He gets me square in the mouth before I slam him back into the wall. “You didn’t even call to check on her for over a week. Tell me what the fuck is going on right now, or I swear to God, Talon, you will never see your cousin again, because I’ll protect her from anyone, even you.”
“I’m the only one protecting her!” he yells, his face contorting in anger. “Look, her father is the one who made it look like she knew everything, had everything they wanted, when she doesn’t. And now her father is fuckin’ dead. Someone got to him in prison. I didn’t want to tell her. How the fuck do I tell her that he’s dead? And that he wasn’t the man she thought he was to begin with?”
I let him go and take a step back.
Well, fuck.
What do we do now? This news will devastate Shay, and it looks like I am going to be the one who has to deliver it to her.
“When was he killed?” I ask, sitting down at the desk. We are alone in one of the offices at Rift, loud music in the background.
“Three days ago,” he says, shoulders sagging. “Look, I can’t bring her back to my clubhouse because I have my own shit going on there, and it’s not safe for her right now. If it was the best place for her I would have taken her there.”
“Why has it been so quiet?” I ask, a muscle ticking in my jaw. “There’s been nothing, we’ve checked the cameras, everything. Nothing suspicious has happened.”
Talon scratches the stubble on his jaw. “A member of the Kings of Hell MC killed Shay’s father.”
My head snaps to him. “I know the Kings are involved in all this bullshit, and I want to know why.”
The Kings were an MC we’ve had trouble with recently. Rake fucked their president’s old lady, but even before that we’ve had run-ins with them. We once thought they were clean, but it doesn’t look that way anymore. In fact, it looks like we may have to deal with them sooner than later.
Talon grits his teeth. “Shayla’s father was an accountant, and Shay worked with him, which you probably already know. He taught her everything she needed to know, and she’s very good with numbers, always has been.”
I didn’t know that, actually.
“And?” I growl, wanting to know what he’s getting at. “You said Shay doesn’t know anything.”
“I don’t think she does,” Talon says, looking me in the eye. “She has dealt with the Kings MC accounts though.”
“So I need to worry about them too? They aren’t just doing the Mafia’s bidding?” I ask, jaw tense. I can tell the body count is going to be high. And what did it mean, she did their accounts? To me, that means she does know something. I am going to ask her that though, not Talon. I want to hear that information from her lips.
“I don’t know, but the likely answer is that the Mafia and Kings are working together on this. Everyone has their hands full right now. They are still looking for the ledger, so they’re killing each other off. Lists of names of people who betrayed others, who made deals with who, who is funding who, it’s all fucked-up right now. I don’t know who the real threat to Shay is anymore.”
“So if her father is dead, what do they still want with Shay?” I ask, a dash of hope filling me.
“They think she has the ledger,” he says, pulling the chair next to me and taking a seat. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, to be honest. I’m hoping they forget about her, but these bastards never do. They bide their time until an opportunity comes up.” He pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to me. “Top three people who would have reason to want revenge. These are who I’m keeping an eye on right now, watching their movements. You want to be in the know, well here you fuckin’ go, Vinnie.”
I scan the list and memorize the three names. “So you’re on top of this, then?”
He nods. “You just do what you’re doing and keep her safe. And it pains me to say this, but don’t tell me what you’re doing with her. I have a leak and I have no idea where it’s coming from.”
“The fuck?” I growl, hands clenching. “You need to handle that shit, Talon.”
“I’m on it,” he replies, then lowers his voice. “And tell her about her father.”
“I’m not telling her that he tried to use her as a cop-out,” I tell him. “She doesn’t need to know that shit, it will kill her.”
There’s no way she’s going to find out. Let her think her father died loving her more than anything, trying to protect her from the shit he caused in the first place.
“I agree,” Talon says, sitting down in the chair next to me. “Just keep that part to yourself, and I’ll do the same.”
“We done here, then? Or is there anything else I need to know?” I ask him, my gaze going back to the piece of paper in front of me.
“I think for now, we’re done.” He stands up, and I eye him curiously.
“You aren’t going to say anything about me and Shay?” I ask, standing and bracing myself for another fight. “You told me to keep my hands off her, and I didn’t. I’m surprised you didn’t start with that.”
He walks to the door, turns, and flashes me a grin. “Shay now has the protection of the Wind Dragons. Why would I be angry at that?”
He leaves and I stare at the door.
Motherfucker.
He wanted this to happen.