Page 91 of When You Stayed
Daisy had gone pale, her fingers gripping the edge of the window seat. “He was here?”
“Someone was.”
“What did the letter say?” she asked nervously.
I didn’t want to tell her this part. This was the shit I’d been hidingand burying for the past year. Why I gave up the club, and why I was here, fucking up and about to defend idiot Ford if he decided to go to war.
“It was a question, asking if Royce or Taryn had picked a side or not. Two pictures were included in the envelope of both girls.”
She’d stopped speaking and instead wiped at her brow with a shaky hand. I continued confessing.
“I knew then that we needed to do something different. He was still coming for us, but I didn’t feel as sharp as I did back when we first got together, Daisy. I felt old, like a worn-out picture, folded in too many places. I didn’t feel equipped to do what I knew needed to be done, so I went to Wes with all of it, and Ford walked in on our conversation. Because he heard that Max had left a photo of Royce, he offered on the spot to take over in secret. He wanted to do whatever it took to protect everyone. It was his idea to keep it a secret, that we needed to take Max by surprise when he showed up again. Ford’s been making the decisions for the club, which has led us to new business ventures and reluctant allies.”
My wife finally stood, letting out a heavy sigh. She ran her hands through her thick blond hair while pacing. “How bad is it?”
“Archer Green connected us with his brother-in-law…a man named Juan Hernandez…he’s Mafia. We’re working with his sons who have taken over the business since Juan retired. They’re rather unconventional in their methods, but just as ruthless as their father. We do things for them, bury evidence, hide what needs to be hidden. Funnel product, all through Ford’s construction business.”
“Killian, this could put you in prison. If the Feds find out…”
“This is why I haven’t wanted to say anything, Daisy. By trying to fix it, we’ve inadvertently made things worse. Ford is keeping up with what we owe the Hernandez family and ensuring they don’t come to collect. I’ve been trying to make it look like everything is okay in the club. Meanwhile, no one knew that Ford had been acting president of the club all this time.”
Laura’s face twisted. “I’m confused. What good does it do to have him be the president secretly if none of the men will follow him? They’ll all followyouinto a war not him.”
“Max will come for us assuming I’m the one in charge. We’re going to have the advantage of a surprise. Ford will have a whole new regiment of men who are loyal to him. He’s already made an ally out of Lance, and I have a fairly good idea that the Hernandez boys don’t hate Ford. They’re Archer Green’s nephews, and the group have met on a few occasions. Which means if it came down to it, we’d have Archer’s club, as well as his tie into the Mafia.”
My wife rubbed at her eyebrow, still pacing.
“Honey, this is insane. I can’t even believe you’d risk so much, and all because of one man…why haven’t we gone on the offense with him and hunted him down?”
I shook my head, frustrated, but only with myself. “We weighed that option. Heavily considered it, but in the end, we agreed that it was too dangerous. Why run after a bear after it decided not to make you it’s meal?”
“But he’s been toying with us. He sent photos of our children, Killian. It’s not like you to hide in your tower while someone threatens your family,” Laura argued, tossing her arm out while wearing a path into the carpet.
This part was what I’d been subconsciously avoiding. I felt depleted, and empty. As if I had nothing left to give.
“I feel like a wolf with no teeth, Daisy. How was I supposed to tell you that I was scared? How was I supposed to explain that nothing had ever scared me so much in my life than during that Christmas when we were all stuck here, and Silas nearly died. We would have all died that night if Archer Green hadn’t showed up. Max seems to always have the upper hand, and he wants to erase this club from existence. That fucking terrifies me.”
She paused walking and sucked in a sharp breath. Then her feet moved quickly as she got to her knees in front of me. “You’re allowed to get scared, my love. Growing old scares me too. Let’s be scared together.”
I placed my palm over hers, which was against my jaw. “Deal, Daisy.”
When she lowered her mouth to mine, I smiled and let her kisslinger. Right as I slid my hands around her waist and pulled her into my lap, my phone rang.
Laura’s brows dipped as she watched me fish my cell out. “Who is it?”
“It’s Silas.” We stared at one another as worry threaded my heart. Silas Silva wouldn’t call me for any reason, ever. Unless someone’s life was in danger. Natty would call Laura if anything. With a bit of hesitation, I answered.
“Silas?”
There was a pause before a gruff voice replied, “Killian, we’re back.”
I didn’t reply because I wasn’t sure what this meant, but then he added, “Do you know why there’s a pink motorcycle parked in front of my house? The only person I remember seeing who had pink everything was your kid.”
The world seemed to tip sideways. Getting to my feet, I began pacing frantically as I tried to process what he was saying.
“Is anyone inside your cottage?”
“No, it’s empty. We’ve checked the perimeter. No one is here.”
