[Noah's POV]

I froze completely.

My fingers loosened around her chin. The loud boom of another explosion echoed through the thick glass windows, rattling the floorboards, but I barely heard it. That single word hung in the dark, heavy space between us.

Brother.

My brain spun fast. The puzzle pieces violently slammed together inside my head.

She didn't feed me fake shipping routes to protect some secret lover. She didn't throw her fragile body in front of a flying bullet at that dirty warehouse out of pity for an ex-boyfriend.

She was protecting her family.

A dark, twisted wave of relief crashed straight into my chest. I wasn't competing with...