Forgotten Sins (Sin Brothers, #1)(94)

What the hell? Tom? How had Shane missed it? He’d been played.

Shane focused his fury until his skin prickled. Calmness settled his limbs into a state of readiness. Emotion had to go. He tuned in with his hearing, trying to get a location. No sounds echoed in the background. “Tell Tom he’ll die slowly if he touches her.”

“Oh. Looking forward to it, jackass.” Tom’s voice came clearly over the line. “Taking a dive the other night in my own hallway really pissed me off. Can’t wait to give you an honest fight.” He chuckled. “After I screw your wife, of course. Again, that is.”

“You haven’t been near my wife, dumbass.” Shane lowered his voice. “You tried, though, didn’t you? For two months, when she thought it was over with me, she still didn’t turn toward you. Who the hell trained you, anyway?”

“You sure about that?” Tom asked. “With her background, she’s quite the little liar. Are you sure she told you the truth about us?”

“Yes.” Shane snorted. “You’re junior league. Don’t think for a second the psychotic bitch standing next to you right now won’t cut your throat to get to me. To get to one of my brothers.”

“You know,” Tom breathed, “I think I’ll have your wife call me ‘Jory’ as I f*ck her tonight.”

Raw fury threatened to blow Shane’s calm fa?ade. “I can kill you in ways you can’t even imagine.” Shane tightened his hands into fists, vaguely seeing Matt type something on his phone. Probably telling Nathan to trace the call.

Tom laughed again. “Think so? Well, I doubt it. We have the same training.”

No, they didn’t. Not even close. Matt had made sure his training beat anything the commander could come up with. At times Shane had truly hated his older brother. Now he thanked God Matt had been so ruthless in teaching them to survive. “You’re going to find out how wrong you are.” He needed to keep the line open for Nate.

“What’s the problem, Shane?” Madison piped up. “If I recall, you’ve shared a woman with more than one of your brothers.”

“The psychopathic whores you sicced on us don’t count.” He nodded as Matt gestured to keep them talking. “Of course, we wanted them far more than we ever wanted you. Not that we didn’t see how bad you needed it. Or wanted it. But you never got it now, did you? Bitch.” Though he had no doubt the crazy woman had screwed her way through several of the trainees through the years.

“Are you sure about that?” Her voice lowered to a breathiness that made his skin crawl. “You might want to double-check that fact with your brothers.”

Shane shook his head. If one of his brothers had fallen prey to the nut job, he sure as hell didn’t want to know about it. “What’s your plan here, bitch?”

“Calling names? That’s more Nathan’s style, not yours.” A rustling of paper came over the line. “How is good old Nathan, anyway? Killed himself with grief yet?”

Shane inhaled quietly, ignoring the pull at his fresh stitches. Forcing pain into a distant box, he slid calmness into his voice. “Nathan is married to a nice nurse with two kids. He moved on, Madison. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“You were always such a good liar,” Madison murmured. “You’ve lost the touch, I think. So who’s with you right now? Is it my Matt?”

“Why don’t you come and get me to find out?”

“Okay.” A rough voice suddenly commanded the line. “You’ve had long enough to trace this call.”

Matt whipped his gaze toward the phone in unison with Shane. The f*cking commander. He was there.

“Commander. Man. I figured the devil would’ve taken you by now.” Shane forced a deep chuckle into his voice, even as his hands closed into trembling fists. “Don’t tell me you’re still banging this used-up excuse for a doctor.” He’d caught them once in the armory—Madison bent over a table that bore AK-47s, shrieking as she came. Nightmares had plagued him for months afterward.

“Actually”—the commander’s voice matched Shane’s—“I’m thinking about banging your young wife. Well, after both Tom and Emery get through with her, of course. Assuming there’s anything left.”

Shane leaned forward, his entire body going cold. Matt clapped him on the back, shaking his head and pointing to Shane’s temple. Yeah, right. The commander was screwing with his head. Effectively. He nodded. “You know, old man, I think it’s time I killed you.”

“Bring Matthew with you,” the commander said. “He and I have unfinished business. Oh and”—he paused—“you have thirty minutes. Or I go get closely acquainted with the babbling blonde you married. I have to say, I’m quite surprised you married a woman who cries so easily.”

The line went dead.

Oh God. Shane had known the monster his entire life—there wasn’t a thing he wouldn’t do to get results. Pure evil. The devil as a father figure.

Matt sucked in air. “Ignore him. They haven’t hurt her.”

“I know.” Shane turned slowly to eye his brother, and emotion ripped through him. Matt had become his father figure, giving him the strength to fight the commander’s pull. “Thank you,” he whispered.