"When you get them back to the compound, come to my office. I have a task that needs handling."
Silence on the line. Liam's been with the family long enough to read between every word I say. He knows task meanssomething outside normal parameters. Something that requires discretion and possibly violence.
"The ex-husband?" he asks, because Liam always was too perceptive for his own good.
"He declined to sign the divorce papers."
"Ah." That single syllable carries a world of understanding. "And you'd like me to... encourage his cooperation?"
"I'd like you to deliver a message. One that ensures Mr. Walker understands the consequences of continued obstruction." I pause, letting the weight of my next words settle. "He put his hands on her, Liam. In front of Lily. And now he's playing games with paperwork because he thinks distance makes him untouchable."
"Distance is relative," Liam says. "Especially with the right resources."
"Exactly."
I hear the subtle shift in his breathing. "Rules of engagement?"
My free hand curls into a fist against my thigh. The old scars across my knuckles pull tight. "Nothing permanent. Nothing that shows. I need his signature, not his corpse. Pietro's already dealing with the Russian situation—I won't add a murder investigation to his plate."
"Understood. Anything else?"
"Find out who's funding his legal representation. Jack Walker doesn't have two nickels to rub together, which means someone else is bankrolling his custody fight."
"The Bratva?"
The thought had crossed my mind. If the Russians couldn't get to Kristen through the debt, using Jack as a puppet would be their next logical move. Keep her tied up in legal battles. Keep her stressed. Keep her vulnerable.
"Find out," I say. "And Liam? When you talk to Walker... make sure he understands that Kristen Thomas belongs to me now. Her and the girl both. If he ever comes near them again, distance won't save him."
"Consider it done, sir."
The line goes dead.
I set the phone down. Jack Walker thinks he can control Kristen from across the country. Thinks his legal games and custody threats give him power over her.
He's wrong.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Kristen
The coffee sits untouched between us. Steam curls up from both cups, but neither of us reaches for them.
Mom's hands wrap around her mug like she needs something to hold onto. From the living room, I hear Lily giggling at whatever cartoon she's watching. The sound feels miles away.
"Kristen." Mom's voice cracks on my name. "I need to say something."
Here it comes. I've been waiting for this moment since we sat down. Through dinner, we talked about Lily's drawings and the weather and absolutely nothing that mattered. Now the real conversation looms between us like a wall I'm not sure I want to climb.
"I'm sorry." The words come out wet, thick with tears she's fighting. "I'm so sorry for telling Jack where you were. For everything."
I stare at the coffee. Say something. Anything.
But what comes out isn't forgiveness.
"Do you know what the worst part is?" My voice sounds strange. Hollow. "It's not that you loved Jack. It's not even that you believed him over me."
Mom's chin trembles. She looks older than I remember. When did that happen?
