Chapter 4

Corbin screamed, "Do you have a death wish? You just insulted my sister!"

I turned a cold glare on him. "Shut your mouth."

Corbin's eyes went wide, as though it had never occurred to him that someone would dare speak to him that way. I did not spare him another glance. My focus stayed on Brynn.

"You say he's the fake son, so he deserves to be tortured. You say he hurt Corbin, so he deserves to be shipped to a place like this. You say he's a criminal, so he deserves to be stripped naked and auctioned off.

"Then let me ask you something. If it were Corbin tied up in here today, would you do the same to him?"

Brynn's pupils contracted sharply.

Corbin erupted again. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm the real Carlisle son! He's a b*stard! Some nobody who crawled out of nowhere! He deserves it! He deserves to be sold into the filthiest hole they can find!"

"Corbin!" Brynn's voice cracked like a whip, silencing him instantly.

The floating text exploded.

[Corbin's panicking! There it is. Now we're seeing who he really is!]

[Look at Brynn's expression. She's starting to waver.]

Brynn stared at me, something complicated moving behind her eyes. She said nothing for a long time. No one else spoke either.

When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse. "Mr. Brennan, what exactly do you want?"

I did not answer. Instead, I reached over and pulled open the torn front of Arden's jacket.

Arden flinched and let out a startled sound, but he did not pull away.

The wounds beneath were laid bare under the lights. Lash marks criss-crossed his torso, some still seeping blood. The worst of it was just below his collarbone, where electrical burns had left the skin charred and curling back from the flesh.

I turned those wounds toward Brynn.

"Ms. Carlisle, is this what you meant by 'teaching him a lesson'?"

Brynn's pupils tightened, and a visible tremor passed across her face.

Corbin's expression faltered, but he recovered almost immediately. "Brynn, the people out here just don't know the rules. They went a little overboard—"

"Shut up." Brynn's voice dropped low. "Corbin, what's this?"

Corbin's lips trembled. "Brynn... I..."

I did not give him the chance to talk his way out. "Brynn, you've lived in comfort and privilege your entire life. Do you know what it feels like to have a whip tear across your skin? Do you know that when a shock baton is held against flesh, the meat actually burns? This isn't a lesson. This is attempted murder."

Brynn went quiet. She stared at Arden's wounds for a long time.

Then, she raised her head and looked at me. "Mr. Brennan. This is a Carlisle family matter."

I scoffed. "A family matter? Torturing someone until they look like this is a family matter?"

Brynn drew a deep breath, visibly fighting to keep her composure. "Mr. Brennan, I don't want to waste any more time with you. Name your price. How much will it take for you to walk away?"

I looked at her, and something about it struck me as deeply absurd. Even now, she still believed everything could be solved with money.

"I don't want money. I want the boy."

Brynn's patience finally broke. She turned to Sal and gave the order. "Move in. Whatever happens, I'll take full responsibility."

Sal waved his hand, and his men closed in with weapons raised. Tate and the others lifted their guns in response. The standoff was instant.

Corbin cowered behind Brynn and hissed, "Hurry up! Drag him away!"

Two of Sal's men rushed forward and reached for Arden. I spun around and shielded him with my body, planting myself between them like a wall.

My gaze cut across Brynn and Corbin like a blade.

"Don't you dare touch him." My voice filled the corridor.

"Your family raised him for twenty years, and you think that gives you the right to buy and sell him like merchandise? To degrade him? To destroy him?

"Brynn, you listen to me. What you call discipline is a crime. It's attempted murder.

"I'm telling you right now, here and in front of everyone, that none of you have the right to take him!"

I drew a shaking breath, and my voice wavered for the first time. "Because he's my son. He's Cade Brennan's son, and I've been looking for him for fifteen years."