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“I think you need to leave, Mom,” says Damien.
He picks up my mom’s purse from the chair and hands it to her. She looks between us all and over her shoulder to the kitchen, where Nancy is preparing the dinner like none of this is happening in front of her.
“I think it would be best if you don’t come back here. This is Kally’s home for as long as she wants it, and under the circumstances, she shouldn’t be made to feel uncomfortable. She needs rest to recover.” I stand my ground, holding my head high and my back straight.
“As you wish.”
She walks out of my house without a backward glance. I never wanted it to come to this, but Kally spoke a lot of truth. They all stood by and watched this happen. They’re as much to blame as Colton.
“We need to up security,” I say to Damien as Kally walks over to the patio doors leading to my back garden.
“May I interrupt, you guys?” Jared steps closer to us. “I know someone who will be able to help with security.”
“The name?” I ask.
“Shawland Security.”
“The name rings a bell.” I can’t think where I’ve heard it.
“You all know I had a life and a career before I started working with your family, right?”
I look over at Damien, and we both nod together. I knew Jared was in the army, but it’s always kept hush-hush. When he brought it up, we talked, but I knew it was a sore subject.
“Who do you know? Money’s no object, Jared. I need peace of mind that Kally’s going to be safe.”
Jared sits down on the chair and holds his hands over his knees. “You might have seen Shawland Security in the news six months ago. They were mixed up in that whole army fiasco with the black-market selling women and babies. Anyway, their company is the best in the business. They owe me a favor. They told me to call them if I ever need them.”
“And we can trust them?
“Implicitly.”
“Can you set it up? Get something in place for Friday?”
“That’s two days, son. I’m not promising anything because they’re in Chicago, but I’ll try my best.”
“Just do what you can, Jared. I want to be prepared for anything that comes our way. We all know Colton is my father’s son. He’s going to come at us with something.” I sigh. “He’s going to seek revenge.”
He nods.
I walk away from my brother and Jared and stand a few feet away from Kally. I can see her reflection in the perfectly polished glass. Her body is trembling. I want to wrap my arms around her and take everything away from her, but I don’t want to push her. We can only take each day as it comes and hope for the best.
“I can’t believe that a mother—or any woman—could come here and do what she just did. Was I wrong to say that to her? Am I wrong to keep them away from Daisy’s funeral? Tell me, Clark? Give me your honest opinion. I need honesty in my life.”
I step up to her back and place my hands on her hips. When she doesn’t pull away from me, I rest my chin on her shoulder and speak softly. “I don’t think you did anything wrong. You need to do what’s best for you, sweetheart. That might not be the right thing for some people, but who cares?”
“I don’t want to stop your family from coming here. It isn’t fair to you.”
“Stop. I can count on one hand how many times my parents have been in this house in the five years I’ve lived here, and it was never for a personal visit. It was to give me a headache about something that had nothing to do with me. My life is here. Right here in this room. If you and these guys are okay, then I don’t care about anyone else.”
I take advantage of her resting into my chest and wrap my arms carefully around the middle of her stomach.
“I’m not the same person, Clark. I doubt I ever will be. Colton was on a mission to strip me of everything that made me the person I was.”
I want to know everything my brother put her through, but I know it’s not going to happen overnight, and I doubt I ever will be privy to everything she faced.
“Baby steps. I want you to lean on me. Let me help you.”
She turns slowly in my arms and rests one of her hands on my chest. “I always dreamed that you would come for me one day. My knight in shining armor.” She looks at my chest instead of looking me in the face. “Every touch, every horrible thing he said to me… I tried to block it out by remembering things you said to me.”
