It’s now Maddox’s turn to pale as I pull my bag over my shoulder. Cian is a mafia leader, and the “families” are the senior mafia leaders. I’ve rubbed shoulders with very powerful people over the years, and I doubt that anyone of them would allow me to be scrubbed off the map without some sort of retaliation.
My heels move across the carpet as my lips curl into an arrogant smile that I don’t feel.
“Excuse me,” I say, tapping Maddox’s chest with the tips of my fingers. “I believe you’re blocking my exit.”
“The families cannot know we’re here,” he growls, making the hair on my arms rise.
“Kidnapping me will alert them faster than anything else,” I shrug. “My daughter has my location running on her phone. Good luck not having your carefully built tower fall around you.I suggest you go meet with Cian and Corbin properly as soon as possible.”
“How are you comfortable throwing out those names?” Aled asks, aghast.
“They helped me rebuild my life,” I shrug. “It’s clear it’s a life I’ll continue to live without you in it.”
“No, you won’t,” Maddox growls. “Youwillwork for us, with docked pay.”
The words are fueled with an alpha bark, and it takes me several moments to break through it. My abductors used their bark on me so often that I’ve gained some immunity to them.
“I am stronger than your rejection and your pitiful bark. I hope your lives implode magnificently. I look forward to roasting my marshmallows over that fire. Now, move out of my way.”
The brothers part like the Red Sea, and I walk away without a backward glance. If a tear or two falls on the drive home, I refuse to judge myself too harshly for it.
Fate is a brutal bitch. I fucking hate her.
Chapter
Three
OLIVIA
I losethe battle with my tears by the time I pull into the driveway of the property I share with my daughter and her pack.
“Get it together,” I whisper, glancing at my tear ravaged face.
My life has never been easy, I don’t know why I thought that would change. My scent matches all rejected me. I don’t even know why, but I suppose sometimes bad things simply happen, and we never get to know why.
What I do need to do is get out of the car and call a meeting with one of the most powerful men in the city. Cian should scare me, but he doesn’t. I’ve lived through too much to be afraid of him.
There’s also the added benefit that I live in the protective bubble my daughter and her pack have created for me. Forcing myself out of the car, I shut the door and follow the path to the back of the house. I want to avoid my daughter if possible.
I don’t want to upset her, nor do I want her to see me right now. I’m a fucking mess.
“What happened?”
My gaze flies up to meet Jasper’s icy blue eyes.
“A lot,” I reply, my voice cracking. “I need a few things.”
“Mama Quinn,” he growls under his breath. “Why are you crying?”
“Have you ever felt like the butt of a really bad joke?” I ask, hysteria threatening to bubble up inside of me. “I feel like that’s what just happened to me. I need to talk to Cian Sullivan. Behan Communications aren’t who they say they are.”
“Did they threaten you?” he asks, straightening to his full height.
He has a pair of cutting shears in his hand, and I can see that he has been cutting Cerenity flowers. They have winter blue flowers all over the backyard because of her vibrant blue hair. In the spring, they make sure there are bluebells as far as the eye can see. They’re good alphas, even though they had a rough start with my daughter.
“In a way,” I shrug, feeling exhaustion pulling at me. I want to sleep for a week after dealing with the Behan brothers. I also haven’t come to terms yet with the pain I’m feeling with the rejection. “Will you grab a bottle of tequila from the main house too, please? I need a little liquid courage for this conversation.”
Pushing my way past him, I hear him curse under his breath before he gets his butt in gear. I know he has questions, but I only want to tell this story once. I don’t even know very much to be honest, however, it’s clear to me that Maddox and his brothers are desperate to keep their existence in Minneapolis a secret.
