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Someone knocked again.
Tightening the belt on my robe, I hoped whoever was here didn’t want to chat for long, because whatever it was could wait until morning.
Unlocking the locks, I left the chain attached while I slowly opened the door to find King standing on my back porch looking around in the dark. Hearing the door open, he turned and said, “We need to talk.”
Gulping, I nodded, shutting the door, quickly removing the chain before opening it again. Stepping to the side, I let King into my home, then I took a quick glance outside to make sure no one was watching before I shut the front door.
“Want something to drink?”
“No,” he said gruffly. “Sit down, Sugar, before you fall down.”
Doing as he instructed immediately, I sat at my kitchen table and waited for him to say whatever it was he came here to say. I never claimed to know what King would say. The man was of his own mind and rarely said or did as I believed.
Leaning against my counter, he looked around the small space before taking a long, deep breath. “The linoleum in this kitchen needs to be replaced.”
“That’s not what you came to say, Callum. Best come out with it.”
“You’re right,” he grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck.
Standing straight, he turned to me and stated, “I need you to tell me that I’m not the reason you’re not with Enigma.”
“Excuse me?”
“Tell me I’m not the reason you’re refusing Enigma’s claim.”
Taking a deep breath, I narrowed my eyes at the man as I leaned back in my chair and crossed my arms. “You didn’t come all the way down the mountain to rehash something that happened fifteen years ago. Why are you really here?”
“This is a small town, Sugar. Really fucking small. The gossip that runs around this place was the reason I joined the military. I couldn’t take it anymore after Cassie disappeared. I needed to get away from it all. But that was impossible. I know that now. I want to apologize to you for the night at the lake. I was married to Valerie and knew better. While that bitch got everything she deserved, you did not. My actions that night put your life on a course neither of us could have foreseen. I’m sorry for that.”
“I was eighteen, Callum. I knew what I was doing. We thought we were alone.”
“Doesn’t make what I did right, and instead of this town condemning me, they blamed you.”
“That was a long time ago, Callum. Why are you bringing this up now?”
“Because my brother is in pain, and I can’t fix it. He loves you, Sugar, and we all know you love him too, but you won’t give him a chance because you are afraid of what everyone will say. I get it. I really do, but there comes a time when you have to do what’s right for you. Don’t let your past or this town stop you from being happy. Everyone deserves to be truly loved, Sugar. You more so than everyone else.”
Leaning forward, I clasped my hands together and sighed. “It’s not that simple and you know it. There are people in this town that want nothing more than for me to make a mistake. The second I do, she will make my life hell. I don’t even want to think what she will do to Eugene, or Claudia, for that matter. I won’t risk it. I’ve got my boys to consider. My shop barely makes enough money to put food on my table. If I go down that road, I risk losing everything and so does Eugene. I won’t do that to him.”
King’s head snapped up and he slowly pushed off the counter, glaring at me.
“She’s blackmailing you.”
It wasn’t a question.
I knew that.
Refusing to respond, I got to my feet. “It doesn’t matter. I think you should leave. Thank you for coming over and saying what you did. Though it was unnecessary but thank you.”
“Sugar, is Martha Cohen blackmailing you?”
I knew King well enough to know he wouldn’t leave this alone. The man was like a dog with a bone. Once he was on the scent, nothing, and I mean nothing would deter him until he found what he was looking for.
“We weren’t the only ones at the lake that night. Were we? Someone saw us.”
Refusing to answer, I stayed silent when we both heard, “It was Margaret. Martha Cohen’s daughter,” Eugene said, walking into my kitchen. “You want to know why Shug left the clubhouse? It’s because Martha Cohen is fucking blackmailing her and wants to destroy the Sons of Hell?”
King frowned, confused. “What? Why?”
