Chapter 11 #2
The switch from businesswoman to mom-mode has me sliding my arm around her waist. There’s nothing about this woman that doesn’t absolutely floor me.
“I love you.”
She grins. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.”
She wiggles excitedly. “Good, because I’ve already emailed them. Think of a name.” I open my mouth, but she quickly interjects. “Not Bogart.”
Spoil sport.
I reluctantly release her, ready to start the meeting, when there’s another knock on the door. Alistair scans the table and frowns. “Aren’t we all here?”
We listen as heavy footfalls approach, and a man I haven’t seen for close to a decade appears in the doorway.
Tall, with dark, military-style hair, and light brown eyes, wearing a suit that’s designed for practicality that hugs a muscular frame.
His expression is cold, almost bored, and it chills further when he spots Alistair.
Cain Calloway is in my home, and things could sour quickly.
He doesn’t apologize for being late, nor does he acknowledge anyone in the room, aside from a curt nod in my direction.
Alistair flew to California to convince Cain to provide help because he owns one of the best private security firms in the country.
He’s located in San Francisco, but his power stretches far, and unlike Charlie, he’s remained totally legitimate.
He offers protection to made men but has never broken a law, and it’s why he’s sought after.
I trust him because, despite a shadowed history, Cain protects Alistair and always has.
I don’t know the ins and outs of their relationship, but I know that Alistair would put his life in Cain’s hands, and vice versa, even though they don’t speak and, to the outside world, appear to hate each other’s guts.
“Who is that?” Denver whispers.
“A long story,” I say.
“He single?”
I slide a glare to her as she smiles innocently.
“If you think I won’t claim you in this room just to prove you’re mine, you’re wrong.
” She flushes, a dance of excitement sparkling in her eyes.
I lower my voice. “You want me to make you come in a room filled with men watching so they know who you belong to?”
She lets out a breath. “Fuck, maybe. And I belong to you, now?”
“We belong to each other,” I correct her.
“You’re cute.”
“I’m dangerous and an enigma. Not cute.”
She hums happily. “You’re cute.”
God, she’s distracting.
I fucking love it.
My attention returns to the room, where Alistair is staring at Cain with guarded interest, but Cain either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care.
“Now we’re all here,” I say, “I’m going to start this meeting by giving you all an out.” There are some exchanged looks of confusion. “We’re in the middle of two wars, and we’re going to lose people. It’s unavoidable, but we’re taking on two powerful families, and they won’t go easy on us.”
“Who?” Lucas asks.
“Ranger Luxe and Spider.”
Silence. Keto is bouncing his knee under the table, and JJ nudges him to stop. He opts for tapping his finger instead.
“So, if you want out, I won’t judge any of you.
Some of you have families. All of you want to live.
If you leave now, there’s no hard feelings.
” No one moves. No one even glances at the door.
“Okay, then we get to work. Ranger is coming for the McEwan name. We need to prove that losing Finn hasn’t affected us and we can’t be taken over, but Ranger is gaining support from the other families. ”
Charlie snorts. “How? You’ve got them on side. You always have.”
I roll my shoulder. “He’s using Denver to appeal to their … husbandly sides.” All eyes slide to Denver. “You know how they feel about family. Divorce is right up there with affairs.”
“Wait.” Lucas waves a hand between us. “You’re together?”
“Keep up, dipshit,” Keto says.
Lucas retaliates by tossing a pen at Keto. “I mind my own business; why do I care who the boss is fucking?”
“You do now,” Alistair mumbles, closing his laptop.
Keto ignores them both. “So it was Ranger who killed Finn?”
“No, that was Vince Capelli,” I say.
“What? Why?” Charlie looks confused. “’Cos of the arm-breaking thing?” I nod. “Fuck. Was his death one of us?”
Denver examines her nails with an air of total innocence. I say, “His death is irrelevant. What matters is he’s gone, and Dante has taken his place.”
There are simultaneous hoots and groans. Charlie looks thrilled, but most don’t—probably because they know how Dante works. He’s swift, brutal, and sometimes unnecessarily violent. He does it all with a smile, though, and for his family, so it’s hard not to like him.
“Is this thing real?” a deep voice asks from the back of the room.
Cain’s arms are folded, his figure totally still as he looks between Denver and me.
“I mean no offence, but I’m not willing to risk my men if you end up going back to your husband, Mrs. Luxe.
” If any other man had called her that name, I’d likely bristle, but that’s just Cain’s way.
