Chapter Twenty-Seven
Lawson
Haven sobs, her tears pierce my heart, and I hold her tight.
We heard most of her conversation. She wanted to talk to him alone, so we stayed out of it.
It was difficult to listen to her father's disregard for her feelings. He reminds me of Frank, and it makes me sick. All of us have things we’ve had to overcome, but knowing Haven grew up with a father like that makes us wish we could have been there for her then.
All we can do is comfort her and love her every day to make up for it.
Seeing Frank again doesn’t seem as important to me anymore.
She sniffles, moving her head to my chest. The tears have eased, and she exhales roughly. I roll to my back and brush my fingers through her hair.
“I feel better,” she says softly.
“That’s good.” I kiss the top of her head. “Do you think he’ll keep his word?”
“I don’t know.”
“What kind of papers did you take from his office?” I ask.
“I didn’t. I was bluffing. I hated his office. The desk chair was hard, and the room was always cold.”
“You were bluffing?” I tip my chin down, and she nods.
“I was guessing that he did something he would get in trouble for.”
I chuckle. “You surprise me.”
“I wasn’t joking about the pictures.”
“How often did he hit you?” Hitting her once is enough for me to kill him, but our mate downplays his abuse.
“It’s hard to say,” she mumbles.
“Or you don’t want to say.”
“I didn’t keep track of the number. Can we leave it for now?”
“For now. I don’t think Hunter is going to let him continue living his life without punishment.” I know he’s been digging into her father’s life, and what he has found makes her deal with him a gift.
“I guess I don’t care what Hunter does to him. I just want to be left alone.”
“Good to know,” I murmur.
“What did Heath say? Did he meet Frank?” she asks.
“He did, and had to control his anger. The fights are set for tomorrow.” My stomach churns, knowing I’ll see him again, yet that's been my plan.
“Are you going to be safe?” she asks, propping her chin on my chest.
“I wouldn't do anything to jeopardize what we have,” I whisper, gliding my fingers down her cheek. “I’ll be safe. My brothers will be with me.”
“It still scares me,” she says.
“I don’t want you to be afraid.” I almost want to forget the whole thing just to make her happy.
“I know you need to see him.” She trails her fingers under my jaw. “Can I come?”
“No,” I rumble. “I don’t want you anywhere near him.”
“When is it?” She drops her head back to my chest and snuggles close.
“Heath said the fights will start before noon. Frank brought most of the pack with him. You will stay here. I promise we’ll be back as soon as we can.” Hopefully, we can get rid of them quickly.
“I’ll be very upset if any of you get hurt,” she says, but her voice is soft. Her body settles deeper against mine, and she sighs.
“Try not to worry.” I glide my hand down her side and then to her waist. “We’ll take care of each other.”
“Good,” she mumbles, drifting off.
I will do whatever it takes to keep my promise.
“I slept through the night.” I glance at Hunter as he drives. I should be thinking about the confrontation with Frank, but the fact that I had the best night's sleep I’ve ever had is all I can concentrate on.
“I know,” Hunter says softly. My brothers know how hard it’s been to sleep for consecutive hours.
“Haven slept beside you,” Bane rumbles.
“She trusts you,” Remy says.
Her confidence in me has changed something inside me, even as I sleep.
It was painful to walk away from her today.
I know she's safe at the house. Our security is iron proof, and Rylee is coming over to stay with her. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rylee invited as many of the women in the family as she could to come with her.
Frank and his pack are waiting at the gym, preparing for the fights they won’t have.
At this point, I want to get it over with and get back to our mate.
I didn’t think I could have any substantial relationship, and find a mate who would accept me. Haven has changed everything.
“Are you ready for this?” Hunter asks.
“As I can be,” I mumble. Seeing Frank and Tawney again after being with my brothers should give me strength, yet I don’t know how I'll react. Will I revert back into a wild animal? Will I fall under their control again?
“You don’t have to do this,” Remy says.
“We’ve been searching for them. Heath has organized the meeting. It was the plan since we found each other,” I say, clenching my fists.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t call it off,” Hunter says as we reach the edge of town.
“Bane?” I look over my shoulder.
“Haven is safe. We have men watching her father's movements and he hasn’t left his home.” He stares at me.
