Page 7 of Shades of Loyalty
“What kind of help are you talking about? I killed him. I let him die. What’d you need my help for?”
“You didn’t kill anyone,” I say firmly, trying to reassure her.
“Theydid. But we need you to come with us, alright? We need to… Discuss a few things. You shouldn’t take this kind of trauma lightly.”
She hesitates, glancing back at Roy’s blood on the floor. “I... I need to be home later. My daughter... she’s in preschool. I have to pick her up, and her Nanny… I just… It’s too much. I can’t justleave.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.Daughter? She has akid. Fuck. My mind races. Alright, brain. Two options.
One, I let her go, but if she talks, everything we’ve built is at risk. Two, I can’t just take her away from her daughter, so she’ll have to come with us.
I’m fucking stupid. Option two is the only one I can go for. I’m not insane, and I’m not risking my family’s downfall for a woman I just met.
“Don’t worry,” I lie, forcing a smile. “You’ll be home in time.”
She won’t be. But I don’t have the heart to tell her that. Not yet. For now, I just need to figure out how to keep her—and her daughter—safe.
Because no matter what, I won’t hurt her. I won’t hurt an innocent woman. That’s not who we are.
We do plenty of messed-up shit, but we have our limits. No women. No kids. No people who don’t deserve what we give them.
I’ll find a solution. I have to. I always do. I’m the boss here. It’s my job, after all.
Chapter Four
Daniel
Since Hayden and I decided to split up in two cars, I took the nurse with me. I told Hayden to take Roy with him and inform the others about what happened.
I’m dying to hear what Dad’s going to say about this.
But first, I have to deal with this woman. I know nothing about her. Not her name, not her job, not who she trusts. Before the mansion, I need paper — job, family, the usual background. No surprises.
She might’ve tried to save one of my men, but trust doesn’t come easy for someone like me. She could be a cop working undercover, for all I care.
And then, yeah, I’d definitely be fucked. I’d be pretty stupid to bring some unknown woman into the building not even some of our closest allies know about.
I might be uncertain about some things, but that?
Fuck, no. I’m not taking her with me before Hayden does a background check.
I just have to figure out where to take her first. But I’m pretty sure I got an idea already.
She’s been quiet for most of the ride. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that screams something is wrong.
And if I didn’t already know she’d just failed to save a dying man, I’d be more concerned.
It’s not that I’m not concerned or worried at all. I fucking am. And that bothers me.
Worrying about a woman isn’t something I typically do.
In fact, I don’t think I ever have. The only women I’ve cared about in my life are my mother and my sister—two people I’ve spent the last several years protecting.
My father laid down strict rules when he became the head of this family, and I’m certain we’ll all be thanking him for those rules until the day we die.
No harm to women. No harm to children. Never turn your back on your family.
Basic rules, but rules that separate us from the chaos my grandfather ruled over.
