They wouldn’t have anything to do with him now.
The door flew open and Big Tag walked in with his wife. The head of the table had been left for him. Since he was the king.
Ben would never be a king. There would be no younger people who looked up to him. He wouldn’t have a group of found family around him. He would be alone because he was never going to get over what happened to him. Kenzie might be right about that, but she was wrong about Deanna.
“Parker, what the fuck did I tell you about answering the devil when he calls?” Big Tag was still standing, his massive frame dominating the room.
Kala held up a hand. “I know. You hang up on that bitch, block her, and then you sage your phone.”
Lucy sent Kala her middle finger.
“Kala.” Charlotte Taggart sank into her chair and looked toward her daughters. They sat in a line. Tasha and Kenzie and Kala. Her sisters were protecting her.
They were protecting her from him.
“Sorry.” Kala actually looked embarrassed. “I forgot I’m working with evil to bring down a bigger evil. I apologize, Lucy.”
“I hate you so much,” Lucy said under her breath.
“I’m waiting.” Big Tag’s eyes never left him.
What had it been like to have this man as a father? His own had been absent most of the time. So had his mother. They’d been working, and he’d figured out pretty early on he’d been a mistake and they’d never wanted kids. They kept him due to pressure from his maternal grandmother, who had died when he was young. His father had never sat him down and given him a lecture until he’d been forced into witness protection. That wasn’t really a lecture, though. It had been more of a confession. He’d never wanted him, cursed the day he was born, hoped to never see him again. “You told me not to, but you don’t understand what he can do when I ignore him.”
“I know what he can do when you give him all your attention.” With a low growl Tag sat down by his wife. “Damon and Penny are already in bed. I’ll brief them in the morning. Ben, what happened? Or do you want to talk to Joseph first? He should still be awake.”
“Already done.” It hadn’t taken long since he hadn’t mentioned what he’d been doing when Manny called or the clusterfuck that happened after. He would have to deal with that in the morning because he was pretty sure he was going to get his ass kicked back to Canada. “I wrote up the briefing while I was in the locker room. It’s already been sent to you, so there’s no real reason to have this meeting.”
He needed to talk to Kenzie. He’d said some things he shouldn’t have, but even though he was dumb and hadn’t made a connection he should have, this was still her fault. She’d distracted him with sex and thought he’d never figure it out.
“You’re right. There’s no reason to have this meeting with anyone but you and me.” He glanced his wife’s way. She stood.
“Hey, sweetie, come on. I’ve already got you moved into Lucy’s room.” Charlotte reached for her daughter’s hand.
He couldn’t let that happen. If she walked out that door, he might not see her again. He stood and used language these people would understand. “No. I need to talk to my sub.”
Kala’s eyes flared. “She’s not your sub.”
“You don’t have rights in this club or any of our clubs, mate,” Oliver said. “And if you don’t want to get kicked to the curb and spend the rest of the night in the Tube station, I suggest you sit down.”
“Normally I would say my brother is talking out of turn, but I’m pretty sure Father will agree,” Sami said with a shake of her head. She stood. “I’ll reassign Kenzie’s tasks. Lucy and I are planning to go backto France and see if we can figure out a way into the chateau where Sosa lived. She can come along. Will Ben be leaving us?”
“Undecided.” Tag reached out a hand and drew Kenzie in, whispering something to her.
She straightened up. “I’m fine. Just another of my missteps.”
Was that what he was? Another mistake she’d made? Another man who wasn’t worthy of all her sweetness and light?
“Kenzie,” he said, putting his will into that one word.
She didn’t turn, merely stopped at the doorway. He noticed every woman in the room was going with her while all the guys stayed where they were.
Shit. He might really get his ass kicked.
“This isn’t over.” He would take a beating if he had to, but he and Kenzie would talk because she wasn’t innocent in this. He might be stupid, but Manny liked to point out inconvenient truths. Why bother lying when the truth was so awful?
She walked out, a solemn line of females following her. Supporting her.
And he was left with the males of the pack. Dare once told him Charlotte likened her family and friends to a pack of wolves. Dangerous but loyal and loving. Was the pack about to protect one of their own?
