“What did she say?”

“She told him she loved him.”

And to a little boy who’d never experienced a tender touch or loving word...

“I knew the moment he couldn’t do it so...” He shrugged his frail shoulders.

“You killed her.”

A coughing fit prevented him from answering, but I saw it in the sick pleasure in his eyes. He was barely alive and still able to torment anyone in his presence.

“I was standing behind him where he couldn’t see,” he said when his coughing ended. I was disappointed that he hadn’t choked to death sparing me the trouble. “I’m sure he’s questioned it as he got older—wondered if he pulled the trigger. It’s been fifteen years now. A child’s memories are unreliable, and I’m sure with his amount of self-hate, he’s convinced himself he’s guilty.”

“Only because you and those sick fucks did this to him!” I hadn’t realized I had shouted until my voice bounced off the walls and echoed around the room. Mitch lifted a shriveled finger to pale lips mockingly. I didn’t feel my tears anymore, but I knew they were there. For once, I didn’t begrudge them but let them fall freely. I needed the pain.

He took in my face and cackled. “You’ll lose him. It’s only a matter of time.”

I didn’t hear my cry. I didn’t feel my feet move. The knife I had hidden under my shirt dug into the skin of my fist when I gripped the handle, ready to make my move.

Chapter Three

KEIRAN

PRESENT

“What the fuck just happened?” Sheldon whisper-yelled as she descended the stairs from putting Kennedy back to bed. She had become hysterical after seeing Lake hauled away and guns pointed at me. I felt guilty for allowing her to see. She was only four, and she’d already seen too much.

“Say, you can’t just black out like that. You have too many strikes against you,” Dash scolded. I bit back a sarcastic retort, knowing now wasn’t the time to fight. It was normal for him to hold me accountable, but we weren’t kids anymore, and this was different. This was my woman in trouble. As soon as I got her out of this shit, I would wring her neck until I had answers.

“Kennedy saw that. You’re going to have to answer to her in the morning,” Keenan added.

I sucked as much air as I could into my lungs and then released it all in one spell without tearing my gaze from the window. A part of me was hoping she’d appear safe and this had all been a bad joke.

“I’ll talk to her in the morning,” I reassured. I looked over at Willow, who was now seated and looking nauseous. “You okay?” I let the apology in my tone speak for itself. She simply nodded and turned to Dash, who placed his hand on her cheek.

“I’ll get the lawyer on the phone. We’ll need to get ahead of this and get her out before they start interrogating her. If she did do it—”

“What do you mean if?” Willow demanded. It was the first time she had spoken since Lake was driven away. “She didn’t do it.”

“We need to be prepared in case she did.”

“She doesn’t kill people,” Sheldon argued.

“You’d be amazed what someone is willing to do for love,” Di murmured. She had been sitting back quiet and a little too calm.

“You saying you know something I don’t?” I was stalking her position on the recliner and promising retribution if she lied before anyone could anticipate my move.

“Keiran, calm down.”

I gritted my teeth, sick of Dash trying to handle me, and kept my glare fixed on her.

“Well,” I prompted when she kept her mouth closed. Her mouth twitched as if she were fighting back a grin, and I swore to fuck if she lost that battle, nothing would keep me from knocking her teeth down her throat. Lake would never forgive me for even considering such a dick move, but I found nothing about this shit funny.

“Only what you failed to see.”

“Explain,” Keenan demanded. His eyes flashed with irritation, mirroring my own.

“You made a monster out of her.” She sat up and let a ghost of a smile fall across her lips. “Think about it. Someone like you and someone like her should never have crossed paths much less be together. She’d have no choice but to adapt just to survive you and keep you.”

I felt myself flinch but ignored it. “I haven’t hurt her. I wouldn’t.”

“But someone wants to hurt you, and every time you knock one down, another pops up. You’re no stranger to danger, mister. You embrace it even with so many strikes against you like the dumb male you are.”