This isn’t a hard decision for me to make. I didn’t even think about it when Abe suggested it. It’s logical, and if executed correctly, the perfect plan.
Will isn’t happy with it, but he’s not as vocal about it as Kalista. She’s definitely my sister—fiery, determined, and I reckon if I put a gun in her hand, she’d be lethal. My lips quirk thinking about her yelling at me.
I can’t believe how quickly she took to me. If I was her, I’d hate me after everything I’d put her through. But she looked into my eyes and before I could even apologise for what I’d done to her she said, I forgive you. Knocked the air right out of my lungs she did, harder than any fist ever has.
The need to protect her has been eating at me from the instant I found out who she was. When Abe told me, I was so ashamed I hung up the phone, unable to handle the reality of it all. Shame for my actions runs through my veins—shame and regret. I will do anything to make it up to her.
Pulling through the estate gate, I veer to the left, heading to the house I share with my brothers first. Strolling inside, I stop when I find Dan sitting on the lounge, beer in hand. “How’d the search for blondie go?” I ask, sitting beside him.
“Fucked if I know where he’s taken her. I checked everywhere,” he groans. “Bradshaw’s pissed.”
I scoff. “When is he not pissed?”
Dan sits, turning his torso to face me. “Nah, man, I haven’t seen him like this before. He’s threatened to shoot my fucking dog if I don’t find her soon. My dog! He’s innocent. Why would he go after my damn dog?”
“They’re all innocent,” I murmur.
His eyes narrow. “Who’s innocent?”
Shaking my head, I look him in the eyes. “All the girls he goes after. Have you ever stopped to think about them? What they did to piss him off? Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. It’s their fathers he has issues with. But he’s too fucking gutless to go after them,” I spit, unable to keep the venom from my voice.
Dan raises a brow. “You on your period or something?”
Punching his shoulder, I tell him, “No, fucker. I’m just sick of his shit.”
He rubs the spot I hit. “Why are you even here? Thought you were takin’ Will away for a few days?”
I crack my neck. “Yeah, well the little shit ditched me for some chick he met today.”
Dan grins widely. “Good man! He learnt how to pick up from me, you know. You’re fucking hopeless with women. Unless your doin’ a snatch-’n’-grab.” He laughs.
“Fucker,” I grumble, making him laugh harder. “Anyway, I’ve got a lead on our blonde. Seeing as you’re the one on the old man’s shit list, you want to deliver it? Or should I just let him kill your dog?”
He straightens immediately, all traces of humour gone. “Why didn’t you start with that instead of dribbling that shit about poor innocent women?”
I shrug. “You want the info or not?”
“Of course I want it. Tell me already,” he says, shoving me.
Feeding him the lines I came up with in the car is easy. He takes it all in, and just when I think I’ve sold him on it, he asks, “Where you gettin’ this from? You sure it’s solid intel?”
I glare. “Would I give it to you if it wasn’t?”
Holding his hands out, he backtracks. “I was just checkin,’ bro. In case the old man grills me.”
My snort is loud, and a bit over the top. “I wouldn’t fuckin’ tell him it was me that told you. He’ll probably shoot your dog just ’cause you’re not the one who come up with the info.”
Dan nods. “It’d be just my fuckin luck. He’s been actin’ weird lately. I don’t know what I’m in for when he calls me up to the house these days. He’s all over the fuckin’ place,” he says, running his palms up and down his thighs. “Alright, so I’ll tell him in the morning that one of my boys caught wind of it after we spoke this afternoon and I checked it out for myself through the night to make sure it was legit before bringing it to him.”
I nod. “He’s going to have to move fast though; they won’t stay in one place too long. If he doesn’t move tomorrow morning, he’ll lose them,” I tell him. “I’ve been thinkin, he only started actin’ crazy since he’s had us on the blonde, right?”
Scratching behind his ear, Dan appears to thinks it over. “Yeah, sounds about right.”
“So, I figure the sooner he deals with her, the sooner things go back to normal around here. You’re not the only one who’s noticed his sketchy mood swings. Everyone’s talkin’—he’s unstable. We need to nip this situation in the bud before he gets worse, or who knows what the fuck he’ll do? You need to make him go to her. He wants this chick taken out, and he can’t do that shit so close to home.”
Dan eyes me as I speak, but says nothing. Almost a full minute of silence passes between us.
Shit, I’m selling it too strong. He’s not going to buy it. I’ve pushed too hard. Shit, shit, shit. I’m a fuckin’ terrible liar—always have been.
But then, Dan nods. “Yeah, yeah, alright. I think you’re right, he needs to be there when this goes down. Somethin’ about this chick is different. He wants her eliminated, not drug-fucked. I reckon he needs to see it happen, might snap him out of whatever the fuck is going on in his head.”
Gritting my teeth to ensure my relief isn’t visible, I tell him. “Good, I’m going there tonight, keep an eye on things. Let you know if anything changes,” I assure my brother and feel like a total shit for feeding him this bullshit. But it has to be done.
“Thanks, bro. You’ve always got my back. It’s the one thing I can count on,” Dan says, and god damn it, did he have to say that, of all fucking things?
I can’t respond, so I get to my feet, slap him on the back, and leave, stopping by my room to grab some extra supplies on my way out. When I’m back in my car, I shoot Abe a text from the burner phone I got specifically to communicate with him.
MICHAEL: It’s set up. Get ready. I’ll be back late tonight.
It’s not until I’m out of the estate gates that he replies.
ABE: Coming back? Thought you were going to roll in with them?
MICHAEL: Slight change in plans. Still moving forward but I’m running *surveillance*
I hope he gets my drift because I can’t be bothered having this conversation via text. He can either call me or trust that I’ve got it under control.
Abe doesn’t reply, and it’s a smooth drive back to Axel’s house in the mountains.