Chapter 12
Will ignored the speed limit as he headed south.
He wanted to get this over with before either he changed his mind or someone tried to talk him out of it.
Dylan would’ve surely protested if he’d had any idea where he was going.
As it was, the Alpha had expressed some surprise and curiosity when his twin had asked to borrow a vehicle, but he hadn’t insisted on an explanation.
That meant he truly had mended the hurt feelings between the two of them, but now Will wasn’t sure he deserved it.
He thumped his thumb against the steering wheel in irritation as he reflected on how much his life had changed over the past year or so.
He’d once held a deep grudge against his brother.
Will had been positioned to be the firstborn, but then the umbilical cord wrapped around Dylan’s neck.
An emergency c-section resulted in Dylan coming into the world first, inheriting the title of Alpha and all the respect that went with it.
For a long time, Will felt he’d been denied his rightful place by a mere accident, and he’d lived most of his adult life exiled from the clan.
But he’d recently come back into the fold, and the Brighams had welcomed him with open arms.
Then there was his fishing crew. He’d taken their payroll and gambled it away, betting on riches that never came.
These weren’t the right guys to mess around with, and they were going to take what they were owed out of Will’s hide.
Thanks to Dylan’s help, Will had been able to make that all right, too.
He’d thought it was enough. He’d been dumb enough to believe that he just had to keep moving forward, and everything would be okay.
Meeting Julie had been further confirmation of that.
What greater reward could there be for all his hard work than finally meeting his mate?
Only now, the Malones were threatening that future. It’d been a long time since Will had come down there, but he still knew the route well. He’d been so excited for that job with the Malones back in the day. What a stupid kid he’d been.
The house was just as big as he remembered it, though not nearly as grand.
The weathered look on the cedar shake had gone too far, starting to turn black and rot away here and there.
Dead weeds had taken over the landscaping.
Will winced as he pulled up the long driveway, which was desperate for a resurfacing.
The house showed just how high the Malones had climbed and just how far they’d fallen.
Getting out, he glanced down the hill toward their private beach entrance.
The modest boat Tony and his brother had been driving the day prior was anchored a short way out.
A couple of fishing boats still remained, the Malone name written out in peeling paint on the sides.
Their condition made it hard to believe that Tony had mocked Will’s trawler, but he knew it’d never really been about that.
Pulling in a deep breath, he went up to the door.
Aaron yanked it open before he could knock. “What the fuck do you want?” he snarled.
“I want to speak to your Alpha.” His other problems in life had only been fixed once he’d confronted them head-on. Will was determined to do the same with this problem.
“Huh.” Aaron gave a grunt of curiosity before he stepped back. “Fine.”
Will followed him into the house. Just as he’d seen on the outside, the Malones hadn’t been keeping up with maintenance.
The place could use a coat of paint and some new flooring, at the least. The furniture was faded and worn.
He got a glimpse into the kitchen as they moved toward the back of the house.
It was the same as it’d always been, but those cabinets and countertops no longer looked the same to him.
Aaron stepped through a doorway. “Will Brigham says he’s here to see the Alpha.”
When he moved aside, Will entered. It was a den not unlike Dylan’s, although it was much more cluttered.
It’d been placed at the back of the house, where the big windows could show off the true beauty of beachfront property.
Maybe not much had changed about the place, but the man sitting in the chair had.
Will worked hard to keep a scowl off his face. “Tony.”
With his forearms on the desk and his fingers twined, Tony stared down his visitor. “You asked for the Alpha.”
“I came to talk to Greg.” Sure, Tony’s father was a bit of a hothead himself. He’d been difficult to work for and never let a mistake go unnoticed. But Will had figured he might actually make some headway with him.
“You asked for the Alpha, and you have him,” Tony replied. “If you want to speak to my father, you’ll have to go to the cemetery.”
Shit. He hadn’t thought of asking if Greg Malone was still alive. Dylan would’ve told him if he’d had any idea what Will was about to do. “My condolences. I didn’t realize.”
“Your condolences don’t mean shit around here.” Tony’s jaw tightened.
His plan had been a long shot to begin with, but now it seemed impossible. Will was already there, though. There was nothing to do but try. “Maybe not, and I can understand why. Regardless, I wanted to come talk to you man-to-man with cool heads. I’m here to offer my apologies for what I did.”
