8. Riley
I ignorethe pang in my heart from Maddoc’s careless, casual reference to “home.” A side effect of missing Chloe, and how fucked-up this whole situation is.
“Why the hell would you ever think I’d help you find my sister?” I demand instead, biting my tongue before I can add, after I shot you to make sure she got away.
No need to remind him about his gun when he could all too easily pull it out again. I hate how much I’m at their mercy right now. I’ve got no options left at all, but I’m still stunned at Maddoc’s arrogant audacity in asking me for help after the way they’ve used and betrayed me.
“You’ll help me because her safety matters to you,” Maddoc says as if it’s already a done deal, holding my gaze as he adds, “and she’s in a hell of a lot more danger out there on her own than she would be here.”
I almost lash out with a denial, but I can’t. No matter what it is the Reapers want with Chloe, I don’t deny the dangers that exist for her on the street. I just don’t know which is worse, because he still hasn’t told me anything.
“What do you want with her?” I ask, looking past Maddoc to take in Dante and Logan with the question. “Why are you doing all this? What could you possibly want with my sister? You didn’t even know she existed before West Point took her!”
“But you always knew we were going to help you because it would help us strike a blow against McKenna’s organization,” Dante murmurs.
I send him a death glare. “Of course I knew that. And you told me that fucking up West Point’s drug deal with Capside was how getting her back would help you with this gang war of yours.”
I was okay with that. This is something different.
Dante looks like he’s going to argue the point with me, but Maddoc sends him a look that quiets him. “You’re right,” he says, turning back to me. “We thought that would be enough. But then we found out that she can be… useful to us.”
“The fuck she can.” I glare at him. “Up until our father showed his true, spineless colors, I’ve managed to keep Chloe away from the gang activity in this city all her life. At least out there on her own, I know she’s not going to be used by you.”
That muscle in Maddoc’s jaw starts twitching, and he looks murderous for a minute, but then it’s like he suddenly comes to a decision, and a wall comes down. He straightens up from his crouch and nods to his seconds, and they all take seats around me.
“Your father did sell her out,” Maddoc says, an urgent intensity in his voice. “But it could have been worse.”
I blink. “How?”
“Frank Sutton was not a faithful husband. Chloe is your half-sister. The product of an affair.”
A rushing sound fills my ears, and I stare at him for a moment as I process his words.
The product of an affair…
Did Mom know? She must have. Maddoc is telling me that she raised another woman’s child. She may not have given birth to Chloe, but even if Chloe and I don’t share all our blood, don’t share her blood, that doesn’t actually change anything. Blood does matter, but Frank selling us both out is living proof that sometimes it also doesn’t.
“You didn’t know,” Logan says, jerking my attention over to him.
I stare into his pale eyes and for no good reason at all, find myself fighting off tears.
I look away. “She’s my sister.”
It’s not really an answer, but then again, Logan didn’t exactly ask a question. Besides, it’s the one thing I do know, so I glare at Maddoc and say it again. “Chloe is my sister.”
“She is, but she’s also more than that, and if Frank had known, then he could have done a lot worse than trade her to McKenna in lieu of his debts,” Maddoc says grimly.
I can’t think of anything worse, but then again, right now these fuckers have my head twisted around about this so much that I can’t think very clearly at all.
“What do you mean?” I demand. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“We think that the woman your father had an affair with was the estranged daughter of William Sutherland. Which makes Chloe William Sutherland’s granddaughter. And his heir,” Logan says flatly.
My brow furrows as I try to place the name, but it doesn’t ring any bells. “Who’s William Sutherland?”
“He was born into old family money that he increased by an obscene amount by buying up half the state,” Maddoc explains. “His wife died years ago in a boating accident, and he became a bit of a recluse after that. When he died last year at the age of seventy-three, leaving behind an incredibly wealthy estate and no living heirs, the vultures started circling.”
I frown. “But you just said—”
“No known living heirs,” Maddoc interrupts, correcting himself with a faint smile. “Well, no publicly acknowledged ones. But when Logan was doing some research to help us get your sister back, he found out that part of the reason the Sutherland estate still hasn’t been settled is that William Sutherland’s will did identify an heir. A daughter.”
“Okay, so he had a daughter,” I say, my heart starting to pound. “What does that have to do with Chloe?”
