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“I shoved him out the window,” I admit on a small chuckle. “I had a concussion and a bunch of people banging on the door. I panicked and told him to leave.”
“And then you spent the night together,” Kane adds with finality. “Just like that, you pick up where you left off, and now you bring him among my family.”
“Kane.” Jess winds her hand through his short hair and tugs until their eyes meet. “It would appear he’s your family too.”
Kane’s nostrils flare as he drags a long breath through his nose and lets his chest expand. “Family…” His eyes flicker from Jess, to Jay, to Soph. Then his gaze flickers to the wall of windows until he looks to the men who haven’t moved an inch since we came in here.
They stand guard, and have no qualms about rushing this room when ordered. The fact I’m a cop does absolutely nothing to deter them.
“Family to me doesn’t mean blood. It doesn’t mean we share the same last name. It doesn’t mean we share the same father. In my world, family means loyalty, it means love, and protection, kindness, truth, and honor. You and I may share the same blood, but our only connection is through a man we can all agree is a murderous prick. Are you like him, or like your sweet mother?”
“He asked me the same questions overnight.” I sit forward a little, and draw eyes away from the silence beside me. “He wanted to know if you’re like Colum, or your sweet mom. You guys have a lot more in common than you’d like to think, and all of you are scared. Change is scary.”
“Rats are scary,” Kane amends. “We have nothing but your word to go on right now. We’re told he’s one of us, so we believe you and invite you over for Christmas?”
“No.” Finally, Gunner speaks. “I didn’t come here looking for a family to add to my Christmas list.”
“So why’d you come?”
“To implicate, and to kill,” Soph murmurs. “That’s what they said. He wants to hurt Colum, and since Colum is no longer here to take his punishment–”
Kane lifts Jess and places her back in her own seat. His hand wraps around the handle of his gun, which brings the guys outside the room back to high alert, but he doesn’t point it like last time. “We’ve established Colum is no friend of ours. So now you have choices to make; stand and leave this office, having the answers to the questions you came to ask. We’re not Colum’s soldiers, and we’ve done nothing to hurt you. Walk away, and continue to live your life far away from us. We’ll leave you be if you agree to do the same. But if that’s not the choice you’re inclined to make, if you insist on bringing a war to my home, then I’ll fight, I’ll win, and you will no longer have the luxury of choice. I’m not a monster, Griffin. I don’t wanna hurt you, and apart from the fact you tried to buy Soph, we have no beef.” His glittery black eyes come to me. “You said you weren’t bringing trouble, but you lied. You knew his plans, you knew he’d already condemned us.”
I want to surge to my feet and argue my innocence. I brought him here to make peace. To fix something that was broken long ago by a man that no longer lives. I want to cry about unfairness, and insist I’m not guilty of this crime, nor of being bought by a Bishop. But Kane doesn’t allow me the chance. He doesn’t give me a single second to argue before he continues.
“No one comes before my family.” His eyes flicker between me and Gunner. “There isn’t a man on this planet I would trade Jess and my children for. Not you,” he looks to Gunner. Then to me, “not the chick cop, not even my own brother. When I love, I love fiercely. But no one knows the full power like Jess does. You may stand, slowly. Collect your things, keep your hands visible at all times. Leave. There isn’t a single man or woman in this building who won’t take you out if you make the wrong move.”
“I won’t take you out.” Jess watches us with eyes that speak of grief. Her words hurt Kane, but she slowly stands with a grunt, and stakes her position. “I won’t hurt you. You’re family.”
“Jessica! No.”
“Yes.” She places her hand on his straining arm and squeezes. “He’s the product of an unfair system. A victim of the same crimes we are. He might be connected to you through what you consider your worst link, but he’s connected all the same. He didn’t hurt us. He’s carrying, but he didn’t pull a weapon once. He could have hurt us at any time; at home, while driving here, while at Lamaze class. He could have come to town and maintained the Griffin story, and I know he’s smart enough to do better than what he did. There are a million ways he could have ended this, but he didn’t. He doesn’t deserve our distrust.”
“Jess,” Kane’s voice comes out on a groan. “I don’t have room in my life for this.” His eyes come back to us. “I hold no ill will. I will not have someone follow you or hurt you. I will do nothing except go on with my life and pretend this never happened.”
“Just like that?” Soph looks between Kane and Gunner. She stands, just like Jess, and rests her hand on Jay’s vibrating shoulder. “We discover today that you have a blood relation. He’s your brother, and he’s keeping the peace. And you’re just gonna let him walk away?”
“I don’t want a part of this anyway.” Taking Kane at his word, Gunner stands anddoesn’ttrip any explosives beneath his chair. He pockets his cell, then takes my hand and pulls me up. “I came to incriminate and kill. It would seem I can do neither. It wouldn’t sit right with me to hurt any of you because of who you’re related to. Come, Lib. I’m done.”
“Colum Bishop had my baby sister hurt and murdered.” Soph’s shouted words stop us just as Gunner’s hand wraps around the door handle.
The guys outside the boardroom inch closer, as though they know something is coming. Kane remains in place. Jay remains seated. And Jess steps in front of her man… not in protection, but in restraint.
Soph walks around the table so she stops in front of us and effectively blocks everyone else out. “He killed my baby sister. Ellie was my everything. She was my world, and she was stolen from me.”
Gunner’s jaw ticks as his chest is directed toward the door, but his head is turned and his eyes bore into Soph’s. “I can relate to how you feel. I’m sorry that happened to you and your sister.”
Soph nods. Then she turns to Kane. “Colum killed your baby brother. He had him executed, and for more than half a year, you grieved for him. He was your baby, and you would have given anything to have him back.”
Kane’s jaw ticks. That’s the only response he gives.
Soph looks to Jay. “You were without Kane the entire time you were presumed dead. You watched him through binoculars for months. You watched him through Ace’s communications for longer than that. Every time you sent an email, you asked how he was doing. You just wanted to come home to him.”
Jay’s eyes flicker between hers. He adores her, but he doesn’t like the point she’s making.
“Jessie’s sister was violated by that same man. Every single one of us in this room have been hurt by Colum. Some more than others. Jessie’s sister attempted suicide to escape it.” She turns to Jess. “You almost lost her, and if you had, there would have been no undoing that. There’s no coming back from death.”
“Sophia,” Jay growls. “Stop.”
“My sister is dead, Jay! That will never be undone. But knowing what you know and the pain you’ve felt, are you really gonna let yourbrotherwalk out this door and pretend he doesn’t exist? Can you look me in the eyes and admit you’re never going to wonder about him?”
“It’s not so simple, Sugar Plum. It’s…” He sits forward and drops his face in his hands. “It’s not that easy.”
“It can be,” she replies. “You don’t have to trust right away.” She walks away from us, rounds the long table, and kneels beside his chair. “You don’t have to trust immediately, but you should at least try to get to know him.”
“No.” Kane shakes his head and pulls Jess back a step. “We let him live. That’s all we’ve got to offer.”
“You should come to our wedding.” Jess flashes a wide grin at us. “I’ll have an invite made up for you guys.”
“Jessica!Fuck.”
