“What in the hell do you think this is?” He runs a hand down his jaw.
“Too late! Too late. I had to move on. You gave me no choice. I was losing my mind wondering if I should even bother. You asked me not to look for you, but I did, and you moved out of the townhouse, quit the garage, you both left without a trace. What was I supposed to believe?”
Neither of them speaks up about the necklace. Both would be hard-pressed to admit it now, probably because of the man standing beside me, and now I’m sure I’ll never know.
Sean’s voice booms, scattering my thoughts. “We were fucking forced away! Cut off from the world for keeping you from him. For doing exactly what he’s been doing!”
I turn to Tobias. “Is this true?”
“It’s true,” Dominic snaps, his tone as cutting as his silver gaze. “And since when is his fucking word money over ours?”
“Since you left me with nothing!”
“Fuck this,” Dominic says, turning on his heel.
“Don’t, Dominic,” I move toward him, and Tobias stops me, “please don’t go,” I beg. Eyes watering, I plead with him as he goes completely rigid, his back turned to the three of us. “Please, just tell me the truth.”
“The truth,” he slowly turns, his voice hoarse. “The truth is, Cecelia, you and I have both been played, but me, by my own fucking blood!” He charges toward Tobias, the wrath in his face unbearable. Tobias steps between us, pushing me back a few feet, readying himself.
This only fuels Dominic as he lunges for his brother, and Sean catches him around the chest just before impact, speaking rapidly in his ear. “Don’t. Not here. Not now. This isn’t the place. We’ll deal with this our way.”
Chest fracturing, I look helplessly to Tobias, whose eyes are zeroed in on his brother. In them, I see shame and a hell of a lot of guilt. I shake my head furiously at the revelation. “You mean to tell me you’ve been waiting this whole time to come back to me?”
Dominic fights Sean’s hold, ripping at the arms circling his chest, murder in his eyes for his brother. “Yeah, we’ve been fucking waiting, waiting for the okay to come home! Fuck you—” his face falls as he stops his struggle, and I crack in half at the agony in his eyes. He shakes his head as Sean steadies him, whispering to him furiously.
Dominic taps Sean’s arms. “I’m good. Let me go.” When Sean releases him, Dominic grows eerily calm before he steps toward his brother, his voice filled with venom.
“Notre mère aurait honte de toi.” Our mother would be ashamed of you.
It’s then I note Dominic’s accent is heavier, more polished. Tobias’s was just as heavy when I met him.
“France,” I speak up in a whisper. “You sent them to France.”
All three of them turn to me as I look over at Tobias, who helplessly looks back at me as I piece it together. “That’s what you’ve been hiding.”
That was his secret. And our relationship was always a ticking time bomb. He knew they were coming for me.
He knew.
“You sent them to France. You made them leave, leave me.”
Tobias hangs his head. His voice defeated when he speaks.
“I was going to tell you, tonight.”
“How convenient,” I whisper hoarsely, feeling every bit the fool I am.
Dominic speaks up. “You are no brother to me. Everything you stand for is a lie.”
Tobias scrubs his face, clear offense in his tone when he speaks. “I’ve done this one thing, for me, which doesn’t change the fucking thousand other things I did before it, for you. I’ve spent most of my life paying my dues, paving the way while you two had your fucking fun.” He steps forward, his eyes pleading. “Tout ce que j’ai toujours fait, c’est prendre soin de toi.” All I have ever done is take care of you.
“Je te décharge de ?a maintenant et pour de bon.” I relieve you of that now, for good. Dominic smashes his palms together as he speaks and separates them as Tobias flinches with the blow of his words.
“Tu es en colère. Je comprends. Mais cela ne signifiera jamais que nous ne sommes pas frères.” You’re angry. I understand. But that will never mean we are not brothers.
“It means nothing to you. You proved that.” Dominic eyes me, and I can feel the onslaught of his words before he speaks them.
“Quand tu la baises, frère, sache que c’est moi que tu go?tes. Tu peux la garder.” When you fuck her, brother, just know it’s me you’re tasting. You can keep her.”