“We believe that William Sutherland’s daughter is Chloe’s real mother. She was estranged from her family and went by a different name after the estrangement, so we don’t think Frank was ever aware of her true identity. She was just some woman he was fucking. And according to our research, that woman has died as well. Leaving only…”
“Chloe,” I whisper, the pieces clicking into place in my head. “You want her money. You fucking asshole. That’s what this is about? You want this inheritance of hers!”
Maddoc stares back at me calmly, not denying it.
“If West Point realizes she’s alive, they’re going to want to know why. And once they figure it out, once they realize she’s the key to an estate with a huge amount of money, they’re going to want her too.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees as those striking gray eyes of his bore into me. “And who do you think will treat her better? Us, or McKenna?”
“Fuck you,” I whisper, shaking my head. I can’t wrap my mind around what he’s saying. It’s like he’s pulled back the curtain and shown me a world I need to protect Chloe from that’s something totally different than I thought.
I keep trying to make sense of it all, running through the timeline in my head. My mom and dad split up a few times when I was younger, although he kept pulling her back into his orbit in the end. But one of their separations was in the time before Chloe was born, and I ended up having to stay at my dad’s place, although my mom called all the time to checked in on me.
After Chloe was born, they got back together and stayed together, which I always assumed was because of us. Mom had two kids to protect by then, and she didn’t want him to take both of us away from her, so she stuck around and did her best to shield us from the worst of his qualities.
But now I can’t help but wonder if their separation before Chloe’s birth was because she found out about his cheating. And even after all of that, even after his betrayal, she still agreed to raise Chloe as her own. She loved my sister like her own daughter.
“You can keep trying to run,” Maddoc goes on relentlessly, dragging me from my thoughts. “You can fight us. And at some point, you’ll either end up dead or actually manage to escape. But if you do, then what?”
“Then I find my sister,” I say angrily.
Maddoc nods. “You find her, and you try to protect her... and you fail, because you’re out there on your own.”
“I’ve always been on my own.”
“But now there will be too many other players involved,” Maddoc says. “Ruthless ones. Men like McKenna, who won’t give a shit about collateral damage to the two of you as long as he gets his hands on the money.”
“I won’t let him.”
“You won’t have a choice.”
He stares me down, and I hate myself a little for it, but I blink first.
I look away, a lump in my throat. “I’ve never had a choice. That doesn’t mean I just give up.”
“I know,” Maddoc says, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look at him again, his eyes burning with intensity. Then his lips crack in the smallest of smiles. “But you’ve got a choice now. Help us.”
“So you can be the ones to use her instead of Austin McKenna? How would you even…” I let the question trail off, my mind racing until the final piece clicks. “You’ll force her to marry you.”
Again, Maddoc doesn’t deny it.
“Which one of you?” I demand, my glare taking in all three of them as something ugly and hot tries to claw its way out of my chest. “Which one of you is planning on—”
I snap my mouth closed. I almost said betraying me again, but that’s not right. I don’t even know where it came from.
Fine, I do. And it hurts in ways it shouldn’t.
Here I thought there was something growing between us. Something real with Dante. A magnetic connection with Maddoc. Even something with Logan that resonates inside the darkest, most fucked-up parts of me in a way that nothing else ever has. And all along, one of them planned on marrying my sister.
I swallow hard, forcing the words out of my tight throat. “Which one of you is planning on forcing yourself on her?”
“If we leave her out there too long, it will end up being McKenna,” Dante says, his grim tone so at odds with his usual demeanor that it brings my priorities back into focus.
It doesn’t matter what they’re planning and which one of them was going to do it. I still don’t plan on letting them win. What does matter is that they’re right about how much danger Chloe is in.
More than I realized, and more than I can protect her from on my own.
“Help us bring her in before it’s too late,” Maddoc says. “You don’t know what McKenna’s capable of.”
I do. I fucking do. And while he’s a fucking monster, so are they.
I’ve never hated the three men surrounding me more than in this moment. Chloe being in danger is my fault. I’m the one who sent her out there with a target on her back.
But only because they lied to me. I’d have found another way if I’d known the truth.
I lift my chin. “I don’t need to help you. She’s probably already left Halston, and West Point’s reach isn’t that far.”
If I just give her enough time, refuse to cooperate, Chloe can get far enough away to build a new life for herself. Eventually, I’ll find a way to let her know about the inheritance, and then she can use it to keep herself hidden and safe forever.
