Santana
“Connor!” I call out to my brother as I make my way out of the room. You’d think that after all of these years of caring for him, I’d be less disturbed by the thought that I have treated my brother like a baby. At this point, we’ve both established a routine where he turns off his alarm, and I have to drag him out of bed every morning. “Connor!” I call out in frustration with a solid shake to his shoulders. Anyone would say that an eighteen-year-old should be a little more responsible, but in the case of Connor, they’d be wrong.
Groaning and yawning, Connor turns over and gives me a grouchy look. “What the hell San? What time is it?” I look at my cheap plastic watch then back at him. “It’s seven in the morning. Classes start in sixteen minutes. Get up!” He rolls back in the seat and gives me his back. “I don’t want to go to school.”
Narrowing my
Chapter 7: Blood will tellDeclanOnce the Confradia men take Collins away, I stroll into the nearest bar, ready to wash away the sins of the day and find an even keel. A small part of me feels bad for Collins because his family was put in a precarious position. But another part doesn’t because he brought it on to himself. Taking a seat on a nearby stool, I gesture for the bartender, Ronny, to serve me a drink.Striding towards me, Ronny gives me a welcoming smile. “Declan! It’s good to see you.” He calls out with delight as he stretches his arm out. Ronny’s old biker with tattoos all over his body and thinning gray hair. His leather Harley Davidson vest strains around his muscled shoulder as he leans over the bar’s counter and shakes my hand. “Hey, Ronny. How are you?” Ronny shrugs his shoulders. “Same as always. Just pounding the pavement every day. How’s it going with you?” I shake my hea
SantanaI’m beyond exhausted tonight. All I feel is relieved when I get to the apartment. As usual, Connor is sitting in front of the kitchen counter with his computer in front of him. “Hey, Connor,” I rest my bag on top of the living room table. Connor nods his head but never looks up from the computer screen. Nothing ever changes. I think with an exasperated smirk. “What’s up?”Connor shrugs. “Nothing.” That’s when I see the picture on the counter. “What are you doing, Connor?” Connor picks up the picture and points it in my direction. “I couldn’t stop thinking about this picture all day. I mean, it doesn’t make sense. Do I have a brother? Is this kid my brother?” He asks. From the set of his shoulder and tight lips, I can tell that he’s going through something. He seems frustrated yet hopeful at the same time.“I don’t know, Connor. Maybe
DeclanI meet Priest as soon as I get to the body shop. “Declan…good, you’re here.” He mutters sarcastically. Unperturbed, I take a seat in a nearby chair and drily ask. “Cut the shit, Priest. You know I’m busy. What is this about?” Priest smirks and walks around his desk to stand in front of me. “Actually, I think it’s best if I show you. Follow me, Declan.” He gestures to the door, takes his walking stick, and walks ahead of me. Even though he had corrective surgery to regain his eyesight, he’s still walking around like he’s blind. I guess it’s taking some time for him to adjust to his new eyes. They’re kind of freaky when you look at them, which isn’t to say that women are deterred.Releasing a resigned sigh, I follow Priest down the corridor until we make it to one of the rooms used to detail cars. Curious, I look inside and see a young man tied to a chair. He looks unharmed.
SantanaOh, my God, it’s him. I can’t believe he’s here and that he’s Connor's brother. When I saw him standing next to Connor, looking so imposing and masculine, I thought I was going to faint. I think fate is laughing at me. How is it possible that the only man I haven’t been able to forget is related to my brother? I catalog his features, trying to figure out how I missed the similarities. Unlike Connor, Declan is rugged and masculine. He hasn’t changed much. His muscles strain against his perfectly fitted suit jacket, and his jaw is firm with fashionable stubble. He has high cheekbones, arched eyebrows, and a patrician nose. His eyes are perfect with long dark lashes, and his skin is a golden hue. I can’t take my eyes off him.Unfortunately, as gorgeous as he is, I can tell that he’s a lot more like Alistair than I thought. I seethe with anger at his words.“Look, I can see that you&
DeclanMy thoughts are a mess by the time I get home. Looking around the first floor of my lavish house with its spacious living room and open concept kitchen, I feel my gut churn with guilt. My house is a bi-level brownstone. The walls are brick with metal buttresses on each corner. Several years ago, Hunter installed a state-of-the-art security system. The doors are reinforced steel, and the windows are bulletproof. There’s a fireplace dominating the living room's main wall and two plush navy blue couches with various colored pillows resting comfortably against the soft material, courtesy of my mother.There’s a gray area rug in navy blue patterns and a sturdy rustic pine coffee table along with the couches. The floors are dark mahogany, and the walls are painted a light sleet color. My offices and my bedroom are located on the second floor, next to my gym.Taking a deep breath, I unwrap my tie and toss it angrily across the floor. As I make my way
SantanaThe morning light shines down on my face from the small window above my bed. Not wanting to get up, I place the pillow over my face and close my eyes. I feel worn and exhausted, which makes sense since I barely slept. When I did sleep, I dreamt of him. The dreams were pretty intense. I bite my lip, recalling a specific dream. Declan and I were in bed kissing. He was caressing my bare back as his muscled body wrapped around mine. Unfortunately, as soon as I woke up, reality set in. He’s Connor’s brother. Either way, it’s a pipe dream considering he doesn’t want anything to do with his brother─ his own blood relative.My alarm goes off a minute later, snapping me back to reality. Groggily, I throw off the covers and rise from my bed. Cold seeps through my body as my feet hit the bare floor. The landlord must have turned off the heat. Ever since the building was sold to a new owner, the building has been rapidly falli
DeclanI rush out the door feeling like a fool. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I reprimand myself mentally. Why did I kiss her? The kiss was amazing, but now I feel like an ass. One moment I’m kissing her, and the next, I’m telling her that it’s a mistake. I don’t blame her for being pissed and kicking me out. She didn’t deserve for me to treat her that way.Distracted by my thoughts, I walk up to my car and find three men leaning on the hood. My body stiffens with anger at the sight of the asshole leaning against my million-dollar car. These men don’t understand that I’m not in the best mood, which is not the right time to cross me. The one that I assume is the leader straightens up as soon as he spots me. Unintimidated, I narrow my eyes and move closer. The leader gives me a threatening glare and swells his chest out in an intimidating fashion. It amuses me to see that they think I’m an everyday Joe who would
SantanaI’m gathering my bag for work when Connor walks in. “Connor, what are you doing here?” Connor rushes to the window and peers out warily. He looks spooked, which makes alarm bells go off in my head. Following behind him, I elbow him to get his attention. “What’s wrong? Did something happen in school?” He shakes his head and turns back to me, muttering distractedly. “No, nothing bad happened at school. They canceled classes because someone messed up the science lab. Guess who I ran into when I got here?” My heart falls at his questioning scowl.“Umm… Declan stopped by this morning. He wanted to offer us money again, and I refused.” I respond begrudgingly. He nods his head, looking back out the window. “I know. He told me. What you missed, though, is that he kicked Eddie Morano and his boys’ asses minutes ago. I guess they tried to jack his car and got more than they asked for. He