Sully finally huffs out a breath, “Fine! It was Elle!!” Offuckingcourse it was, because who else would it be? Elle, or Elena, is the twins best friend. They’re a trio of terror, who have been making dumb ass decisions since they met in third grade. My issue with it? Elle is the daughter of Theo Rossi, the current Capo of the Italian family. Huffing out an exasperated, “Why?”, the twins look at each other then look at me, refusing to speak.
Mac rolls his eyes, “And now you’re brought up to speed. They won’t say a word.”
Finally Flynn spits out, “And we won’t. It’s not our story to tell.” What the fuck?
Kieran struts in from the home gym and tosses an empty water bottle at Flynn’s head, “Can y’all not give Roe five seconds of peace? Let the man breathe.” He smiles at me like he just solved all life’s problems, and continues into the kitchen. I turn to continue questioning the twins because no shot I’m letting this go. Declan chooses that moment to stumble through the front door in yesterday’s clothes and red eyes. I shoot him a glare, “Go take a shower and meet me in the office. We have shit to do.” Looking at my three youngest brothers I grunt out, “This isn’t over.”
Twenty minutes later Dec walks in freshly showered popping four ibuprofen and immediately starting in, “Okay, so the Bratva are getting real twitchy. I’m not sure what’s going on. But I went out with Natasha last night.”
I cut him off as I bellow, “You went out with the Pakhan’s daughter? Are you fucking stupid Declan? Nikolai’s going to have your balls and I’m going to have to let him! What theFUCK is wrong with all you guys today?” They’re going to get me killed.
Declan rolls his eyes, “Chill out Roe it’s fine, he’ll never find out. We were on our territory, Nolan was with me, no harm no foul. So, like I was saying after a few drinks Natasha started talking about her dad losing his ever loving shit, he thinks the Italians are working with someone to wipe them out. His logic is flawed, but regardless I waited until she passed out and had Mac hack her phone, if it gets too wild we’ll know.”
Declan is my second in command. My “Clan Chief’’ on official business he’s also the second oldest of us. Only under me by two years. He’s about my height, and we have the same light brown hair color. His eyes are darker though, almost an emerald. We have the same build. Tall and stocky from the amount of time we put in at the gym. Kieran is the third oldest at twenty-three and our Enforcer, he gets the answers we need. He’s a few inches taller than I am and stands at about six and a half feet. His hair is so dark it’s almost black, but not quite.
His eyes are lighter than mine, but hold so much rage it’s like he’s constantly hanging on by a thread. He’s one of the best Enforcers I’ve ever met, and he enjoys it like no one I’ve ever seen. I appreciate a good meeting every now and then, I’ll even get my hands dirty to get the information I need. However, Kieran lives for the violence, the torture. I think it keeps his demons at bay. He doesn’t talk about it, but I know my brother. Then that brings us to Mac, he’s our tech guy. He’s so good the government tried to recruit him at the ripe old age of sixteen. Obviously he said no, and now he makes sure we’re safe and secure at all times.
“So Mac planted a bug on her, but what good is that goingto do? She’s his daughter Dec, not his under boss.”
Declan smiles like the Cheshire cat, “Correct, but all she has to do is get her cell within five feet of his and BAM, we have him bugged too.”
I huff and wave him off, “Okay, lets see what Mac can get for us. Until then stay away from the mother fucking Pakhan’s spawn.” Dec rolls his eyes and mock salutes me “Yes, Boss” then walks out of my office. Pulling out my phone I shoot off a text to Mac.
Rowan: You got any info on that name I gave you last night?
His reply is immediate
Mac: Yeah, I got something but it isn’t much. Why do you want info on some single mom who lives in a shitty apartment?
Rowan: None of your business, MacQuillian. Send it over
Mac: Oh shut the fuck up *eye roll* Here, now leave me alone. *document attached*
3
Chapter Three
Clara
Do you ever get the feeling like someones watching you? When the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, goose flesh cloaks your arms, and your heart rate automatically picks up? That’s how I feel right now standing at the edge of the playground watching Rhett play on the slides. My head feels like it’s on a swivel, I keep reminding myself he can’t find us here. We avoid any and everything that could alert him to where we are. It’s why Rhett hasn’t gotten hearing aids yet. It’s why we nurse colds at home and pray to whoever will listen that it never needs further medical attention. It’s why I’m thankful Kellum O’Brien has no problem sending my paychecks to an account with a name that isn’t the name I gave him when I was hired.
