44. Talon
forty-four
Talon
W hen I stepped back into the house after my run, Birdie and Milo were standing at their kitchen counter, sipping their coffee, and speaking in hushed whispers. Misely was nowhere to be seen. The bronze eyed woman cut me a glare, accepting a kiss from my brother on her temple before shoulder checking me as she stomped past toward their shared bedroom. I took the disdain, knowing I’d earned it.
Without a word, Milo poured me a cup of black coffee, passing it to me while he took another drink of his own. Devil knew I needed it. I hadn’t slept at all, giving up the attempt around four a.m. and went for an extended run. Now my body was drenched with sweat, my muscles ached, and my mind was still as unfocused and muddied as it had been the night before.
“Is she awake yet?” I asked, dreading his answer.
Milo gave me a short nod. “Said she was taking care of some work stuff. Got a call from an old boyfriend and has been talking with him for a while.”
It was amazing how quickly possessive anger could cramp throughout my body, immediately putting me on the razor wire edge. “Old boyfriend have a name?”
“James.”
My blood ran cold. James had been the one she’d told me about the night we were stranded in the van. The one who had broken her heart. The one she’d wanted to spend her life with. I repeated his name, burning like acid on my tongue.
Milo seemed to understand because his expression turned sympathetic for only a moment before returning to indifference. “ Yuuup . Bet you’re wishing you hadn’t been such a dick now.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” I snapped, pinching the bridge of my nose.
What would they be talking about? She’d said he’d just gotten engaged, but what did that really matter? They’d been an unofficial item for years. Was it possible that James had a change of heart? That he had finally opened his fucking eyes and saw what was right in front of him? What an absolute treasure he’d passed up on?
Would she take him back? Would she marry him and let him father our child and push me out?
I felt the sudden urge to throw up, the coffee sitting like mud in my gut.
Two hours passed and Misely did not emerge from Milo and Birdie’s bedroom. Even after Birdie returned to resume glaring at me over her mug, Misely did not join us. I paced down the hall, my heart hammering whenever the gentle touch of her voice hit me through the door. I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Couldn’t make out her mood.
The aggravation and impatience were threatening to eat me alive. I stopped in front of the door, lifting a hand to knock and froze. What could I say? “Please don’t take back your moron ex because I’m an asshole but I still want you to want me.”?
My fist hovered in the air for several long moments, indecision blocking my courage. A throat cleared at the end of the hall and when I looked up, my brother stood there with a serious expression.
“She’ll come out when she’s ready. In the meantime, we need to talk.”
Swallowing, my hand dropped to my side and slid into my front pocket.
“Yeah.”
It had been put off long enough. I followed Milo back to the kitchen table and took a seat, rubbing at my fatigued eyes. It had been a while since I had felt so much exhaustion and the growing pressure of a migraine pressed against my skull.
“We need to discuss your next move.”
There was an unbidden desire to groan like a petulant child. “My next move?”
“Yes, where do you stand?”
“Where do I stand?”
Milo released an impatient breath. “Are you going to actually answer any of these questions or are you going to just keep repeating them?”
Dropping my elbows down on the table I raked my fingers through my hair, pulling as I reached the ends. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?” Now he was the one repeating me. I almost laughed.
“Milo, there is an eight-year-old boy on the line here. There is a possibility that I fucked up—yet again—and have brought another kid into this mess. Kyle has zero intention of letting up, and Bri seems determined to continue being his right-hand bitch.”
He opened his mouth to speak but I held up a hand.
“I get it. You have this incredible life here with the girl of your dreams and trust me, the last thing I want to do is uproot any of that. And when I think about that, I want to say fuck it and tell Kyle to kiss my ass. But then I remember this little boy, and the beautiful life he has, and I am torn up thinking about ruining that for him.”
“Talon, it isn’t just me—”
“I know you have your girl—”
He huffed, slapping his hand onto the surface of the table. “No, I mean that it’s not just me that is on your side. We have people who can help.”
Birdie stepped back into the kitchen, her arms weighed down by grocery bags. Milo stood to help her, emptying the bags and unloading the contents into the tiny kitchen’s cupboards.
“You mean witness protection?”
Birdie sighed at the distaste in my tone, a half-smile tugging at her lips. “ Sheesh , you MacArthurs.”
Milo bumped her hip with his own, stepping past her to place a bottle of orange juice into the fridge.
“She’s only saying that because I was hesitant at first too.” He must’ve seen the confusion I felt written on my face. “I had to go undercover for a bit, but as you can see it was worth it.”
“Kyle would sniff me out in a second if I were to become an informant. He’s changed, Milo, and trust it’s not for the better. He’s more paranoid than ever.”
“That’s because he knows they’re close.”
“Who?”
Milo clicked his teeth, a grin sharpening his face. “ Tsk, tsk , brother. You know I’m not going to tell you that. All you need to know is that I wasn’t the only defector, I wasn’t even the first. This has been in motion for years . Kyle isn’t even the grand prize.”
“The supplier,” I mused. “Of course. That’s why Kyle’s so freaked out.”
“Yep. He knows if the supplier is unveiled, it won’t be a few decades in prison he’ll be facing. It’ll be his neck. And who knows, it could go deeper than that. There are things the detectives aren’t telling us.”
Neither Milo nor I had any idea who Kyle’s supplier was. If any of us were high enough in the instep to know, it would be Bri, but I still held the suspicion that Kyle kept her at an arms length in that regard too. Especially after Milo’s abandonment and betrayal.
It didn’t surprise me that the operation Milo was involved in went deeper than busting Kyle, but it certainly changed the dynamic we were facing. If I took this information back to Kyle, surely it’d be enough to distract him from his blackmail on me. That would take his eyes off Leo, at least for a little bit while he worked out a plan to get the supplier even more underground than they already were.
But if I didn’t…if I worked with Milo instead, then he could go on living his pretty little life in Oregon. I would be forced into hiding, lose my business, and have to uproot Kenna’s entire family. I might not ever see Misely again. I might not ever see her again if I chose the former either.
As if on cue with my thoughts, the bedroom door down the hall flew open, slamming against the wall behind it. A red eyed, blonde haired tornado dashed into the room, her gaze fixed onto Birdie. Something was wrong.
“I need you to take me to the airport right now. Benji is missing.”
My stomach bottomed out. Oh no . I barely registered as pandemonium broke out around me, Birdie flying out of her seat and rushing to help Misely pack a carry-on bag. Promising to have the rest of her stuff shipped out to her somehow. I didn’t see when the women were zipping up their coats and tying their shoes. My mind was stuck on the fact that the very thing Misely had been worried would happen if she went with me to gather my brother, happened.
It wasn’t until the door opened and they were stepping out that I blinked, standing rapidly from where I sat. “Misely, wait.”
She turned, silhouetted in the late afternoon sun that shone through the doorway. For a small moment, hope seemed to hold its breath in her eyes. I wanted to tell her I’d take her to the airport. That I’d fly out with her so she wouldn’t be alone. That I— No . All the things I should have said drowned under the weight of responsibility. She had her own things to worry about, and I had mine.
“What about the baby?” I wanted to punch myself in the face as the hope died on hers. Replaced by a sheet of unfeeling stone.
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll send you a bill.” In the next breath, the door was shut and she was gone.