Chapter 11
eleven
EZRA
When I moved to Massachusetts, I knew my dad was going to be pissed.
He didn’t want me back in the middle of everything when he worked so hard to make me disappear.
I understood where he was coming from, but I had to come back.
When I found out the man who was abusing Belle was hired by Maverick’s dad to keep her quiet, I started to plan my return.
Then Harlow was kidnapped, and that was arranged by Eva, the woman Maverick believed to be his mother, but she turned out to be his murdering aunt instead.
I knew I had to come back quicker than I intended.
That left a lot of holes my dad had to patch and no time to plan how to speak to the people I left all those years ago.
I had some time during hockey season to think about it, but always came up empty.
There’s no easy way to explain to them where I’ve been or why I left.
It’s much more complicated than they realize, and with Patrick still out there, everyone I care about is in danger.
Eva is still out there too, for all I know.
Sinclair told me he’d handle her, but I haven’t heard from him since I spoke to him at the hospital nearly two weeks ago.
Two weeks since I’ve seen or heard from Maverick, too. I’m still holding out hope that he’ll talk to me. Even if he just wants to scream at me. I’ll take anything he’ll give me at this point.
I haven’t heard from Kai either, and I don’t know if that hurts more or if it’s different.
He’s my brother, my twin, my literal other half.
I expected anger from him maybe, but not silence.
Willa said she’d give him the option of taking my phone number, and I believe her.
She’s not one to lie to protect anyone’s feelings, least of all mine.
Declan is the only one I’ve heard from, and all he said was to give them time.
I tried to apologize for deceiving him, even if that wasn’t my intention.
I got left on read. That hurt too, but I know coming back was still the right call.
The moment Belle started digging into my case again, I knew trouble would find them.
I’m not sure Eva ever believed I was dead, or if she did, she knew there was something I had on her and she’d be worried it would be found.
A sudden pounding on my door has me jumping up and grabbing the gun I have stashed in my end table next to the couch. I have weapons hidden all over my house for moments like this. Because no one should be knocking on my door.
“Open up! We need to talk!” My shoulders relax as I recognize the voice.
“I’m coming,” I yell, stashing the gun back in the drawer.
I pull the door open to see the angry face of my brother, his arm wrapped tightly around Belle’s waist. Her smile is in such contrast to his scowl, I almost laugh. I move aside to let them in. Kai walks right past me, but Belle stops and gives me a fierce hug.
“It really is you,” she says into my chest. I shaved my beard down to less than an inch from my skin and cut my hair. I can still pull it back, but it’s more manageable and less mountain man.
“It’s me,” I say softly, returning her hug. Belle pulls away first, smiling up at me with shiny eyes. She takes a seat on my small black couch next to Kai, who is glaring at me with his arms crossed across his chest.
“I’m happy to see you alive,” Kai says, even though his tone and face say otherwise.
Belle sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “We’d just like for you to help us understand.”
“I don’t know where to start,” I admit, standing in front of them.
They’re taking up the entirety of the couch, and there isn’t anywhere else to sit in my small house.
I don’t even have a kitchen table I can steal a chair from.
There wasn’t any point in buying more furniture when I knew I wouldn’t be inviting anyone over while I was still Ben.
“The beginning,” Kai grunts at me.
“I want to do that once. Everyone needs to be here for it.”
“Can you at least tell us why you pretended to be Ben? Everyone is angry because you lied and were right under our noses, not because of why you ran and stayed away,” Belle explains.
“I started making plans to come back when I found out about Brad,” I tell Belle. “Then what happened to Harlow accelerated them.” I may have never met Harlow, but she’s Cal’s wife, and I love him like a brother.
“So you only came back because people were being hurt?” Kai asks, still scowling at me.
“No. I came back sooner because the people I love were being hurt. I always planned to come back. Dad has been working to take down the Wolfes for years. I was supposed to wait until everything with them was tied up neatly in a bow.”
I can see the hurt flash across Kai’s face at the mention of our dad. I get it. Dad chose to keep me safe, but in order to do that, he had to become a ghost too. Kai lost his brother and his father in a matter of months.
“Where is Dad?”
“New York. It’s where he’s been most of the time we’ve been gone.
He has some of his Navy friends there who have been helping him gather the evidence that was used against James at his trial.
” Belle’s eyebrows shoot up, but she doesn’t say anything.
I’m sure she’s putting the pieces together and realizing that the source Harrison has is my dad, even though Harrison isn’t aware of that.
“Why did you come back as someone else?” Belle asks. I’m glad she’s asking the questions, because I don’t think I’d like whatever would come out of Kai’s mouth when he’s this angry.
“I needed to be close to step in if I had to, but I didn’t want the attention it would bring if I was suddenly back from the dead. The media would be all over it, and Eva would know exactly where I was.”
“Wouldn’t the media attention keep you safe?”
I shake my head at her question. “I’m sure Eva could easily make it look like I died in a tragic accident.”
Kai takes a deep breath in through his nose, eyes closed. I can see he’s calmer when he opens them and stares at me.
“What do you mean, you’d ‘step in’?” he asks. “Like in front of a bullet?”
I shrug. “Yeah, if it came to that, I would.” Belle pales, and Kai frowns even more. “But I’ve been training for eight years. Guns, knives, fists. I’ve trained with the best Dad could find. I refused to be weak like I was eight years ago. I made myself a weapon.”
“Jesus,” Belle mutters.
“So yes, I would step in front of a bullet if it meant saving any of you, but it won’t come to that.”
Kai stands and walks to me so quickly I almost throw a punch on instinct. He pulls me into him and hugs me. I’m so surprised it takes me a minute to return it.
“I’m still pissed, but I understand,” he says, not releasing me from his tight hold. “I fucking missed you.”
“I missed you, too,” I say, squeezing him tighter.
“I’ll talk to the others,” he says, pulling back and reaching his hand out to Belle. She takes it and steps up beside him. “I can’t promise anything.”
I nod, shoving my hands into my pockets, feeling uncomfortable about my next question. “How’s Maverick?”
Kai rubs the back of his neck and looks down at Belle. “Uh, not great. You’re going to have to tell him everything because I don’t think the simple explanation we just got will help.”
“Jo is taking care of him,” Belle adds. “But the sooner you’re able to tell us everything, the better.”
“I’ll do that. I promise.” I’d go with them right now if I could, but I need to talk to Sinclair first. I won’t put my family in any more danger.
After more hugging and exchanging of numbers, I watch them pull out of my driveway. A small weight has been lifted off my shoulders, but there’s still so much to do before the world finds out Ezra Irons is very much alive.