“Leon, man, the kids and Angel are fine. We’re talking about finishing something that started three years ago, something that’s driven you crazy. You’re going to put a bullet in the brain of the man who killed your sister.”
I nodded but there was still something eating at me.
“I just fucking hate the meetings that cut our connection to the rest of the world. Anything could be fucking happening and we’d never know. Theo, have you checked the cameras?”
Dom’s phone pinged as soon as the signal scrambler was out of reach. He frowned at it and then held it up to his ear to listen to the message. Watching his face pale as he listened confirmed the feeling in my gut that something was wrong. I didn’t wait for him to say anything; I just ran to the SUV and jumped behind the wheel.
Theo slid into the backseat, his face buried in his phone.
“They’re fine. They’re all hanging out in the living room, watching movies.”
“Rewind it. Sutton left me a voicemail two hours ago. Someone attacked her. Fuck!” Dom spun around to face Theo.“How the fuck could someone have gotten past the goddamn security system? There have been countless breaches in our security these last several weeks. What the fuck is going on, Theo?”
Theo’s rage overflowed and he slammed his fist into the window next to him, shattering it.
“You think I’m letting shit slip? You think I’m not protecting our Angel as well as I should? That fuckhead security guard at the club passed every check. He’d worked for us for two years without a fucking issue. You can’t fucking blame me for that. And now…the fucking signal scrambler would’ve kept everything out. Still, the guard on duty should’ve been notified and they should’ve stepped in immediately. Why the fuck—”
“I wasn’t blaming you, Theo, goddammit. I was—” Dom froze as he looked back at Theo. “What? What’s wrong? What’d you see?”
“Your fucking bitch of an ex-wife. The guard at the front gate saw a woman with a dog running loose and let her slip by. That motherfucker is dead. They’re all fucking dead if our family is even slightly upset. I’ll rip them to pieces bit by fucking bit.” Theo was spiraling fast and I knew that once he snapped, there’d be a trail of bodies by the time he was finished. “I’m not letting your ex-wife walk this time, Dom. She’s dead.”
“I don’t fucking care what you do to her as long as you don’t lose yourself in it, Theo.” Dom blew out a deep breath and jabbed at his phone. “I’m calling Sutton to make sure she’s okay.”
I waited while the phone rang and when it went to voicemail stepped on the pedal harder.
“Theo? The cameras?”
“They’re still in the living room. I hit the alarm first thing so there are ten guards currently surrounding the house. Jerome just messaged to say that everything is good in the house.”
Dom tried calling Sutton again but the call went to her voicemail for the second time.
“Fuck. I just need to know they’re okay. Why the fuck would that bitch be back? It’s too much of a coincidence that she just happens to show up on the night we’re finally cleared to take Stanovich down. And during the time we were cut off from the world? Did Sullivan double-cross us?”
“If he did, he’s as good as dead, too.” Theo took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “As soon as we take care of this today, I’ll dig into it. I just need to see our family first.”
We were all so wired by the time I got us to our property that I was barely able to wait for the gate to open and let us in. Theo didn’t wait. He jumped out and sprinted towards the house, ignoring the guards shouting to ask what was going on. He was already inside when I slid to a stop outside the house and he’d left a handful of guards staring after him, one with a bloody nose.
We raced inside and found Sutton holding her hand over Theo’s mouth and walking him backwards, away from the living room. The sight of her standing there alive made my heart beat even faster than it already was. The way I knew that if she was okay, the kids were, too, made me want to drop to my knees and beg her to stay with us forever. I’d never trusted a woman like I did her. I’d never trusted anyone other than Dom and Theo the way I trusted her. It was laughable that I’d ever thought we needed to cut her loose. She flowed through my veins and made goodbye an impossibility.
Theo wrapped Sutton in his arms and held her tight while kissing the side of her head over and over again.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Sutton. Don’t ever fucking scare me like that again. Never again. I’ll never let danger that close to you ever fucking again, Angel.”
Dom stuck his head into the living room before joining Theo and I where we were struggling to each hold Sutton. He pressed himself into her from the side and for a few seconds I was able to breathe again. The kids were okay and we were holding the woman who’d become the lifeforce between us. I felt what I thought was one of the kids trying to wedge their way into our embrace but when I glanced down my brain struggled to make sense of what I was seeing.
“What the fuck is a horse doing in the house?” Dom grunted and had to step back when the giant dog continued to wedge its way in deeper. “And why didn’t you answer my calls. You scared the shit out of us, Angel.”
“She was asleep with the kids.” Theo brushed her hair out of her face and then went still as stone. His eyes burned with rage as he stared at her and when I followed his gaze, I understood why.
A bruise was already forming on the side of her face and along her neck. There were also deep, angry red scratches down her throat. She rested her hand on Theo’s chest and let out a small laugh.
“You should see the other guy.”
“I’ll find her and rip her fucking nails out one by one for hurting you.” Theo’s voice was darker than I’d ever heard. “Before I cut off her fucking fingers for daring to touch you.”
I glanced at Dom and we both held out breath as we waited for Sutton to freak out over the scarier side of Theo but she just smiled and reached up to stroke his cheek with one hand while petting the dog’s head with the other. Even hearing Theo talking about torture didn’t keep her from looking at him like he was as sweet and innocent as a fucking puppy.
“You didn’t watch the security footage, did you?” She looked over at me and then Dom with a sly grin on her face. “Watch itwhile I make sure the kids are sleeping soundly and then we’ll take a little walk together.”
