who did he want revenge on?”

“He was young. It was his first time tasting crime.” Isobel looks at me. “And his vengeance was aimed at Lucian.”

Blaze’s knife stops moving.

Bayne shifts slightly near the window.

Another dagger pierces my chest.

“What do you mean?” But I know already, don’t I? The creeping, crawling, sick feeling of being betrayed crawls up my spine. “He didn’t meet me by accident? Did he?”

She confirms with a silent shake of her head.

My gut twists like a blade’s been plunged into it.

I was born into the Bachman bloodline, but it’s still a choice one must make to be in the Brotherhood. Before I joined, and after my parents were killed in a car crash, Carlos pulled me into his world while I was still young enough to be shaped, used.

At the time, I thought he was looking out for me.

I remain standing. Barely. “I was his right-hand man. He took me under his wing after my parents died. He showed me the ropes while I was grieving. Before I was ready to join the Brotherhood.”