He addresses people formally, always maintaining distance.
Denver doesn’t seem bothered by the insinuation. “I won’t be going back to Ranger, Mr. …?”
“Calloway.”
“I’m divorcing my husband, Mr. Calloway,” she says. “It’s been a long time coming, even before anything happened with Colt. Whether I was standing here or back home, I’d be starting the process to leave him. I won’t be Denver Luxe for much longer.”
Cain gives a small nod. “And who will you be?”
“Denver DeLuca.”
“Denver DeLuca-Harland,” I say, and Denver’s eyes snap to mine, her cheeks turning pink. A slow smile creeps across her face. “Whenever she’s ready.”
Not the way I thought this conversation would happen, but our relationship hasn’t really stuck to any rules. The one thing I know for sure, though? I’m marrying this woman next to me.
“We’re witnessing something beautiful right now, and I’m all here for it,” JJ says. “But, y’know … war.”
Right. Fuck.
“What’s the plan, Colt?” Charlie asks.
The plan. The one Denver, Alistair and I went over last night, and then again this morning.
“First things first, we remove any power Ranger might be gaining. We ensure he has no protection, which means we strengthen relationships with every cop we know and try to gain the favor of anyone who has held out from accepting bribes. I want someone on our side in every official government building in this city, someone we can rely on. Then, we encourage Ranger to go home.”
Charlie says, “How are you gonna do that? You nearly threw him off a balcony and he’s still here.”
“That’s my job,” Denver says. “I start some fires in San Francisco, ones only he can put out.”
“Literally?” JJ asks.
She smiles. “No, but I know what buttons to press. I know where the bodies are buried, and the money is hidden. I’ll make a few calls and start the process.”
Cain says, “Process?”
“To destroy Ranger Luxe,” she says simply. “Professionally. Financially. I’ll drag his reputation through the dirt, while maintaining enough distance to not let it affect my name or my businesses. By the time I’m done with him, the only thing people will feel for Ranger is pity.”
Everyone in the room gapes at her.
“You sure you wanna marry her, Colt?” JJ asks out of the corner of his mouth. Denver tuts at him. “What? You’re ‘hell hath no fury’ personified.”
She seems pleased with that. “Thanks.”
“Not a compliment, Deluxe,” he adds.
“The next step,” Alistair cuts in, his patience clearly wearing thin, “is the families. Colt and Denver need to put on a united front. Like Cain said, they won’t support her if there’s a chance this is a fling and she ends up going back to Ranger.
Denver and Colt need to be seen as strong. Not temporary.”
“And it also means I’m going to be spending a lot of time in the company of enemies while I try to regain trust,” I add, looking at Cain. “That’s where I need you.”
His people are trained to the extreme of any other hired muscle I know.
They’re all ex-military, some having worked in the depths of government agencies that most have never even heard of.
They’ve fought wars kept out of the public eye and assassinated rival government officials under the cover of not existing.
“If you’re in,” Alistair says. Finally, Cain looks at Alistair. The tension between them is palpable, years of bitterness strung like piano strings, and one wrong word could clip them.
Cain shifts his gaze to Denver. “I’ll discuss that with Ms. DeLuca.”
A clear snub at Alistair, and even me, but I have a feeling it has more to do with him liking Denver’s promise of vengeance against Ranger.
“And you should all know now …” I brace myself. “I’m Finn’s son.”
A pin could drop, and the sound would resemble a bomb.
It’s out there now. The truth of who I am, who Finn was to me, and the reality of it hurts. He always felt like a father and acted like one, too, but I never had to guts to speak to him about it. I never had the opportunity to hear him say the words, and I never will.
Charlie lets out a chuff. “Holy fucking plot twist. Is anyone making notes? I can’t fucking keep up.”
“How?” Lewis asks. “I don’t understand.”
Taf says, “Well, Lewis, when two people love each other very much—”
“Enough of that,” Alistair interjects, and the low chuckles in the room taper away. “The circumstance is irrelevant. What matters is Colt is next in line.”
“Regardless, the moment Ronan wakes up, he’ll still take over,” I say.
“Once Ranger is gone and Spider is dealt with, Denver, Holly and I are leaving.” The looks they give me range from shocked to hurt.
They’ve been by my side for years, fought and bled for me, and I’m walking away.
But during our recovery, Denver and I made plans.
Actual plans. We’re leaving the city, going to England, and we’re not coming back.
“We’re tired. And these last few weeks—”