The boys don’t mess around; we get right down to business as soon as the girls go upstairs. Not because we want to keep anything from them, but chicks tend to get scared when it comes to this kind of thing. When we know what we’re doing and have a solid plan, then we’ll fill them in.
“Okay, we’ve all read the file on Bradshaw. Anything else we need to know?” Kai asks.
“He’s crazier in person,” Alec tells them. “The guy is fuckin’ nuts. He’s obsessed with a dead woman.”
Gabe cracks his neck. “I called in a favour, got a little extra info,” he says, looking only at me. “You know all the rigs he has in areas that are supposed to be untouched?” I nod, and he continues, “He has a certain way of ensuing they get approved without interference.”
I rub my jaw. It’s clear he’s using less-than-ethical tactics to get what he wants. I just don’t know what they are. “And?”
“He hits the landowners, politicians, greenies, whoever is standing in his way in their weak spot. Their daughters. He starts out the same way he did with Kalista—the letters, small threats left in too-close-for-comfort places, that kind of shit. But not IUDs—that was next level, even for him. Generally, his next step is to snatch and grab. He gets them doped up, hooked, then they never want to leave his estate. By all accounts, he treats them well, except for the drug addiction, of course. But they stay with him by their own free will. What more could an over-privileged junkie want?”
All the women at his house yesterday—their faces blur together in my mind. I looked down on them, not taking one second to think of them as someone’s daughters. Someone’s sisters. Are all those women the daughters of other senators or men who can get Bradshaw what he wants? Jesus.
I take it all in, everything Gabe just said and everything I saw yesterday. It fits—it makes sense.
“What are you thinking, man?” Axel asks.
“Lissa’s different because she’s Gina’s daughter. He wants control over her to stick it to Astor, but he wants her gone too. That’s why the jump from letters to the IUD—he doesn’t know what he wants more,” I explain my thoughts as they grow in my head, the guys nodding along as I do.
“So, what are we thinkin’? How do we end this and keep Kalista from being turned into a junkie whore or a dead woman? Bradshaw doesn’t have limits, man. How do you come at a man like that?” Alec asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know. That’s why we’re here. We can’t just walk in guns blazing.”
Axel snorts. “Why the hell not? What other choice do we have? We either bring it to him, or he will come for her,” my brother says pointing to the ceiling where Kalista is sleeping. “That’s our choices, bro.”
“Fuck me,” I mutter, my hands siding into my hair, fisting at the crown as I pace. “He has a small army on his estate; the fences are patrolled regularly. We saw as much when we paid him a visit. And the bastard made a point of telling me that even if I did get in Michael’s head, he had others that would step into his shoes.”
“Michael?” Kai asks. “As in, Bradshaw’s son? What are you talking about, getting inside his head?”
My focus drifts to each of them in turn. “He’s Kalista’s brother,” I say quietly. Silence fills the room. “I told them both tonight. He’s all about family. I’ve got money on him walking now that he knows what Bradshaw made him do to his own sister.”
A round of “Jesus” and “damn” and “holy shit” comes from the boys. I can’t blame them; it blew my mind when I figured it out.
“Look, if we can get him on our side, it’ll help. He knows how Bradshaw operates, how his twisted mind works. He’ll be an asset,” I tell them.
“How do you know that? The dude is a loaded cannon just waiting for someone to tick him off. I don’t want to be anywhere near him when he blows.” Alec shakes his head. “Nope, no fucking way.”
He’s right, but I can handle him—I’m sure of it. “If we point him in the right direction, it’ll be fine. Trust me, having him around will help us. Besides, it might be good for Lissa to get to know him? Maybe? Shit, I don’t know. Maybe it’s not such a good idea.”
I can’t get my head straight. All I want is for Kalista to be feel safe and loved. Whoa, wait, loved? By her family, sure, but loved by me? My heart is pounding in my chest. Do I love her? I care about her, more than I have about any other woman, but love?
“Dude!” Axel elbows me in the ribs. “You’re not even listening. You want our help, we’ll give it, but at least be fucking present.”
“Shit, man, sorry. Just drifted off for a minute there. It’s just, she’s important to me. I think me being involved might not be such a good idea right now,” I tell them.
Gabe shakes his head. “Don’t be stupid. You are our best asset, not the brother Kalista doesn’t even know. Yeah, he might be able to give us some added insight into how Bradshaw operates, but really, how much do we need to know? Guy’s a fucking psycho. We’ve dealt with them before. There are far too many in this world. I say we take him out, do everyone a favour.”
Gripping the back of my neck, I let his words sink in. Maybe he’s right—I don’t know. This indecisive bullshit is pissing me off. I’ve never been like this. I’m a fucking professional, for God’s sake.
Stalking out the back door I slam my fist into the log wall. Get your shit together Abe. Cut the shit, do what needs to be done to protect your woman. That’s all there is to it.
The shrill sound of my phone ringing wakes me. It’s still dark outside. Who the hell would be calling me now? Fumbling for my phone on the nightstand, I finally wrap my fingers around it, sliding across the screen.
“What?” I demand, albeit sleepily.
The voice on the other end is deep and wide awake. “Are you sure Gina was my mother?”
Sitting up, I rub the sleep from my eyes. “Michael?”
“Who else would it be, arsehole? Just answer the question,” he grits.
Glancing down at Kalista lying next to me, shit I’ve woken her. She shuffles closer to me, resting a hand on my stomach. I smile down at her, running a hand over her hair, as I answer her brother, “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Why? What makes you so sure? Not even I know who my mother is, so how the fuck do you?” He’s angry, and I guess I would be too if our roles were reversed.
