“He’s not a monster,” Alec cut in, “but I am. I was the one to take Marco’s life, not him.”
Hearing Alec admit he murdered someone crushed me.
“Ah, but that was justified, was it not?” Morgan grinned. “You were horrendously abused because he sold you to people like a pack of cigarettes. I think anyone would say what you did was warranted and then some.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Nico snapped.
Morgan chuckled. “I’m not too sure about you, Nico. I’ve watched your fights over the years, and for a while, I could have sworn you enjoyed hurting other people.”
“You’re wrong,” Damien interjected. “He never hurt any of those fighters more than he had to … He never would have fought anyone if it wasn’t for Marco. None of my brothers would have done any of the things they had to if it wasn’t for him.”
“I think you’re partially to blame,” Morgan said. “Don’t you? I mean, you didn’t kill Trent, but you thought you did. You tried to … You wouldn’t have pulled the trigger otherwise. And all over a girl you knocked up.”
My world crumbled around me.
I froze. “What?”
Morgan focused on me. “That’s one thing I forgot to mention to you. Damien knocked up his girlfriend when he was a kid.”
He sounded like he took pleasure in telling me something that hurt me to hear.
“I thought you were me friend, Morgan.”
“I am,” he stressed. “I’ve opened your eyes to what the brothers really are.”
“They’ve done nothin’ willingly from the sound of it.”
“Agreed, for the most part,” Morgan said. “Except they never told you about their past when all the other girls knew about it. They never told you that you were knocked out the night my brother died and used as a bargaining chip. They never told you because they don’t trust you, angel. They never have, and they never will. Can’t you see that?”
I lifted my hands to my head as it throbbed.
“Shut the fuck up!” Damien snapped, his voice sounding murderous. “Stop playing fucking mind games with her.”
“Mind games?” Morgan repeated. “I’m telling her the truth, which is the least I can do considering you assholes were never going to.”
I felt sick, so I crossed my arms over my stomach.
“Baby,” Damien said, his focus on me and his voice softening. “You know me. You know my family.”
“Do I?” I repeated, looking at the floor. “Do I really, Damien? Because I’ve just learned things about your lives, about my life, that I had no clue about.”
“You have to believe us when we say it was for your own protection, Alannah.”
It was Alec who spoke, but I didn’t react. I kept my gaze on the floor.
“Me protection?” I repeated with a scowl. “Because I’m poor, helpless Alannah who can’t make decisions or fend for ’erself, right?”
“No!” The brothers chorused.
I ignored them.
“I feel sick,” I said, my lower lip wobbling. “I feel like everythin’ has been a huge lie. I don’t know any of you.”
“Lana—”
“Alannah,” I cut Damien off with a bellow. “Stop callin’ me that. You aren’t allowed to call me that anymore. None of you are.”
“Touch her, Carter, and I’ll break your hand.”
It was Kane who spoke, and the tone of his voice terrified me.
“I want you all to leave.”
“No!” Damien snapped after I spoke. “We need to talk about this.”
“Now we need to talk?” I repeated, looking up into his grey eyes where I forced myself to ignore the turmoil in them. “You want to tell me about this mess now, when you’ve had years. Literally fuckin’ years to tell me about somethin’ that I was directly involved in?”
Silence.
“I feel like a fool!” I shouted, my voice breaking. “I feel like a fuckin’ eejit. Did you all laugh at me behind me back because I was so clueless? Did you laugh because you knew I loved you all, and you never cared a fuckin’ bit about me? Did you all get a kick out of it?”
“You’re my sister,” Ryder said, his eyes heavy with sadness. “You watched my sons come into this world. Do you think I’d have allowed that if I didn’t love you?”
I looked away from his daring eyes, unable to form a coherent reply.
“Don’t touch me,” I said when Damien attempted to walk towards me. “Don’t you dare touch me ever again.”
“And that, my friends, sounds like a job well done to me. I’ll take it as my cue to leave.”
Morgan stood up, but none of the brothers moved a muscle.
“If you’re going to kill me,” Morgan said, not an ounce of fear in his tone. “Do it or let me leave this life and you five in my past because I’m fucking done with this bullshit. I’ve avenged my uncle and brother in my way. I’m at peace, and they’re dead because of the life they chose.”
Still, no one moved.
“Please,” I said, my throat tight with emotion. “Please, just let ’im leave. I want ’im to go away and never come back.”
“I’ll do just that, angel.”
I focused on the brothers, and one by one, though it seemed to cause them great distress, they stepped aside and allowed Morgan to walk by them. I stood up and followed him, only to be halted when a hand latched onto my arm.
“No,” Damien said. “We are making sure he leaves here, leaves the country. You sit down.”
I touched his hand with mine and removed it from my arm.
“For once,” I said, not able to look him in the eye, “trust me with somethin’. I need to speak with ’im before he leaves for good.”
When I walked after Morgan, no one stopped me this time. I found him standing in front of the elevator with his hands in his jeans.
“You said Marco and Trent’s deaths were justified.”
Morgan glanced at me and nodded as I walked towards him.
“They were. They did horrible things to the brothers.”
“Then why have you done all this?” I demanded. “Why would you want to hurt people who rid the world of two evils?”
“Because—” Morgan sighed “—those two evils were the only family I had, and I couldn’t just do nothing. I was raised to be loyal to my family, to protect as best as I could. If I did nothing, I wouldn’t have been able to leave my past in the past.”
“So this is really it?” I questioned. “You just wanted to get in their heads like you did mine?”
Morgan nodded. “I was never going to physically harm anyone. I’m not my brother and uncle. I thought I was once, but I’m not. This has all proved it to me, I just want to have a normal life, I don’t want to be evil like they were.”
“From where I’m standin’, I don’t see much of a difference.”
“I like you, you know?” Morgan smiled sadly. “I do feel regret for tangling you up in this, if it’s any consolation.”
“It’s not,” I quipped. “You’ve ruined everythin’.”
Morgan frowned.
“You’re a sweetheart, and you’re damn talented, but you’re wasting yourself by being involved with the Slaters. They’re broken … damaged goods who’ve been through hell and can’t be repaired. Cut your ties with them before they ruin you, too. No one will blame you for wanting to protect yourself, Alannah.”
“You’re wrong about them, about the men I know,” I said, standing with my head tall. “They’re good men, and I love them, all of them. They’ve made mistakes, and even though I’m hurt and angry at them, I won’t have anyone hurtin’ them. They’re my family, even if I’m not theirs. Morgan, Carter, whatever your fuckin’ name is, if you ever try to hurt them in any way again … I will kill you.”