KEIRAN

PRESENT

 

“What the fuck just happened?” Sheldon whisper-yelled as she descended the stairs from putting Kennedy back to bed. She had become hysterical after seeing Lake hauled away and guns pointed at me. I felt guilty for allowing her to see. She was only four, and she’d already seen too much.

“Say, you can’t just black out like that. You have too many strikes against you,” Dash scolded. I bit back a sarcastic retort, knowing now wasn’t the time to fight. It was normal for him to hold me accountable, but we weren’t kids anymore, and this was different. This was my woman in trouble. As soon as I got her out of this shit, I would wring her neck until I had answers.

“Kennedy saw that. You’re going to have to answer to her in the morning,” Keenan added.

I sucked as much air as I could into my lungs and then released it all in one spell without tearing my gaze from the window. A part of me was hoping she’d appear safe and this had all been a bad joke.

“I’ll talk to her in the morning,” I reassured. I looked over at Willow, who was now seated and looking nauseous. “You okay?” I let the apology in my tone speak for itself. She simply nodded and turned to Dash, who placed his hand on her cheek.

“I’ll get the lawyer on the phone. We’ll need to get ahead of this and get her out before they start interrogating her. If she did do it—”

“What do you mean if?” Willow demanded. It was the first time she had spoken since Lake was driven away. “She didn’t do it.”

“We need to be prepared in case she did.”

“She doesn’t kill people,” Sheldon argued.

“You’d be amazed what someone is willing to do for love,” Di murmured. She had been sitting back quiet and a little too calm.

“You saying you know something I don’t?” I was stalking her position on the recliner and promising retribution if she lied before anyone could anticipate my move.

“Keiran, calm down.”

I gritted my teeth, sick of Dash trying to handle me, and kept my glare fixed on her.

“Well,” I prompted when she kept her mouth closed. Her mouth twitched as if she were fighting back a grin, and I swore to fuck if she lost that battle, nothing would keep me from knocking her teeth down her throat. Lake would never forgive me for even considering such a dick move, but I found nothing about this shit funny.

“Only what you failed to see.”

“Explain,” Keenan demanded. His eyes flashed with irritation, mirroring my own.

“You made a monster out of her.” She sat up and let a ghost of a smile fall across her lips. “Think about it. Someone like you and someone like her should never have crossed paths much less be together. She’d have no choice but to adapt just to survive you and keep you.”

I felt myself flinch but ignored it. “I haven’t hurt her. I wouldn’t.”

“But someone wants to hurt you, and every time you knock one down, another pops up. You’re no stranger to danger, mister. You embrace it even with so many strikes against you like the dumb male you are.”

“What does that have to do with Lake killing Mitch?” Dash asked before I could.

She sighed as if exasperated. “You’ve got too many eyes on you. Your enemies, the law,”—she ticked off on her fingers—”and as soon as someone breaks a fingernail because of you, even if they are trying to kill you, you’re going down. You can’t watch your back and keep your freedom. She figured that out.”

“She wanted to protect him,” Willow whispered.

I couldn’t process this—Lake believing she needed to or could protect me. I’d never given her a reason, but she would give me answers. First, I needed to get my hands on her.

“Fuck this. How do we get her out?” I glanced at my best friend, knowing the answer before it was spoken.

“We need my dad,” Dash replied with gritted teeth.

 

* * *

 

I followed behind Dash, feeling uneasy for the first time when entering the overstated extravagance of his childhood home.

Cale Chambers was a ruthless man.

It was fitting that he had one of the most cutthroat legal team known in the free world. It was also known that he was hell-bent on extricating me from Dash’s life. I had become a liability issue to his family’s name. His legal team had kept me from answering for many violent and damaging offenses. There had only been one slip-thru with my stint in juvie seven years ago, but I would have been slapped with a much larger sentence if it weren’t for Cale’s lawyers—and he never let me forget it.

I had believed then that Lake set me up, only to find out it had been a jealous team member and an ex-jumpoff. I felt the muscle in my jaw twitch at the reminder of all I had done to her because—simply put—I was a tool. If they had succeeded, not only would Lake not have been mine, but also I would have hurt her.

“Dash, what a pleasant surprise,” the haughty voice of his mother greeted him followed by the click of her heels. She appeared looking very much like the well-kept trophy wife she was. Her gaze passed over me briefly and just as quickly, dismissed me as insignificant. She may not have despised me as much as her husband, but she never did little more than tolerate me.

Dash brushed his lips against her cheek and took a step back, too distracted to show proper affection. “Where’s my dad?”

“He’s in his study, as usual.” Her back stiffened as her now cold gaze flickered back to me. “What’s this about?” she asked with unmistakable exasperation in her tone.

“Lake’s in trouble.” He missed her surprised reaction because he had already taken off for the back of the house.

“I knew you’d corrupt that girl,” she hissed when he was gone.

“Yeah?” I kept my emotions in check. Dash would never tolerate me tossing his mother over my shoulder and then on her ass. “You should have stopped me then.”

It was a reminder that I didn’t like to be challenged. She huffed and stomped off, no doubt after Dash.

I ran through the mental checklist Lake taught me after one too many jealous rages over the course of our relationship.

1. Take a deep breath.

2. Think about the person in front of you. Are they worth it?

3. Think about yourself. Is it worth your freedom?

4. Think about what you have. Is it worth losing those important to you?

5. If any of the answers are no then release and move on.

I still didn’t get it, but at least it was better than counting to one hundred as some dipshit counselor advised when the university ordered me to take anger management classes.

