The understanding in his voice makes my chest tight with emotion.How is it that he gets me better than the man I was engaged to for two years?
"Go," he says gently."Before they tear each other apart over playground equipment."
I nod and head toward the back door, but I can feel him watching me go.I can feel the weight of everything unspoken between us, all the possibilities and complications.
Outside, the kids are indeed in the middle of a dispute about swing privileges, but I barely hear their complaints.My mind is still in the kitchen, still processing the way Hades looked at me, touched me, and made me feel like I was something worth fighting for.
I'm in trouble.Deep, complicated, impossible trouble.
Because despite all my logical reasons for keeping my distance, despite my fears about stability and responsibility and what's best for the children, I'm falling for him.
Fast and hard and completely out of control.
And I have no idea what I'm going to do about it.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
hades
The chapelat the Saint's Outlaws clubhouse has seen its share of difficult conversations, but this one might be the hardest yet.Ghost sits at the head of the long wooden table, his president's patch catching the overhead light.Rogue, Tempest, and Sniper flank me on either side, their faces grim as they study the documents spread between us.
"Walk me through this again," Ghost says, his voice carefully controlled."From the beginning."
I take a breath, organizing my thoughts.These men are my brothers, but they're also calculating strategists who need facts, not emotions.
Rogue stares at the stack of printed emails.“She gave him all this?”
“For three years,” I say, jaw tight.“Club routes, contact names, law enforcement ties.Everything.”
"Multiple clubs?"Rogue asks, his teeth grind.He knows better than anyone what betrayal from the Bennett family feels like.
Sniper flips a page, eyes scanning.“Vegas, Denver, Atlanta.Same shell corp in all three.”
I nod.“Three states.Multiple fronts.And not just street thugs.Real syndicates are behind this.”
"Because he didn't need the intelligence anymore.He'd already used it to build his client base, establish his network, and eliminate competition."I pull out more documents."These transfers trace through Nevada, Texas, even up into Illinois.Three states.All clean on paper, all dirty underneath."
"And your sister found out about this," Ghost says.It's not a question.
"She found financial irregularities.She couldn't figure out how a consultant was living like a millionaire.That's when she hired the PI."My hands clench into fists at the memory."If she'd lived another week, she would have uncovered the whole scheme."
"So Morrison had her killed to protect his operation."
"And to keep Evangeline in the dark.As long as she doesn't know what she's really providing access to, she stays useful.High-society connections, charity events, wealthy contacts who need their money cleaned."
The weight of it settles over the room like a lead blanket.We're not just talking about revenge for Calla anymore.We're talking about dismantling a network that spans multiple criminal organizations.
"What's the scope of his operation now?"Ghost asks.
I flip through more financial records."Bigger than we initially thought.He's not just laundering money for small-time criminals.Some of these clients are major players.Organized crime families, international syndicates."
"The kind of people who don't hesitate to eliminate threats," Rogue says quietly.
"Exactly, and right now, Evangeline is the one in the firing line."
Tempest leans forward."The phone calls?"
“Unknown numbers.Breathing.Nothing else.Just… listening.”
