Deadly Silence (Blood Brothers #1)(71)

Denver slid to the ground, his head knocking the wall on the way. His black hair was mussed, and a shadow covered his massive jaw.

“Shit, Den.” Ryker rushed to help him up. The smell of Scotch hit him first, followed by the smell of blood. “You okay?”

Denver shrugged him off, turned his head, and spit out blood. “Bit my tongue. Thanks for pulling the punch. Didn’t realize it was you when I attacked.” The words were only slightly slurred, but for Denver, that was seriously drunk.

Ryker smoothed down Denver’s wrinkled T-shirt, noting the bloodshot eyes and rigid stance. He took a deep breath, concern swirling through his gut. “What are you doing here?”

Denver jerked his head toward a computer system set up against the far wall. “Decided to do a couple of manual searches to draw Isobel Madison in faster. Am tired of waitin’.” He swayed. “Somebody bit at the other end. Should have company by tomorrow.”

So much for having time to lay a good trap. “Dude, you are not thinking right now.”

“Neither are you,” Denver snapped.

Ryker glanced frantically at the computer. “You can’t lay traps like that while drunk, and you know it.” Had Denver screwed up?

“Since when do you care about rules?” Denver challenged.

Apparently the talk they’d been avoiding was going to happen in the safe house. Ryker nodded. Fine. “Let’s hash this out.”

“No.” Denver brushed past him.

Ryker grabbed his arm, a pit opening in his stomach. “Stop.”

Denver yanked free. “Not now, Ryker.”

Hell, he really didn’t want to do this. But Ryker moved fast and blocked the way into the kitchen, panic threatening to blind him. “Talk to me.”

Denver lifted his chin, and his eyes narrowed to a pissed blue flecked with gold. They both stood at about six foot four, maybe five, and a fight between them would be disastrous. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

Ryker swallowed and shoved down his rapidly approaching temper. Denver was the peacemaker between them all, and it was unsettling to see him out of that role. Ryker tried to keep his voice calm. “It’s time you stopped punishing yourself for leaving her. It’s been a year, Denver. Let it go.”

Red infused the hard planes of Denver’s face. He bunched and swung.

Ryker blocked the punch and shoved hard. Denver slid sideways into the wall. Oh, he was definitely off from the booze. “You’re drunk,” Ryker snapped.

“Jealous?” Denver countered, regaining his balance.

Ryker winced. He had been in a bottle not too long ago. “Come on, Denver.” Ryker’s chest ached. There had to be something he could do to ease his brother’s pain. “I’ll do whatever you want. We can go get Noni right now and bring her here.”

Denver moved faster than Ryker could track, grabbing his shirt and shoving him against the wall. “I cared for her, damn it. You don’t take a nice woman like that and bring her into our shit-storm of a life. I wouldn’t do that.”

Ryker stilled. “This is about Zara?”

“You’re an asshole,” Denver spat, shoving him and backing away.

“I know,” Ryker muttered, remaining against the wall, his entire body hurting all of a sudden. “I should’ve let her go, but then I convinced myself she was in trouble and needed my protection.” But that was a lie. Even before he knew she was in danger, he’d been playing mind games with himself. “Then somebody actually tried to take her.”

“Yeah.” Denver ground a fist into his left eye and took several shuddering breaths. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Ryker. Of course you have to provide cover. She’s in danger.” His head hung, but he faced Ryker. “Sorry.”

Ryker knocked his head back on the wall, feeling raw from the look in Denver’s eyes. “I kept her even before I knew that. She’s in me, Denver.” He hit his chest with a closed fist, needing to confess it all to somebody who’d get it. “In here. I don’t want days without her in them.” His voice sounded a whole lot more tortured than he wanted, but he didn’t hold back with his brother.

Denver closed his eyes and nodded. “I get it. This is my deal, not yours. I’m sorry for dragging you into it.”

Ryker frowned as realization slapped him upside the head. “It hurts you to see me with Zara.” Why hadn’t he thought about that? He was playing house, and he hadn’t given one thought to how that would make Denver feel. “I’m sorry.”

“Not your fault, man. I made my choice.” Denver’s broad chest shuddered. “She doesn’t even know my real name. Never gave it to her.”

Ryker grimaced. “So there’s no way she could reach out to you?”

“Figured it was safer and cleaner.” Denver’s lips peeled back, the booze no doubt giving him freedom of speech for the moment. “We had only a month together. It’s been a year, and I still taste her.”

“Then she’s not going away,” Ryker said gently, wondering if he should just go get Noni and bring her to Cisco. The self-hatred in Denver’s voice ate him alive. “Maybe you should call her.”

Denver snorted. “She may have been a sweetheart, but that girl had a hell of a temper. She surely hates my guts now.”