Page 36 of Redemption
“I’m learning a lot about you very quickly, brother. What I understand so far is that you are a man who lives by his own rules, which I respect very much. I respect even more that the boy gets to live. Well done.”
His approval isn’t something I needed or asked for, but it feels good all the same.
“Another thing I’ve learned is that you don’t say much about very big things. Things that sound very serious.”
I check my blind spot before I change lanes. “Habit. I’ve never had someone I could share everything in my life with.”
“What about your wife?”
With a shake of my head, I catch Marco’s gaze. “Would you want to bring home news of death and blood to your wife? I would never burden her with everything I do and have done. It’s not hers to bear. There are a lot of things that she will never know, and that’s exactly the way it needs to be—for her and for me.”
A few beats of silence pass before he replies, “What do we do now?”
My mind has been wrestling with that very question since I climbed off the trawler and back into the johnboat.
“Do you still have a jet on standby?” I ask as I take another turn that will lead us in the opposite direction of the safe house.
“Of course. I didn’t know what to expect, so I came prepared for anything.”
Without looking at him, I say, “Call your pilot. Ask how long it will take to be ready to fly.”
“We’re leaving?” Surprise colors his question.
Stopping at another red light, I turn my head far enough to meet his gaze. “I have to get my wife and daughter somewhere untouchable as soon as humanly possible.”
The energy in the car shifts, and I know the seriousness of my tone is not lost on him.
“It was that bad?”
“It is what it is. A goddamn nightmare come to life, to be honest. But it doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is keeping Keira and Rory safe. They can’t be touched by this.”
Another few beats of silence pass.
“What about you? Are you staying or going? I will remind you, our mother will return, as she said, regardless of any potential danger, if you do not go see her when promised.”
Running from a problem isn’t something I’ve ever done. My whole life has been a series of challenges taken head-on. But this … this is different. This is … I don’t even know exactly what I’m dealing with yet. And what’s worse, the only people I can trust are those who share my blood or a bond of marriage.
No wonder I don’t feel like I can trust my people. I have no idea if DuFort has already gotten to any of them. Anything is possible when Satan’s spawn comes to play.
The possibility of staying behind and sending Keira and Aurora off with my brother without me enters my mind anyway. What if tonight is the last time I ever see either of them alive? What if I never see my mother again? What if this is the only opportunity I have for this kind of happiness? How can I waste it?
Sharp pain rips through my gut at the prospect, and that’s all the answer I need.
“I made a promise to our mother.” I pause, feeling the surreal nature of the words deep in the depths of my tattered soul. “And I’m going to keep it. We all go together. Call it a family reunion.”
Chapter Seventeen
Keira
The sounds I’ve waited for all day finally come as darkness falls. Still, out of habit, I pull a gun when I hear the garage door. Instead of one set of footsteps, my senses heighten, and my heart thumps harder as I hear two.
Thankful that Aurora is fast asleep in the baby’s room, I move in front of her door, pistol in hand. “Honey? Is that you?”
“Yes, with a welcome guest.” Lachlan’s voice comes from around the corner.
“Thank God,” I whisper as I come away from the door and set the pistol on the table behind the sofa.
As soon as he walks into the room, I catalog every feature of my husband’s face.