I followed behind and found them all tense in Cale’s study. Dash must have already relayed why we were here. Cale took one look at me and instantly froze over the Arctic.

“No.”

Dash shook his head and calmer than I knew he was feeling inside, he stated, “That’s not an option.”

“It’s the only option. I’m not cleaning up his mess anymore,” he shouted while pointing a finger at me in the doorway. I was having a harder time remembering Lake’s checklist more by the minute.

“An innocent girl will go to jail, pops.”

“She probably isn’t innocent. Have you thought about that?”

“What the fuck? Lake’s not a murderer. You don’t even know her.”

“But I do know they couldn’t make a legal arrest without some kind of evidence connecting her. Guilty by a little or guilty by a lot, you’re still guilty.”

“Fine. I’ll hire him myself.”

“I’ve been his client—his biggest client—for over twenty years. He won’t take you on without my say so. Now get the fuck out of my house.” I stood up straighter at the hateful glare he imperiled on his son.

“I’ll liquidate.”

“Excuse me?”

“Get your man on board, or I’ll liquidate the entire goddamn company.”

“Bullshit. You have a board to answer to, son. They’ll never agree.”

“Money talks, right? Especially when you’re losing it.” Cale narrowed his eyes, but Dash pretended not to notice. “What if the company makes some bad decisions? A tanked investment here and there. What if I sold off its assets one by one until there was nothing left to keep them interested. The board will do my dirty work for me, won’t they, pops?”

Cale lunged across the table in an attempt to grab Dash’s neck. I got to him in time to pull him out of reach. Dash didn’t even flinch.

I fought back my surprise at Dash’s threat. What he was talking was anarchy against his father.

“Cale, do something,” his mother shrieked.

The lengths he was willing to go humbled me. He’d be a pariah to his parents if he weren’t already.

“I should have never given the company to you,” he said with a sneer. “You aren’t worthy of such greatness, you ungrateful shit. Now get out of my house!”

Dash walked away without another word, and I followed behind feeling numb. His back was tense the entire walk to the car with his fists clenched at his side. He moved to open the driver’s door, but I couldn’t endure the ride back without understanding what just happened.

“Fuck man. What was that?”

“Insurance.”

“That didn’t sound like insurance.”

“He’ll come around.” He looked away as soon as the words escaped not believing them any more than I did.

“And if he doesn’t?”

“Then my father can consider his legacy extinct.”

 

* * *

 

“How did it go?” I heard as I stepped inside my brother’s home, followed by Dash. Willow must have been waiting by the door. Dash shed his coat and then pulled her as close as he could with her belly between them.

“How do you feel about being poor again?” he asked.

She shrugged and bit her lip. “It’s suited me for years. I’d be worried about you, though. How would you feel without your silver spoon to keep you warm at night?”

“Who needs a spoon when I’ve got you to put in my mouth?”

“Ew,” Sheldon groaned as she walked by eating a bowl of cereal. “Guys, I’m right here and your niece could hear.”

“Shouldn’t she be asleep?”

“She is. But I’m saying, hypothetically, what if she did hear your nastiness?”

“It wouldn’t be any more traumatizing than witnessing the actual act.” Dash visibly shuddered, and Willow hid her face in his chest as her shoulders shook.

“You’re welcome for the pointers,” Keenan shouted from somewhere.

“Guys,” I interrupted. “My girlfriend.”

“Right.” Sheldon flopped on the large recliner and took another bite of her cereal. “So what do we do now without Dad on our side?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get a lawyer on this first thing. Has anyone called her aunt and Jackson?”

“I tried calling them, but they are vacationing in the Bahamas. I couldn’t get through,” Willow answered.

“Fine time to vacation in the Bahamas,” Keenan griped as he walked into the living room. His hair was wet and his chest was bare.

“Dude, put some clothes on,” Dash growled and actually covered Willow’s eyes.

“My house,” he mumbled back. “It’s not my problem if your woman sees something she likes.” Willow took that time to snatch Dash’s hand away, and Keenan took the opportunity to wink in her direction.

“Now is not the fucking time.” My voice rose with each word until it felt like the world shook around me. They each looked contrite enough for me to actually feel my blood flow again.

“Sorry. It’s just hard to believe Lake did this. What if the police are just trying it to screw with you?”

“Are you asking if I did this?”

Willow met my stare squarely and said, “Did you?”

“I did not kill Mitch,” I admitted slowly. I looked around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes. They all nodded, but I could sense their doubt. “Do you think I would let them take her from me if I were guilty?” I knew the moment realization dawned.

“Well, we aren’t going to know anything until we get Lake out of there. Dash, what about the company’s lawyers?”

“They’re corporate. Their expertise is business so they won’t be much help.”

Willow’s eyes lit up as she lifted her head from Dash’s chest. “I think my dad can help. He’s just as powerful as your dad is. I think I can convince him to put his legal team on this.”

“Shit.” He snapped his fingers and kissed Willow’s lips. “I’ll make the call,” he offered, perking up. “But I want you in bed. Keenan, can we use your spare room?” Hearing that was still strange. It was a little surreal knowing that my little brother had a family and my room had become a spare in my late uncle’s home.

“Yeah, man. You know where it is.”

Dash lifted Willow, who looked barely awake, in his arms and started for the stairs. “Guys,” Sheldon started, looking pained. “What are we going to do if she did it?”

They all turned to face me for an answer, but all I felt was an overbearing constriction in my chest.

What was I going to do?