It’s a pipe dream that Maddoc shatters with a single question.
“Do you really think she’s left the city?”
“No,” I have to admit, swallowing hard but refusing to cry again. “I wish she would. I told her to go. But she’ll wait for me.”
The truth is, there’s almost no way Chloe would leave town without me. I honestly don’t know where she would have holed up, but the idea that she’d leave me behind is ridiculous. She’d no more do that than I ever would.
Which means Maddoc is fucking wrong. I still don’t have a choice.
But I do have conditions.
“I’ll help,” I say, the words feeling like razorblades as I force them out, “but only if each of you swears that you won’t use her. Won’t… force her into a marriage just so you can control her money.”
“You don’t understand what’s happening out in the streets, princess,” Dante says, crossing his arms over his chest. “This fucking war…”
“I don’t care,” I snap. “I’m talking about my sister’s whole life!”
“We need the money,” Logan says flatly. “But Chloe will be taken care of. All Reapers are.”
I see red and I can’t even be sure which part of that statement to blame it on. “Taken fucking care of?” I repeat, practically spitting as I surge to my feet.
“Riley,” Maddoc says sharply, grabbing my wrists as he stands too. “We’re wasting time.”
And still, none of them promised they won’t use her once we find her.
But that’s something I’ll have to deal with after we get her back, because he’s right, damn him.
I give him a jerky nod. “Fine. I’ll quit trying to run and help you guys figure out where she went, but not if you’re going to treat me like a fucking prisoner.” I jerk my wrists out of his grasp. “You’re not tying me up again.”
“You don’t like the cuffs?” Maddoc says with a cool smile. “That’s… surprising.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re a fucking asshole.”
“And you’re our partner now,” he replies calmly enough that I’m tempted to grab that gun from his waistband and shoot him all over again just to get a rise out of him. “We’ve got no reason to restrain you again.”
“None?” I ask before I can stop myself, my face flushing with heat as I realize how that might sound… and try to figure out if that’s how I meant it.
Something flashes behind Maddoc’s eyes. “None,” he repeats, giving me a predator’s smile as he grips his shoulder. The one I shot.
He doesn’t trust me, and he shouldn’t. Not while he’s still planning on using my sister as a pawn.
“Get some sleep. Dante will take you back to your room.”
There’s no way in hell I want to wait. I want to find Chloe now. But like he’s reading my mind again, Maddoc pins me with an alphahole look that doesn’t leave any room for argument.
“We need you to be alert tomorrow. I’ve already got people all over Halston looking for her, but with your knowledge of her habits and connections, hopefully we’ll be able to predict her actions and find her.”
“But West Point—”
“Hasn’t figured it out yet,” Dante cuts in, taking my arm and tugging me toward the stairs. “Trust me, princess. We’ve got ears to the ground. You’ll be more useful when you’re not crashing from adrenaline.”
Useful? Fuck him. Especially because I know he’s right. At least I’m reassured by his words about West Point, though.
Which, I realize with a scowl, means a part of me still trusts him.
But I refuse to overthink it. Honestly, I don’t have the energy left for that shit right now. Besides, like Maddoc said, we’re partners now.
For this, at least.
“No one’s seen any sign of her?” I ask as we climb the stairs, suddenly desperate for news of how the search is going.
I’m completely torn about what kind of answer to hope for. Of course I want to find her, but wanting them to find her too is a one-eighty I’m having trouble making.
Dante shakes his head. “Madd’s got everyone with a pulse out looking, but your girl’s gone to ground. We know you gave her your cell phone and that envelope full of money. But so far, Logan’s had no luck tracing the phone. That means she probably either ditched it or is keeping it turned off intentionally so that it can’t be tracked by pings to nearby cell towers.” He gives me a smile that’s a faint echo of his usual grin. “You taught her well, princess.”
His words spark a surge of pride… immediately followed by a surge of fear.
“What will happen to her if West Point finds out what she’s worth and goes after her?”
His face turns grim. “Their goal would be the same as ours. That kind of money is going to allow whoever has access to it to come out on top. West Point will just be a lot less nice about how they get what they want from her.”
I shiver, feeling sick. I can’t let that happen, no matter what it takes.
Even if it means seeing her married to one of—
No.
Not that. There will be another way.
