Vicious Minds (Children of Vice #4)(36)

“The great Ethan Callahan needs my help setting a trap? Who could be such difficult prey….”

“My parents.”

Her body went still. She looked over her shoulder, capturing my eyes with her own. She looked me over as if she was reading a book. She put the kettle corn on floor and turned over, still laying under me.

“Traps don’t work on the dead.” She spoke softly in Italian, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

“I’m aware,” I whispered down to her. “I didn’t just give into you because I want you Calliope. Like you said, I am broken. Which means no matter what you do, how you prove yourself to me, a small part of me is going to distrust you. The only thing that’s going to change that is time. And until that time, I live with the knowledge that if you are in this to betray me, my parents will end up killing you if they think I’m going to fail.”

Her eyebrows pinched together. “How do you know they are alive?”

“Gut feeling.” She frowned, unimpressed, and was about to roll back over to get her bowl when I pressed my weight against her and leaned in closer. “Not good enough?”

“Children struggle to grasp their parents’ deaths. No matter who they are or how old they may get, the brain convinces…” she paused, glaring at me. “And you wouldn’t be telling me this because you know that too. It would make you look like a child who can’t let go. How do you really know, Ethan?”

“They made a mistake. They underestimated the bond between parents and their children. It isn’t a rational thing. It’s something that supersedes all reason. My mother is many things, some may even say cruel and cold for leaving her children. But even she can’t shake that bond, especially if her children are hurt or in danger.”

Her eyes widened when she realized what I meant. “You put yourself in danger to draw them out?”

I shook my head, lifting her off the bed and on to my lap. She sat up quickly placing her hands on my shoulders, her grey eyes never leaving mine as she stared into my eyes waiting for me to explain. “I wouldn’t risk my life on a something I wasn’t positive about.”

“So?”

“So, I risked my brother’s life.” I grinned, and her mouth parted slightly, her eyebrow raised.

“What did you do to him? Please don’t tell me you had him kidnapped.” She tilted her head to the side.

“He lived.”

“What is with you?”

I laughed at the tone in her voice. “It was a while ago, just after my father ‘died.”

She shook her head. “Well, if it was the sloppy men you had take me, I’m not sure how your mother was that concerned—”

“No, I had them go easy on you. After all, I didn’t know just what you were capable of yet. I knew what my brother was. I had his driver pretend to betray our family, as well as a small gang of people take him. They did do a number on his face and ribs.” I exhaled. It felt good to finally get that off my chest.

“How long did they have him?” She was not at all phased.

“Three days.”

“That’s a little short.”

“I planned for at least two weeks, but it seems I underestimated him.” It was both annoying and satisfying to know. “He got in touch with his inner Callahan….and right as he was trying to escape, we were able to find him and help.”

“Really? What a coincidence. I’m sure during this time you were very much the concerned brother.” She ran her hands through my hair.

“I was out of town on business. It took them about two days to realize he was gone. Wyatt usually take advantage of my absence and goes off, pretending not to be a Callahan while I’m away.”

“And you knew he would do it again, so you set a trap for him. You’re cruel.” She said it with a smile on her lips, and I could see desire in her eyes.

“Thank you.” I paused when I felt her hips grind on top of me. I could feel her body getting warmer. “My brother is a bit stubborn and prefers taking the hard route before coming to his senses. Why not use it to my advantage?”

“So, how did your parents help? Did you magically get a tip to where he was?”

If only I could track that. “No, he came back home, and we hid it from everyone. I was more annoyed because I was expecting exactly what you were expecting. A magical tip to where his location was. I’m sure if he had been gone a little longer it would have come. But Wyatt ruined that. Luckily, he was a little shaken. The only other time he’d been taken was when we were kids, and then he had both me and our sister beside him. He was a little…in shock.”

“You broke your little brother and said luckily.” She snorted and fought back a laugh then shook her head holding it in. “Sorry, go on. This led to your parents making a mistake how?”

Her amusement was oddly comforting.

“My brother escaped but was emotionally in pain. After our mother died, she left us letters which were supposed to help with our emotional pain. My grandmother was supposed to give us those letters when she thought we were ready. I found the letters, but I never opened them. I never even thought about them, however…”

“An extra one that magically appeared for Wyatt that wasn’t there before. Addressing his current issues?”