“You have a sister?” I asked, looking at Sullivan.
“I did. She was older than me. When she died, my parents forgot about me. It’s why they didn’t realize I was missing. After Kerrigan was born, my parents tried for years to have a baby with no luck. The way they tell it, one day I was dropped into their lap.”
“That motherfucker!” I snapped. I looked at my brother. “He was hiding her—why?”
“I don’t know,” Justin said as he studied Sullivan. He looked over at Stephen. “How did Kerrigan die?”
“Kerrigan Prescott-Dillinger died of a heart attack.” Omen looked up from his computer. “She was twenty-two years old. How the fuck does a twenty-two-year-old die from a heart attack?”
Stephen dropped his eyes to the table, and Sullivan reached over and grabbed his hand.
“She was pregnant and had undiagnosed hypertension, which led to pre-eclampsia,” Stephen’s voice lost all emotion. His words were clinical, as if he were a doctor speaking to a patient’s family.
“The baby?” I asked, my voice hoarse with the emotion Stephen’s was lacking.
He closed his eyes, and Sullivan answered, “He didn’t make it either.”
“Fuck,” I whispered to myself.
The room was quiet. Every man in here had to know how this was affecting me. King laid a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. A show of support.
“What took you so long to come here?” Smokey asked.
“I didn’t fucking trust any of you,” he said honestly. “But a week ago, I’d gotten word that Chasm was alive. Knowing how much Steele hated him, I had to trust that he would protect his sister.”
I still couldn’t speak. The possible complications that could still go wrong with Morgan and the baby had my tongue tied in knots.
“Of course we’ll protect her,” Justin said.
“So I’m staying here?” Sullivan asked.
“Yeah,” I rasped. “You’re staying here.”
“What about Stephen?” she asked. “I’m not staying without Stephen.” When I opened my mouth, she added, “Look, I don’t know you from fucking Adam.”
“Watch your fucking mouth,” I scolded, and she rolled her eyes at me.
“Stephen is my brother. The only family I have who gives a damn about me. I’m not staying with a bunch of strange men without him.”
I looked at Ambush. “What was he like as a prospect?”
Ambush sighed. “A damn good one. He was a month away from being patched in early.”
Stephen’s eyebrows disappeared in his hairline and Ambush snapped. “You weren’t as fucking invisible as you thought, Prospect.”
Stephen nodded.
“What about the rest of you?” I asked. “You were all here when he was. We can take a vote right now.”
“Aye,” Smokey said. Followed by Baltimore, Legacy, LA, until it came to Ambush.
He scratched his chin and eyed Stephen, who stared back at him. Confidence rolled off this kid, and I couldn’t help but think he would make a damn good brother. The way he’d gone after Sullivan, to protect her. To hide her.
“Aye,” Ambush finally agreed.
I slammed the gavel and said, “Looks like you got yourself a pardon, brother.”
“And a road name,” King said with a smile.