“You need to do this or else you will always wonder how you would react to them.” I don’t know why I connect with Bane on a different level, but I don’t question it.
“You’re right,” I sigh. Perhaps my nightmares will stop completely after I see them.
“Are we killing all of them?” Bane asks.
“I’m undecided.” Do they deserve it? Frank and Tawney deserve death. Most of the pack have killed and assaulted women. Can I live with myself if I leave them alive to live in the world with my mate? “I can’t let them leave alive.”
“We will follow your lead,” Hunter says, gripping the wheel tightly. “Heath isn’t happy having them in his business. He can’t see any redeeming qualities.”
“He’s pissed,” Bane says, staring at his phone. “They didn’t bring any women from the pack except Tawney.”
“I’m surprised.” I frown.
“Why?” Remy asks.
“The women in the pack weren’t coddled. They had to fight to survive just like the rest of us.” Their fights could be as brutal as the men.
“Perhaps they found a way out,” Hunter says.
“It’s been years since you’ve been with them. You don’t know the state of the pack.” Bane chuckles. “Heath is ready to take off some heads.” His phone beeps constantly.
“What’s happening?” I ask.
“Many of them are drinking before the fight. He just interrupted two of the men with Tawney in the dressing room.” He growls low. “She propositioned Heath. He is quickly losing his patience.”
“Tawney doesn’t respect the bond,” I say softly. If Juliana knew her mate was at the center of Tawney’s attention, she would be the one taking off her head.
“Heath decided to start the first fight. Get there fast,” Bane says.
“He’s trying to control them with what they enjoy,” I say.
“Micah and Quinn are there,” Hunter says.
“I’m sure Frank enjoyed meeting them,” I say dryly.
“He doesn’t know Micah. He’s good at hiding his age and power if needed.” Hunter slows as he comes close to the building. “Once we get out, he may smell our scent.”
“We need to rescue Heath if nothing else,” I say, rolling my shoulders. “We’ll be inside before he smells me. He’s not that powerful, and there are too many scents in the gym.”
“Remember,” Hunter says as he parks the car. “If he gets the upper hand, we won’t hesitate to kill him.” He shuts off the engine and turns to me. “You are our priority. When you get what you need, we’re done dealing with him.”
“I understand.”
He grabs the side of my neck, and I freeze. “You don’t.” He narrows his eyes. “We won’t allow him to fuck with you,” he says firmly.
“I get it, Brother,” I rasp, nodding.
“We go in together,” Bane growls. “And we come out together.”
“Our mate is waiting for our return,” Remy says softly.
I meet their eyes and nod to each of them.
Hunter drops his arm and opens his door.
We follow his lead, walking toward the side door.
The back door leads to the changing rooms, which are in use, so the best plan for a surprise is through the side emergency door.
As we get close, I move in front of Hunter.
Most of the time, he's always the one in front of us, but this time, it’s my turn. I won’t hide from my demons anymore.
The pack expects a crowd later, so Heath must have spun some lie as to why no one was here yet.
I grip the door handle as I prepare to walk into my past. My brothers wait patiently, always supporting.
Exhaling harshly, I open the door. The sounds of fists hitting flesh and cheering assault my ears.
The memory flashes through my mind, and I have to force myself to step inside.
I slowly move far enough inside so my brothers can enter, and stop.
The corner where we entered is dark, and far enough away from the action that I take a moment to study the room.
Two shifters are in the ring, fighting to the death.
I recognize them as two of the older shifters.
Many of the faces are familiar as I scan the bodies circling the ropes, cheering.
Micah is standing close to Heath, his face passive.
Heath looks bored, but his body is tense.
Quinn is against the wall, his arms folded.
There are twenty-five pack members. As I spy the couple who made my life hell, my claws emerge.
Tawney is close to Frank, her arm around his waist as if she didn’t just have time with others in the pack.
Frank snarls instructions toward the fighting men.
I take a step, and he frowns. I keep moving, my brothers keep pace, and he looks around.
I stare at him, waiting, and move down the aisle between the seats.
Now, he’s pushing Tawney away and searching the crowd.
The bodies and the sweat in the air make it hard to tell where my scent is coming from.
As I step into the light, his eyes meet mine.
His surprise causes me to grin slightly.
There isn’t much that catches him off guard.
“Lawson,” he growls, and everything stops.