I was born Clara Randolph, and Rhett was born RhettDonovan. But here we’re ‘The Sanders’, and no one has a reason to question it. So when my checks go to an account held by the name Brittany Mitchell no one bats an eye. I have the only card linked to the account, and my best friend gets her Saturday evening face times every week and random texts throughout to keep up with each other in return, which reminds me. I wave both arms until I catch Rhett’s attention and sign “Come on baby, time to go home and call Auntie.”Rhett pouts the most pitiful pout that he’s mastered over the past six months, he gets that lip as far out as he can manage and makes those hazel eyes as big as he can and signs back ‘One more slide, please Mama, please.”He’s got me and he knows it. I dramatically sigh, making him giggle and nod, “Only one more, I’m serious.”A smile breaks across his whole face as he climbs to the tallest slide and giggles the whole way down.
Meeting him at the bottom and reaching for his hand to lead him to the car. I’m looking behind me when I hear, “Whoa!” Jerking my head forward I stop just short of running into a solid wall of muscles and abs. My eyes spring up to his and lock onto pools of green. Green that looks almost identical to the eyes that captivated me in Mr. O’Brien’s office, but this is not the same man. This man is younger and his hair is shaggy, he shakes it out of his eyes that are full of amusement and pops an air pod out. “Hey, you guys okay?” He squats down to Rhett’s level, “You okay little man?” Rhett darts behind my legs. Mystery man looks up at me and smirks, “He’s shy?”
I hate when men do this. Rhett literally cannot hear them. I mean he also is very wary of men, but still. I roll my eyes and snap, “No he can’t hear you. We’re fine, but we were just going.” I pick Rhett up and move around this man with the kind eyes. Even men with kind eyes and a face that almost sends a shockto my heart but not quite can’t be trusted. Carrying Rhett to the car he keeps his face in my neck.
After settling him in his seat I scan my surroundings again, the flash of a camera pulls my eyes to the tree line. My heart stops in my chest. Standing across the playground is a man who looks an awful lot like Preston. My hands shake and I blink hard, when I open my eyes again.. He’s gone. I glance everywhere to see where he went but it’s like he was never here. Am I so paranoid now that I’m seeing things?
The man with the green eyes is watching me with an eyebrow raised. But he’s not alone anymore, a taller, broader man with dark brown hair and eyes just a little lighter stands beside him. He watches me for a moment before turning and scanning the crowd. What is going on? Shaking my head and sliding into my front seat I find myself hitting the lock button as soon as the doors are shut. Mentally I’m repeating to myself ‘He can’t find you here. There’s no way. You’re safe. Rhett is safe. He can’t hurt us anymore.”Looking in the rear view I notice Rhett staring at the men inquisitively. He doesn’t look scared, just curious. Pulling out of the park, I’ve decided to take the long way home, just in case. We have nap time, and a call with an Auntie who misses us when we get home. But all that can wait an extra fifteen minutes to make sure we aren’t being followed.
* * *
Rhett has napped, played some more, eaten dinner and had a bath. He sits on our thrift store couch in his fresh PJ’s with little turtle heroes all over them, his curly, wet hair givingthe illusion that it’s somewhat maintainable. My phone is propped up on the coffee table as he signs as fast as his little hands will allow telling Auntie all about the park, and the amazing day he’s had. He and Britt talk until it’s bedtime, just as they have every other Saturday night for six months. I pick up my phone and my little boy then the three of us go through his whole routine together. Thirty minutes later he’s snuggling his favorite stuffed turtle and drifting off to sleep.
I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and plop down on my couch, bringing my feet under me. Brittany has been my best friend since Preston talked me into moving to Arizona right out of college. I went no contact with my abusive and alcoholic parents when I was nineteen so it wasn’t like I had much of a home to go to after graduation anyway. We met at the library looking in the romance section, and as they say the rest is history. She’s the sister I never knew I needed, and she’s my platonic soulmate.
“I don’t know Britt, I swear it was him. Same blonde hair, same looming demeanor, hell same slight curve to his nose. What if he found us?” Britt studies me while she responds, “He didn’t find you guys. You went from suburbia Arizona, to the middle of some city in some state on the east coast. If I don’t even know exactly where you are, no way he does.” She’s right, we made a pact when Rhett and I left that I wont tell her exactly where we are. That way when Pres inevitably came to her she could say she didn’t know. And if he tried to hack her phone he still wouldn’t know. I’m even under her eighth grade boyfriend’s name in her phone. She takes our safety seriously, and it’s one of my favorite things about her. We would still be there or be dead if it wasn’t for her.
