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told me about Tony, I would have checked him out quietly and let you know to break off the friendship.
By the time I found out about him, you Were already in the car with him. I didn't have time to take him
down easy. He was taking you to one of Armando's warehouses."
"We were going out to dinner."
"Have I ever lied to you? Never, Rachael. It's always been the two of us, ever since we were children
and there was only us."
"How do I know you're telling me the truth? How do I know what's the truth and what's a lie? My uncle
murdered my parents. I thought he loved us. I thought he loved Mom and Dad. Dad was his brother.
What does that tell a child, Elijah? The world isn't a very safe place and you can't trust anyone. Not even
family." Raphael swung around and filled a glass of water for him, needing something to do.
"I would never, under any circumstances, order your death. You're my sister, my only family, and I love
you. You don't have to believe me, Rachael. I know you're hurt and angry and very mixed-up. I didn't
have time to talk to you."
"You had time to pull me out of the car before you killed him. And you had time to lock me in the house
afterward."
"You were hysterical. He went for his gun, Rachael. You didn't see him make his move because you
were fighting me as I pulled you out of the car. You wouldn't listen to me and you were threatening to go
to the police. I did my best to carry out Dad's wishes and make the business legitimate. It hasn't been
easy. I know too much about Armando, just as you do. He can't allow us to live. As long as he thought I
was with him, that I could control you, we both were safe. Once I made my move against him, Armando
wanted to kill you not only to punish me, but to silence you. You should never have talked to Tony."
Her dark eyes flashed. "I would never tell an outsider our business, certainly not a man I knew nothing
about. I wouldn t risk your life or his. I went out with him.
"And he never asked you questions about me?"
"He asked if you were my brother and I said yes. You are. It's common knowledge. It shouldn't have
gotten him killed."
"Rachael, let's start with something we know. Tell me you know I love you. You must know everything
I've done in my Me I've done for you. For us. To keep us alive. I was a child too. I had no power. No
one to help us. I had no choice if we were to stay alive. I had to join with Armando or he would have
killed us both on the spot. I traded my soul for a chance for both of us to live."
She flung herself into his arms. "I know you did. I know you did it for me. I knew you could have gotten
away if you didn't have me to try to protect."
"Does it really make sense to you that I spent all those years protecting you and now I'd suddenly want
you dead?" He wrapped his arms around her, hugged her hard. "It was so awful. I felt responsible and I
didn't know why you would do such a terrible thing. Power corrupts, Elijah. I've seen you fight it. You
tried to make the business legitimate, but at the same time, you had to do the things that allowed
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Armando to think you were a part of the business." "I had no choice but to run the business the way
Armando wanted. We inherited half of everything, Rachael. Armando wanted it all, and he wanted it to
remain his. When he found out Dad wanted to get out from under it, he had them followed. He
discovered Mom could shift into the form of a leopard. He found his perfect assassins. Stealthy. Cunning.
Intelligent."
"So Dad took us all to Florida." "That was because Mom was afraid her people would harm Dad. So he
moved us to the Glades. Mom could still run, and he was out from under the business. But of course it
didn't work that way. He owned too much and knew too much. He was slowly trying to get out from
under the companies. Armando wasn't going to let that happen. All the while I was out with my
wonderful uncle, doing his little tasks for him because he let me ran free. I was so stupid. I told Mom and
Dad that Armando knew about me shifting, that I did it all the time in front of him. Mom had been so
secretive and I wanted her to know it was okay, that he didn't mind. They were both so upset, and they
must have talked to him. Armando arranged to meet with Mom and Dad and he killed both of them."
"And I saw it." Rachael pulled away from him. "I'll never forget his face when he turned and saw me
standing there."
"Do you think I liked doing the things I had to do? He held you hostage, Rachael. He never bothered to
hide what he did from you. The more you knew, the more of a liability you were to him and the more I
had to do to make it worth his while to keep you alive. He needed me. I was like Mom and a
tremendous asset to him. And he knew that he couldn't kill both of us and get away with it. As soon as
possible, I made certain he knew there was proof, if something happened to either of us."
"But Elijah, I saw you do things just like he did them. You're not the same. You've grown distant and
colder. I tried to talk to you about it land you brushed it off."
"He was making another move against us. And I was planning to kill him. I didn't want you involved." He
said it bluntly. "If you knew, you'd be as guilty as me. You couldn't know the things I had to do. One of
us had to be something Mom would be proud of." He looked down at his hands. "If it makes you feel
any better, I never killed an innocent. I never stooped that low."
"You ran drugs, you smuggled weapons. You trained assassins." She flung the accusations at him,
stepping away, pain breathing in her lungs.
He took a step toward her, wanting to shake her. "Damn it, Rachael. If you don't want to believe me
about Tony, don't, but don't look at me as if I'm some monster you don't know. Armando isn't going to
let you live. He can't. You're a knife poised over his head. You're an eyewitness to murder. I have no
intention of leaving here without you. Armando's men are swarming up and down the river. He imported
a couple of the best trackers. Men like Duncan. You can't stay here, Rachael. Come home with me
where I can keep you safe."
There was no sound other than the wind and rain. The door was partially open and the wind blew in,
stirring the mosquito net, setting it dancing. Rachael felt the wind on her face. Elijah felt the blade cut into
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