Dante’s steps slow as we reach the door to my room. “You know, Maddoc might be pissed at you right now, but he also respects you. And trust me, princess, he doesn’t respect a lot of people.”
I make a rude sound. Mostly to cover up the flare of warmth those words bring. “I fucking shot him.”
“Yeah, maybe don’t do that again,” Dante deadpans, startling a laugh out of me.
I immediately narrow my eyes, which has him backing off and putting his hands up to ward me off.
I look away. I don’t want Dante to make me laugh right now, and I definitely don’t want to feel anything about what Maddoc may or may not think about me. This new partnership idea already has me feeling way too off balance, and with as messed up as everything is between us right now, I don’t have it in me to joke around with him.
He’s still not on my side. Not my friend. Definitely not my anything else.
And neither is Maddoc.
Dante’s looking at me with an expression I don’t want to decipher. But just when I’m about to snap at him to break the tension, he smiles. “Good night, princess.”
He turns and starts walking away.
“What?” I blurt, thrown off balance all over again. “You’re leaving?”
“Gonna miss me?” he asks, turning back to me with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. “Because if you’re inviting me to come in…”
My body instantly reacts to that, and I force myself to scowl, crossing my arms over my chest. “Since when do I invite any of you into my room? I’m the prisoner here, remember?”
“Not a prisoner,” Dante says mildly. “You’re our partner now… remember?”
“So you’re actually just walking away? You’re going to leave me unrestrained in my room all night and trust me not to make another break for it?”
I don’t know why the hell I’m pushing him when it would be smarter to keep my mouth closed and be thankful for it, but I can’t seem to stop myself.
Dante grins and saunters toward me, only stopping when he’s close enough that I have to tip my head back to keep glaring at him.
He trails a finger over my lips, sending sparks skittering over my skin, then wraps his hand around the back of my neck and leans in.
I’m prepared to knee him in the balls if he tries to kiss me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he gently pushes my hair out of the way and dips his head down.
“Of course we don’t trust you, princess,” he whispers, his breath on the sensitive skin under my ear sending more of those aching, wanting sparks through me. “That’s why Logan put up cameras in there.”
And then he’s gone, and I stand in the hallway blinking as I process that.
Fuck.
Of course.
I feel stupid for ever thinking I could have actually escaped. Between them watching me in my room and Logan having seen me swipe that fucking piece of wire, I never had a chance. All that time I was lying silently, waiting until the house was quiet, was useless.
“Fucking assholes,” I mutter, stomping into my room and slamming the door closed after me. Not that it matters. They can watch me, come in uninvited, do whatever they want. They may say I’m not their prisoner, but I’m still one hundred percent at their mercy. Even here, in private—
“Shit,” I whisper, freezing in place as I realize there is no “in private” here.
Dante didn’t say when Logan put up the cameras, but I can only assume that everything I’ve ever done in this room has been watched. Every time I’ve changed my clothes, talked to myself, or even…
Touched myself.
I flush with embarrassment. The idea of Logan, Maddoc, or Dante having watched me get off without my permission bothers me way fucking more than it should. Especially since I’ve made my living being an object for men to stare at for years now.
This is nothing like when I’ve stripped on stage, though. Rubbing my pussy and playing with my tits to get a few more dollars from the shitbags who flock to places like the club I used to work at is just a show, even when it felt good.
But behind closed doors, it’s real. Uncensored. Raw.
Private.
I glare around the room, wondering where the hell these cameras are.
“Fuck. You,” I say clearly, pushing myself away from the door.
And fuck my embarrassment too. I have no reason to be ashamed of what I do in private. They’re the ones who should be ashamed for spying on me and invading that privacy without my consent.
I pull my shirt over my head and run my hands up my sides to cup my breasts, exactly as I’d do on stage, then drag my finger over the small scar between my breasts.
The healed slash from the knife wound Logan put there doesn’t hurt anymore, but it definitely makes me feel something to touch the mark he left. Another sign of how fucked up my reactions to these men are, but right now, I’m happy to roll with it.
They want a show? Fucking fine. They’ll get one. But it’s not for them. It’s for me.
My nipples tighten as I rub my fingers over the little nubs, and all the uncertainty and heartache of the last twenty-four hours starts to fade into the background as my body responds.
I need this, and fuck all three of them and their voyeuristic tendencies.
I’m taking it.