Gritting his teeth, Sin pushed forward. Anger powered him down the hall and into the conference room.
The floor lamp in the windowless room bathed the space in a muted light. Six large, black chairs surrounded the shiny black conference table. No artwork on the walls. No frills of any kind. Over the years, countless life and death decisions had been made around that table. Tonight, Sin took his seat at the head.
Dakota escorted Maverick, Colton, and Crockett into the room.
“How are you feeling?” Maverick asked.
“Never better,” Sin replied dryly. “Thanks for coming.”
Colton eased down beside him. “Bring us up to speed.”
The men listened while Sin summarized what had happened over the past several weeks.
“Do you think Evangeline’s sister and nephew are alive?” Maverick asked.
“I have no fucking idea.”
“What’s Jagger’s position?” Maverick asked.
Dakota’s phone binged. “They’re here.”
“He wants Monty handled,” Sin replied. “And he doesn’t care how it gets done.”
“I’ve got a lot of patience,” Crockett said, “but I want him handled, too.”
“He’s a sociopath,” Colton said. “He won’t tell us the truth.”
“He’ll talk,” Sin replied. “Because I’m gonna beat the answer out of him.”
“Dakota, you’ve been quiet,” Maverick said.
“I’m done worrying he’s going to kill Sinclair,” Dakota replied. “It’s a no-brainer for me and I’ll take care of it myself.” He pushed out of the chair.
“Put him in the hole,” Sin said, “but donotrough him up.”
A sinister smile brightened his brother’s eyes. “I hate when you play nice, brother.” And with that, Dakota left.
“Excuse me.” Evangeline stood in the doorway.
His gaze met hers and, as she hurried over, he pushed out of his chair. Her arms wrapped around him, her love filling him with strength. He would do right by this woman because this was the person who mattered most. This washisperson.
“You okay?” he asked.
“I wanted to throttle him, but opted for a less aggressive approach.” She acknowledged the men around the table before turning back to Sin. “How are you doing?”
“Ready to confront my past.”
“I didn’t talk about Hannah or Robert, but he did perk up when I mentioned your death.”
“His happiness will be fleeting.”
“What can I do to help?” she asked.
“Evangeline, are you here as a federal agent?” Maverick asked.
“No. The FBI still has me on administrative leave. I’m here because I’m desperate to find my sister and her baby and because,” she shifted to Sin, “I’m in love with your brother. This Joey or Monty or whatever he’s calling himself has got to be stopped.”
“I trust her,” Sin said.