Staring into Kalista’s eyes, I tell him what it was that made me think it was even a possibility. “Your eyes. They’re very unique, so much so I’ve only seen that colour two other times,” I explain. “Kalista, and your mother. The three of you have the exact same sky blue eyes with flecks of silver that come alive when you’re pissed off. There’s no mistaking it. Then there was your father’s reaction when I taunted him. It leaves no doubt in my mind.”
His “hmmm” echoes through the line as if he’s in an enclosed space.
I wait, and wait. The silence stretches too long.
“Michael, you know what I’m saying is true. What’s holding you back? Why haven’t you walked already? I’m going out on a limb here, so correct me if I’m wrong, but there is no love between you and your father. I saw the way you reacted when you found out your old man had sent in your little brother.” Taking a breath, I exhale down the line. “Fuck, man, he’s had you intimidating your little sister for months. And you’re, what? Going to stick around and help him finish the job?”
My whole body is tense. This conversation isn’t going the way I thought it would. The guy’s locked up like a freaking vault. I’m still waiting for him to say something, any-fucking-thing.
“Look, you need to take her far away. Disappear, stay out of the spotlight, and don’t come back. She will never be safe here; he won’t stop. I don’t know what’s going through his head. I’ve never seen him like this,” he says.
Licking my lips, I tell him, “I already got her out of town. She’s safe, for now. But I’m not going to make her go into hiding until she’s old and grey. What kind of life is that? Fuck no. He needs to be dealt with.”
Michael scoffs. “You have no idea what you’re up against. If you think you and your brother can deal with him, you’ve got another thing coming. What you saw at the estate is only a fraction of the men he has at his disposal. He gets what he wants, so fucking listen to me when I tell you to get her as far a-fucking-way as you can.” His teeth grind together audibly as he finishes speaking.
Holy shit. If Michael is saying this shit, I need to take him seriously. He knows Bradshaw better than I do.
“Christ,” I mutter. “Can you give me some time with this? I can’t just bundle her up and vanish. Astor would shit a brick; the public will definitely notice her absence, and the fucking cream of the crop will make noise about it too. She isn’t the type of person you can spirit away in the middle of the night without causing a stir.”
He’s fuming—I can feel his agitation through the line. “And what are you going to do with more time? The longer you take to think it over, the closer he gets. He already has a squad looking for her, he knows she’s not at her apartment.”
My head bangs against the solid timber headboard, sending a jolt of pain through my skull. “Mate, I already told you, a simple disappearing act isn’t going to fly. So, I’m going to need time to come up with a better fucking plan,” I seethe.
“Her life is in your hands and you’re fucking around,” Michael spits. “Where the hell are you? I’ll take care of her myself if I have to.”
I snort. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen. What makes you think for one second that I trust you? Let alone trust you to look after her.”
“She’s my sister.” Those three words hold so much weight I know, without a fraction of doubt, that he will never hurt her, not now.
Swallowing, I glance at Kalista. She’s watching me closely as I lick my lips. “I’ll text you an address. Meet me there alone. Or I will shoot you and whoever you bring.”
“I can’t leave Will here. He’s too young for this shit, and he doesn’t want this life. I promised him if I ever walked I’d take him with me. I won’t leave him behind.” His tone leaves no room for argument.
“You can leave him at a hotel in town, but he doesn’t come to the meet-up. You want to keep him out of this? I can arrange a safe place for him. But only after you and I have met in person,” I tell him. Will is just a kid. I saw how scared he was when I stopped him that day—he didn’t want to be there.
Michael’s deep exhale can be heard through the line. “You have no idea of my father’s reach, who he has in his pocket. You can’t keep Will safe, no more than you can keep Kalista safe.”
Sick of his shit, I lay it out for him. “If you don’t believe I can keep them safe then you have no idea who I am, and what I am capable of. Be at the address in four hours, or we’re done talking.”
“I’ll be there,” he says flatly, then the line goes dead.
I send the address of an old church on the outskirts of town. It’s been abandoned since it caught on fire ten years ago, making it the perfect meeting place. Dropping my phone on the nightstand, I lie back down, rolling over to face Kalista.
She blinks back at me, but remains silent. I know she wants to know what just went down, but she’s also wary of the answer. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, I lean forward and press my lips to hers. “I’m going to meet up with Michael today. He doesn’t think I can protect you.” I roll my eyes. “Dickbag.”
The lightness in my demeanour does exactly what I hoped it would, and Kalista smiles. Stroking her soft cheek, I reassure her some more, “I’ve got this, you know that, right? I won’t let anything happen to you—not now, and not ever, Lissa.” Shaking my head, I grin at her, my thumb skimming over her plump bottom lip. “I realised something last night—it took me by surprise. I’ve been so preoccupied with keeping you safe that it happened without me even knowing it.”
Her forehead wrinkles, and her nose scrunches and her eyes fill with concern. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Pressing my forehead to hers, I tell her the three words that I’ve only ever uttered to my family. “I love you,” I say, looking into her amazing eyes, watching them glass up with unshed tears and so many emotions. “You don’t have to say—”
“I love you too. I’m not sure when it happened, but I do. I can feel it deep inside my soul.” She blinks back tears. “You’ve given me something real, something of my own.” She sniffles. “I never want to let you go, I trust you. I trust you with my heart, my soul, and my life.”
She loves me.
She trusts me.
She’s given me her love, and her trust. It’s easy to love without trust, simply because we can’t help who we fall in love with. But for her to push through her trust issues and give that to me too, it means everything to me.
Pushing her onto her back, I roll atop of her. “Thank you,” I whisper against her lips as my hips roll into her pelvis. Her neck arches, inviting my mouth, and I oblige.