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Chapter Seven
Vance
While Hayden appeared uncomfortable, this was far from the first time I’d scarfed down tea and treats as though nothing were wrong while ignoring the huge issues in the room.
It was a skill honed by the rich, one I’d picked up even as a baby. It meant that despite Pauline thinking and staring at us, I could sip the tea and enjoy the sweet desserts spread across the table.
I should bring Kenz here sometime.I imagined she’d rather like it here, and, given her upbringing, she could easily tolerate the atmosphere. In fact, the thought of dressing her up again sounded damn nice.
At least, until I recalled how uncertain our future remained. Maybe I’d just ensure she had a reservation, so that when the inevitable came to pass, it would leave her with something. It reminded me of Pauline’s story, how her husband had left her a gift even after he was gone, and the happiness in her expression at that memory.
Pauline released a long sigh and in that sound, I heard her answer.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help you,” she said. The worst part was that she actually sounded sorry. “You’re putting me in an impossible position, asking me to choose between strangers and my own flesh and blood.”
“It’s not about choosing—it’s about seeing that he’s a problem. His actions can end up bringing trouble to you, to your family.”
“I’m aware, but in my position, protecting family is the most important thing. Nothing matters more than family, after all, and I have already lost so much of it. You can’t expect me to turn my back on what little I have left.”
I thought about my own family, about all the problems between us. I’d learned that blood didn’t matter all that much in the end, that people did what was best for themselves. They used blood and last names as stones to climb atop, to better their positions, to build themselves a platform and occasionally as weapons against those in their way.
However, Pauline spoke as though it actually mattered to her.
“Sometimes a family member isn’t worth it,” I said softly.
“No parent would think that.”
“Then you don’t know many families. I say this as someone all but disowned by my own family, all because they didn’t feel that I fit in with them. Sometimes a family member is just a diseased limb that has to be cut off for the whole to survive.”
She shook her head. “That is a sad sentiment, and one I can’t share. If you keep doing that, you’ll end up with no limbs. Sometimes, you have to treat the wound instead of just considering it a lost cause. Lorien isn’t a monster, not in his heart. I know him, remember him as a young child just looking for beauty in a world that was cold and lonely. He grew up knowing he didn’t belong where he was but also knowing the place he belonged had cast him out. If I keep working with him, if I give him the love and acceptance that he didn’t get before, he’ll come around.”
I struggled with her response. A part of me wanted that for myself, the dedication of a mother willing to risk so much for the benefit of her child. However, it also didn’t help that it was the exact opposite of what I needed at the moment.
“Mrs. Hatchett,” I started to say, but her sharp look cut the words short.
“I understand your reasoning. Trust me, I do not take betrayal or harm to me or mine easily. I don’t let that slide, so I won’t blame you for it. However, your feelings are not my problem or my responsibility to factor into my own choices. I’m sorry that you’ve suffered, but I will not choose you over my own son. Lorien is my priority, and I will do whatever I have to to protect him. He is the future of this family, and I can’t allow things like pity to stop me from doing what must be done.”
She rose, the action elegant and regal, fully fitting her position as matriarch of a crime family. “Despite how this has gone, I am grateful to have met you, Mr. Moore, and I hope that you are able to let go of the anger you harbor, because I do wish for you to have a good life.”
I said nothing back, frustration eating away at me when she nodded politely and left the room.
“Damn it,” Hayden muttered, shaking his head, clearly as bothered as I was about this.
“We knew this was possible,” I said even if I didn’t feel that.
“What now?”
I blew out a breath, then shrugged. “Now, I guess we pocket some of these desserts because I’m pretty sure Kenz would love them.”
Hayden said nothing at first, then chuckled when it seemed he couldn’t resist it anymore. “What, you can’t afford to buy some?”
“Hey, I haven’t worked in a long time, remember? Besides, some petty part of me likes the idea that Pauline there had to pay for it.”
A server brought a lovely white box and packed up the multitude of sweets that had gone untouched, Pauline having picked up the check before she left.
Our trip back to the house was quiet and uneventful, probably because we both thought about how much it sucked going back empty-handed. We’d wanted to get further, for this to have made a difference, but instead, we were no better off.
Hell, if anything, we potentially opened ourselves up to additional risks by dragging Pauline directly into the mess. Still, I had to believe that it was worth the risk, because we had to do something.
