I fought the shiver at his words. If he didn’t have a gun in his hand right now, he’d almost sound like a concerned brother. But I could hear the truth. The only person I belonged to was him. And what he wanted more than anything was my pain.
“I overcame my fear of water just for you. Aren’t you proud of me, sissy? I told the doctors it would be good for my development if they helped me face that fear.” He let out a bark of laughter. “Those idiots took me to a pool.” He smiled at me, tapping the gun against the counter. “I’ll give them credit, though. They helped me work through it.”
I should have known that Michael’s need to see me suffer would outweigh any of his fears, any hurdle in his path. But I’d wanted to believe that I’d built a safe haven on Harbor—with Brody. That none of the ugliness and pain of my past could reach me there. I’d been wrong.
Michael shook his head. “Did you really think you could hide from me on this godforsaken island? I’ll give you points for trying, but honestly, the attempt was pretty pathetic.”
I did everything I could to keep my face a blank mask. Not to give him any reaction.
“Sam’s been keeping me updated the whole time. It was dumb luck that he landed on the crew that built the studio for your boyfriend.” His expression darkened as he glanced at Sam. “But he got a little overeager.”
Sam’s face reddened. “How was I supposed to know she’d have a meltdown when I so much as talked to her?”
Sam clearly hadn’t told Michael the whole story. But before I opened my mouth to share what had truly happened, I needed a better feel for their relationship. They were brothers in arms, but there was tension, too. I needed that to work to my advantage.
“I told you, she’s delicate, my big sister.”
Not anymore. Everything that Michael had put me through had hardened me. He just didn’t know it yet.
“It really was reckless for you to play at that bar. Sam sent me a video of that one. Your playing isn’t quite as good as it used to be.”
Memories battered at my brain. All the times Michael had cut me down. Pointed out every shortcoming and failure. I stared straight ahead. “I play for myself. No one else.”
He scoffed. “That’s what the mediocre use as an excuse. You used to be talented. Had so much promise. Why did you give it all up? Hmmm? Was the violin ruined for you after that night?”
I let my eyes fall closed for a moment, trying to push back the onslaught of images battling to get through.
“You gave up so much after. It’s only fitting. You were never supposed to live. And you did a pretty good job of playing dead for years.”
Each word hit me like a physical blow. Not because they were cruel, but because they were true. I held back for so long, thinking that making myself invisible was the only solution. “I’m not doing that anymore.”
Michael scowled in my direction. “You shouldn’t have been so careless. All of those people made you weak. Left you wide-open. How do you think I got you off that island? Pretending to be one of your little friends.”
I stayed silent, keeping my gaze on him but also trying to scan the room. All I had was the fork gripped tightly in my hand. A piece of silverware was no match for a bullet and two men much larger than me.
“You know that’s why I had to punish you. But you never listen to my warnings.”
“Why we had to punish her,” Sam corrected him.
Michael’s jaw worked but he nodded at Sam. “Of course. We’ve been keeping all of these local yokels chasing their tails, trying to find a killer who was right under their noses.”
My stomach pitched, acid surging up my throat. “Y-you had an alibi for every crime. How?”
Michael beamed. “Bingo! She finally gets it. Someone give this girl a prize. It really is fascinating that you fell in love with someone whose past is almost as dark as yours. And the man they sentenced in New York? He really was helpful to ensure we got the details right.”
“You really think your brother couldn’t fake some video footage? I thought you knew him better than that.”
I should’ve known better. But even with as much energy as I’d put into protecting myself, I’d let my guard down.
Sam shot Michael a grin. “We tag-teamed everything we needed to. Once each of us had at least one alibi, the rest was easy.”
“Why?” I croaked. So many people. And for no reason.
Michael pulled a knife from a sheath at his side, his eyes narrowing. “Why? Because you’re a heartless bitch who abandoned me when I needed you the most. You knew they were planning to send me away. But did you warn me? No. You were just going to let them do it.”
My gaze stayed focused on the knife, the glint of metal in the sun. I swallowed hard. “Because you needed help. They were trying to get you well.”
“They were trying to get rid of me!” he screamed. “And you were going to let them. I never had any of you on my side. I had to fight for every little kernel of attention. Do you know what that’s like?”
I did know. Because as wonderful as my parents were, they focused on Michael. They had been terrified of and for their son, of what he was turning into. And somewhere along the way, I fell by the wayside. They hadn’t meant to, and I knew they loved me. But I wasn’t the one screaming out. I was simply trying to keep from drowning. “I know.”
Michael lunged forward, stopping just a few feet in front of me. “You do not! I know! You were loved. I was hated.”
“Stop,” Sam ordered. “I want to have my fun first.” He cut around Michael and grabbed me by the throat. “This bitch has been teasing me for years.”
My eyes watered as I scratched at Sam’s arm, my makeshift weapon clattering to the floor. I let instinct take over. My hands moved up to break his hold, and then my knee rose in a striking motion as I pulled his head down. I heard a loud crack and felt Sam’s nose break.
“You cunt! I’m going to kill you.”
Just as Sam reached for me, another crack pierced the air. This one louder. Sam was simply there one moment, and then he wasn’t. My eyes tried to compute the body on the floor. The gurgling sound as he bled out, clutching his throat.
“Dammit, Shay. He was supposed to be my fall guy. I’m going to have to come up with another plan now.”
“L-l-let me go. Please.”
He gave me a smile that was a bit feral. “Now, why would I do that? The fun’s just beginning.”
A figure crashed through the door, taking Michael down in a tackle. It was a blur of limbs and cursing and it took me a moment to realize that the figure was Hunter. “Run, Shay!” he called. But I couldn’t. Wouldn’t leave him with my brother.
The knife clattered to the floor, and I dashed to pick it up, my head pounding with the movement. I tried to reach for my brother to pull him away from Hunter, but I was too late. A loud pop cut through the air, and Hunter crumpled, rolling to his back, blood blooming on his chest.
No. No. No. I fell to my knees. “Hunter. Talk to me.” I quickly pulled off my flannel shirt, keeping the knife tucked between Hunter’s body and mine.
His eyes fluttered. “Run.”
I pressed one hand against his wound and took hold of the knife with the other. I pointed the knife at Michael. “Get out of here. The police will be on their way.”