KAEL
My rifle was trained on Andrew's head, but the shot was impossible.
He'd positioned himself perfectly, Aria's body blocking any lethal angle, the bomb vest making even a grazing shot potentially catastrophic. One wrong bullet and the explosives could detonate on impact.
"Let her go, Andrew." My voice was steady. Calm. The voice I'd used to command men in combat zones. "This is between us."
"Oh, now it's between us?" Andrew laughed, the sound sharp and brittle. "Funny how it's always between us when you want something. But when I needed a brother? When I was just a kid trying to understand why you hated me? Where were you then?"
I kept my breathing controlled, my finger off the trigger. "You got what you wanted. The papers are signed. Everything's yours. Roman Holdings. The properties. All of it."
"You think I'm stupid?" His grip tightened on the detonator. "The second I let her go, you'll kill me."
"You're right." No point in lying now. "I will."
