Adrian’s lips press into a thin line. “And whatdoI get?”
Nothing.
I suck a breath.
If I don’t give Adrian something to hold on to, he’s only going to keep coming back. He’s already taken Scout once, and I refuse to let him be the one in control of the narrative.
“You get limited visits,” I finally say.
“Cormac,” Brennan hisses, but I hold up a hand.
“But they are supervised and take place on my terms. You don’t show up unannounced. You don’t bring your men, and you sure as hell don’t whisper poison in my son's ear about me or my family.”
“And if I refuse?”
I catch Brennan’s hand drifting toward his weapon, and I shoot him a look.
I turn back to face Adrian. “Then you leave. And the next time you breach my gates, we won’t talk.”
Adrian studies me for a long moment. “You hate me.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t trust me.”
“No.”
“And yet, you’re offering me access to the one thing you love most.”
I lean in, my voice low and lethal. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing it because my son will grow up knowing he wasn’t hidden out of fear. But if you ever prove me wrong, if you ever give me a reason to believe he’s not safe with you, I won’t hesitate to kill you. And believe me, I won’t make it quick.”
Adrian nods slowly. “That’s fair,” he says, lowering his eyes. “I don’t expect forgiveness.”
“Good. Because you’ll never have it.”
“But I have one condition.”
Brennan bristles. “You don’t get?—”
“I want him to know who I am when he’s old enough to understand both sides of the story. Not lies or half-truths that you feed him.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
Adrian inclines his head, not in thanks but in acknowledgment.
“This doesn’t make us allies,” he says.
“No. And if you ever use my son as leverage again?—”
“Hopefully, I won’t have to. You’re a better father than I was. Don’t waste that.”
Brennan waits until the door closes behind Adrian to speak.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Not even a little bit.”
I have no idea if I just saved my son from a war or started an even bigger one.
