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“If we let them know that she’s alive now, they could demand to have her and take her home. Then we wouldn’t have any leverage,” I state, telling them the issue that’s been plaguing me. There’s no true way to get around this. They can’t know she’s alive—not yet anyway.
“If they gain custody of her, we’d lose our upper hand,” Gunner surmises.
“Exactly,” I agree with him. “But if we don’t, and we end up joining them in their battle against the Ruizs, and they find out down the line that we kept this from them, then they would come at us which puts us in the same situation we are in now with their grandsons.”
“So to recap. The Ruizs have brought their operations to the Fitzgerald’s territory. They want us to help assist but could become an enemy if we keep the secret that Shayne’s alive. This is a conundrum.” Master sighs.
“What if you tell them and I refuse to go home with them?” Shayne asks, her voice timid as she comes up and sits in the empty chair beside me.
“Why would you do that? They’re your family,” Shamus questions.
“I may have the same blood as they do, but they’re not my family. I don’t know them. What I do know for a fact is that they forced my mother to marry a monster and didn’t step in while she was being abused by his hands. I have no respect for people like that,” she confesses. “I’ve managed to escape one betrothment orchestrated by my siblings with your help. Who’s to say I’d be lucky enough to evade that scheme twice?”
“She has a point. But what if they refuse to leave without you?” Gunner urges her.
“I’ll be as honest with them as I can. I’ll tell them that I’ll go with them eventually, once the threat of my brothers is taken care of. But I’ll also stress that I refuse to go anywhere with them unless I have their word, in writing, stating that they won’t force a marriage on me, and that I’m free to leave at any time. From what I’ve heard about them, they believe in upholding their agreements to the letter.”
“How have you heard anything about them? You’ve been kept from them since you were a toddler, right?”
“Pretty much. But my brothers talk, and I may have done some research on them myself,” she admits.
“Again, how?” I push for an answer that makes sense to me.
“The library,” she answers with an impish and wicked smile. “Mera and I earned a day pass. We went through their newsreels and checked out all the published issues where their names were mentioned. We went under the guise of researching information for a paper that was due in cultural religions.”
“That was smart of you. You’re correct. They are a family who binds themselves to their verbal and written promises. However, that doesn’t mean they’ll agree to anything. They’re also known for their hardheadedness and spontaneity. When they urgently want something, they go after it, no matter what the consequences might be. I have no doubt thatyouare something they’d fight tooth and nail for, Shayne.”
“I get that, Julius. I really do. I know that there’s no guarantee that my plan will work. But if my brothers are what’s standing in their way, they’ll be more willing to comply. They owe me that at the very least.” She huffs.
I can see the rage burning behind her eyes. She has some difficulties and conflict with her family—on both sides of the spectrum. Not that I can blame her, but I’m wondering if she’s acting with her heartfelt emotions instead of with her brain.
“We’re not in a rush at this point. Let’s talk it over and watch them. I’ll start bargaining with them and see where they stand,” I compromise.
“Yeah. Let’s do that,” she says, nodding her head, consenting to my plan of action. “I just want to help however I can.”
“And you will, Shayne. As soon as we figure out how that is,” I swear.
“Thank you, Julius. I feel like I’m saying that a lot to you, but I’d be married to a man in a few months’ time that would most likely treat me like the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. I refuse to be wiped away from anyone’s soles like dust on a mat.”
“That won’t happen, Shayne. I won’t let it.” That’s something I won’t ever let become of her life, even if I have to give my own to prevent it from happening. She deserves better, and I’ll make sure she gets it.
Shayne
I wantto give the Fitzgeralds the benefit of the doubt, but Julius brought up some good and valid points during his argument toward my plans. He’s correct. We need to be better prepared. A simple demand of their assistance in our plight is ludicrous.
Just when I thought I had a handle on how to deal with this, it blew up in my face.
The rest of the day passes by with a haze of endless activity. My mind continuously shuffles through different scenarios, and how we can best deal with our issue with the least deadly outcome.
Even though it’s been less than twenty-four hours, these men and women have become important to me. I’d sacrifice myself before letting them lose another thing.
They’ve lost their homes, loved ones, and businesses—all thanks to Garrick, Gideon, Graham, and Gavriel. These four are my monsters to deal with. I just wish I were strong enough to do it on my own.
“Let’s head back. It’s been a long day and I have some calls to make,” Julius whispers in my ear.
“Sounds good. I’m tired,” I disclose around a yawn. “I like your family, Julius.”
“They like you too, Shayne. Come on, up with you.” He laughs, holding his hand out for me. Yesterday, I was timid to accept his offer. Today, I’m thrilled to feel his hand in mine. With no hesitation, I reach out and allow him to lift me from my seat. “We’ll come back soon.”
