25. Talon
Talon
The doors to the house burst open, Mack comes through, followed closely by Creed and dad. They’re talking, bits and pieces of their conversation reach my ears before they disappear down the hall.
But I can’t make sense of it. The words don’t really register as Mack comes back through and a woman I don’t recognize emerges from the kitchen speaking to Gran. She’s average in every way, height, build, appearance. Someone that can go under the radar anywhere she goes.
“Do I need to carry her?” Mack says, running a hand through the woman's light brown hair.
I scoff, another woman? “When did we open a whore house?”
Mack’s head snaps in my direction and I stand, these two strays can go back to wherever they came from. This one doesn’t even look like she’s in immediate trouble, in fact she looks like the kind of woman who gets rid of trouble.
Now that I can see her green eyes, I can tell this woman has fire in her. Still, I don’t give a fuck, she can take her other whore and leave. Gran shakes her head and walks down the hall.
“Talon,” Mack’s voice drops a degree, “you may be family, but if you ever speak that way again towards her, I will rip your tongue from your throat.”
I snort, and lean back against the couch, “we don’t run a fucking brothel.”
Mack lunges at me, but stops when he hears a voice murmur, “Mama?”
He turns, rushing to the side of the owner of the voice, and placing his hand on the small of her back.
I know that voice, something about it seems familiar, and Toby stands, walking over to join me where I am, leaving Banks and Henry on the couch.
She reaches out to Mack, and turns, allowing the four of us a view at who the voice belongs to.
I swallow, because I do know who that is, but… goddamn.
She’s bruised, dark purple rings her neck. I can’t look away from the complete devastation written all over her.
Her lip is split open, blood pools in one eye, she is taking small shallow pulls of air, and she’s limping.
“Cin,” Toby chokes out. Stepping toward her, the older woman puts herself between the two, and Toby looks to Mack.
Creed and all our fathers join us in the hall, but I’m stuck on her. The defeat in her eyes, the fear that’s etched into her face. The way she flinches before her mother’s hands connect with her wrists.
“Boys,” Creed clears his throat, “we need to discuss some things with you.”
Mack instructs the woman on how to get to my room, and I realize who my father had set up all that IV shit for.
Fuck.
They’re putting her in my room? That breaks the chain on my good behavior and I almost unravel, right there in the middle of the hall.
“Who did this?” I ask, deadly calm on the outside, but rage surrounds my muscles and squeezes. I’m a time bomb about to release, and I know if I don’t do something… it won’t be good.
“We’re working it out,” Mack says through gritted teeth.
“What the fuck, Mack?” Toby says, still watching the spot where Cin was just standing.
In our house.
“She was kidnapped two days ago,” he admits. Banks and Henry fly out of their seats, coming to stand with us.
“Did they…” Henry whispers, and we all wait with our fucking rage boiling.
Creed rubs his jaw and says, “we don’t know the extent of her injuries yet.”
“She looks like they beat the shit out of her for fun, Creed. What do you mean you don’t know the extent of her injuries? Didn’t you find the people responsible?” Toby’s angry, and rightfully so.
“You should see the other guy,” Mack says, “she fucking killed him.”
We look at one another, my brothers and I. After all the shit I put her through, she never once fought with her fists, her wits, yes. But physically? Never.
“There was only one?” Banks asks, eyes hard and narrowed on Mack.
He shakes his head and asks us to sit.
“Cin says there were two, but we only found one.”
“Who would want to kidnap her? Isn’t she living with Zach and his dad?” Toby starts firing off questions, and Creed throws up his hands, pushing against the air. A silent request to slow the fuck down.
“There’s a lot we can’t tell you,” Mack says, letting his head fall between his knees. “But, what we’ve gathered so far is that Cin’s father had her kidnapped.”
“I thought he was in prison?” I demand.
“He was,” the woman from before rounds the corner and sits on the edge of the chair Mack is sitting in. He looks at her, placing a hand on her knee. It’s wild to see, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mack care about anyone that wasn’t family.
“But something’s changed,” her eyes laser in on me and I stare right back, giving her the most nonchalant face I can manage. “Something you dug up was flagged by one of the men who follows Serge, maintaining his beliefs all this time. Now Serge is missing, and I didn’t get the notification until it was too late.”
Her eyes water, and can see the anger that burns for me there. She blames me, that’s clear, but who is she?
“I’m Cin’s mother,” she answers my question, as if I asked it out loud, “and I’ve heard a lot about you, Talon.”
“Pleasure then, I’m sure,” I smirk, and flashes of Cin’s face–beaten and busted–pop up in my mind and I start to feel that same rage from earlier. “What notification?” I ask, because that didn’t make sense. The government doesn’t give a shit if the family knows about escaped prisoners.
“I’m Special Agent Loraine Morgan,” her voice takes on a vicious edge and I smirk, preparing for the claws of Mama bear to come out. I’m desperately itching for a fight. Something , so I can forget how I’m feeling after seeing Cin like that.
“So secret service? FBI? CIA?” Henry speaks.
“FBI,” she looks at Creed, “but I’d never bring them here. I’ve been keeping Mack’s family a secret for ages.”
Mack stands and she leans into him, and I’m so fucking confused that I spit out, “are you two fucking?”
“Talon!” My dad says, and Creed smirks and shakes his head. It wasn’t that long ago I said the exact same thing to him and Fern.
“No,” she says, eyes watering, “but I’ve loved Mack for a very long time.”
He gives her a sad smile, and I lose my patience, “look lady, I don’t give a shit if you’re in love with God himself, what the fuck do you think you’re getting from us? You want us to help you? Run to your boss and have him open a case. In fact, you’ve given us little to no information, so maybe you are here to set my family up.”
“That’s enough,” Mack says, stepping into my space and growling in my face.
I square up with Mack, forcing my chest to brush his. This is my fucking house, and he should take a seat. “I think your little girlfriend here has more secrets to spill, and until she does you’re more than welcome to see her and her spawn out of my house.”
“Kid,” Diego warns, “watch it.”
Creed claps his hands, “Talon, Lori will tell us everything she knows, but only when Cin is ready to hear it too. And let me remind you, this is my house , and I’ll use it how I see fit.”
“She’s going to screw you all over, and then what about us?” I ask, pointing to my brothers. We’ve already lost our mothers, what if she takes our fathers too? “If you so much as give off a whiff of betrayal, I’ll slit your throat myself,” I direct at Lori.
She stands, moving Mack out of her way, and has to stand on her tiptoes to even reach my chin; Cin must get her height from her father.
“Your loyalty is admirable, and I have nothing to prove to you, but I will tell you, I’d rather crack myself in two than betray Mack and his family. I owe him my life.”
She stares me down for a full minute before walking away, back down the hall murmuring about checking on her daughter.
“I love you, kid, but you crossed a line,” Mack snarls, “you don’t know her, I do. When have you ever second guessed me ?”
“Men usually lose their minds over pussy,” I snap back.
Mack’s hand strikes out, nearly missing my neck when I dodge. Creed, Diego, and dad jump up to get between us.
“Take a walk,” dad says, “adjust that attitude before dinner.”
I lick my lips and roll my eyes, “fine.”