The Shaw name carries weight. I know that much. People in town straightened when they heard it. Whenever Sutton took me shopping it was like a flip switched for the workers in the store. Doors opened. Problems vanished. All of the security that no one would explain.
I told myself it was money. Influence. Or small-town power families like theirs collect over generations.
But it always felt bigger.
Heavier.
Scarier.
Laurel saidprotectedlike it was a shield no one would dare challenge. Like there were rules in place I didn’t know existed. Rules written in blood and loyalty and fear.
And Colter.
My chest tightens when I think about him.
And the way Laurel spoke about him.
Obsessed.
Not love. But obsession. She says it with so much confidence. Like she’s seen this kind of thing before. Like obsession isn’t a flaw, but a weapon. Something to leverage, something predictable.
I don’t want to believe that everyone has been lying to me since I arrived. Not about something this big, but I can’t deny the truth staring me in the face. It hurts like a bitch. Knowing that they didn’t trust me with the truth. That they hid something so crucial from me.
They let me believe it is all money and influence. That Colter is a man with a dangerous edge, not someone people fear because theyshould.
But the more I replay memories, the clearer the picture becomes.
Colter doesn’t ask twice.
He gives an order, it is followed immediately. No hesitation. No questions. It makes sense why no one wanted to call the police after I was nearly choked and abducted in the bar.
My stomach churns.
If what I think is true…if my family stems from something this dark, this violent…can I live with that? Can I live ignorant to what Colter and my father do? Was I really protected or was it an excuse to keep me in the dark so I wouldn’t ask the wrong questions?
A sharp spike of anger cuts through the haze.
They decided for me when they thought they couldn’t trust me.
That sting barely has time to settle before the world shatters.
The first gunshot cracks through the warehouse like a thunderclap, so loud it feels like it punches straight through my skull. My ears ring instantly, a high shrill whine drowning out everything else as concrete explodes near the door. Dust and debris rain down, tiny stones biting into my skin.
Laurel jerks upright with a sharp gasp, fury flashing across her face before fear has time to catch up.
Henry spins toward the sound, eyes blown wide, panic finally breaking through his bravado.
“What the?—”
The door doesn’t open.
Itdetonates.
Wood splinters inward in a violent spray, metal hinges screaming as they rip free. The force sends a gust of cold night air crashing through the room, carrying with the sharp scent of gunpowder and rain.
The men flood in.
They’re silent. Deadly. Moving with exact precision.