Tony’s brows went up. “Your apologies?”
“Yes,” Will confirmed. “I was young and thought I knew what I was doing. I didn’t know how to think ahead back in those days. I’m not the same person I was then, and I don’t think any of us should be carrying around this old baggage anymore.”
The new Malone Alpha leaned forward. “I’m not interested in your apologies.
I don’t believe you’re sorry at all, but even if I did, it wouldn’t bring back all we’d lost. My father took a chance on hiring you, Will.
He gave me this whole fucking lecture about how you have to give people a chance to prove who they are instead of believing what everyone else says.
You proved him wrong. Sinking that boat was an expense we couldn’t recover from.
Our livelihood went straight to Davy Jones’ locker in one day. ”
Would there be any way to get through to him? “Listen, I—”
“No, you listen!” Tony was on his feet now.
He came around the desk, his face turning crimson with rage.
“My father worked until the day he died, and then he went to the grave with the knowledge that he’d lost the legacy his family had built.
As far as he was concerned, he was leaving his sons and clan with little more than a crumbling house and a pile of debt, all thanks to you.
You think a fucking apology is going to fix that? ”
Footsteps sounded behind him. Will already knew that Aaron was standing guard on one side of the door.
Now Dan had joined him on the other side.
Three against one all over again. He still didn’t like the odds, but at least he had the benefit of knowing Julie was safe at the Brigham clanhouse.
There was nothing left to lose, not if he wanted to live his life in peace and have any chance of Julie being a part of it.
“No, Tony. I don’t think an apology is going to fix that.
I doubt I can ever make it up to you, but I’d like a chance to try.
I’ve been working in the industry my whole adult life at this point, and I’ve got some good connections.
I can’t bring Malone Fishery back to what it once was, but I can still help.
I can get you boys jobs with a bigger corporation, one that pays fair wages and offers good benefits.
You can still keep the Malone name on your boats, too. ”
“How generous,” Tony snarled. He was face-to-face with Will now, spittle flying. “You ruined our lives! Then you come in here acting like we’re stupid enough to just put those lives in your hands again. Do you think I’m fucking stupid or something?”
His bear hadn’t been happy ever since he’d decided to come there, and now it knew things could get ugly fast. Will wasn’t the diplomatic one.
Dylan was. Will had always settled scores with fists, and damn, he wanted to do that right now.
“No,” he forced out. “I just want to do whatever I can to make things right, even if it falls short.”
Aaron snorted. “You’re just trying to impress that lady friend of yours.”
“Yeah,” Dan agreed. “You must not want her to know what a dick you are. It’s not like you’ve ever been one to talk things out.”
“And what’s the point?” Aaron retorted. “She’s just a human. It’s like she matters.”
“That’s a really good point, boys.” Tony’s laugh was enough to send a chill up Will’s spine. “What does this woman mean to you, Will?”
He shook his head. “Julie doesn’t have anything to do with this. Leave her out of it.”
Tony was still in his face, but he was smiling now. “I think we’ve found the perfect way to settle the score if you’re so determined.”
“What?” This wasn’t good.
“It’s simple,” Tony said with a shrug. “You want to make things up to us, right? Make things even, settle the score? We should show you what it’s like to lose something meaningful.”
His heart clamored in his chest. His bear wrestled with him, demanding to know why he wouldn’t let it out to tear into Tony’s throat after threatening his mate that way. “I told you, this has nothing to do with her. This is our past.”
“But it involves you, and you obviously have something going on with her. I doubt you’d fuck around with a human unless there was a really good reason.” Confident, Tony turned his back to Will and returned to the chair behind the desk. “You may go.”
“I’m not done here.” Will took a step forward.
The other two Malones caught him by the arms.
“Oh, but you are,” Tony said mildly. “I’ve heard your offer, and I’ll be coming up with a counteroffer of my own. You can run along back to your clanhouse and wait for it.”
“Fine.” Will jerked his arms free and turned for the door. He could talk until he was blue in the face, but he wasn’t going to change Tony’s mind and get him to accept either an apology or a job.
As he backed out of the driveway, Will couldn’t even console himself with the knowledge that he’d tried.
It seemed that going to the Malone clanhouse had only made things worse.
For the first time in a very long time, Will was genuinely afraid.
He’d never been concerned about his own safety, and he still wasn’t.
But what about Julie?