Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Cormac
Ifinally make it downstairs after showering, and it appears that I beat Malachy.
I needed his help moving our guest from intake to his cell.
Technically, I could have dragged him while he was unconscious, but I didn’t want to.
The man is well-fed, and I don’t have the body mass that Malachy or Patrick has.
Also, I was up until six in the morning having a heart-to-heart with my guest. Well, I was speaking. He was gagged, so he couldn’t respond, but he did listen. He needs to understand the rules of my workshop.
I’m peeking around to determine where I’m most likely to find Charlotte when she comes around the corner with Patrick.
A half second later, footfalls pound on the stairs behind me.
Malachy must be ready to join the party.
I barely get myself moved off the landing at the bottom of the stairs when the front door slams open.
My jaw falls.
Vanessa fucking Chapman saunters inside, looking like she’s just aching to mess something up.
Visually, she’s as beautiful as ever, dressed in a tight black dress that falls to mid-thigh and a pair of red-bottom heels that would put a small dent in the amount her family would owe to break the contract.
She has curly brown hair that falls past her chest and a cunning smile on her face that makes me uncomfortable.
My head whips between Charlotte and Vanessa, and my stomach rolls.
Fuck.
Oh, fucking fuck.
This is so bad.
“I wasn’t expecting all three of my future husbands to greet me at the door, but it’s nice to have such a warm welcome,” Vanessa says, her tone cutting through the air like a gunshot.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Vanessa?” Malachy growls, barreling down the stairs even faster.
“I came to have a heart-to-heart,” Vanessa says, planting her hands on her hips.
I’m normally excellent in a crisis. Except, I’m frozen in place.
How much trouble would it cause if I put a bullet in Vanessa’s brain right in the middle of our foyer?
“Well, shit. This is anything but a pleasant surprise. Ness, you’re looking as conniving as ever.” Patrick calls her by the nickname that she hates.
Movement catches my attention from the right of the stairs, and Lucky chooses this moment to bolt down the hallway to find out what’s happening. A gust of air passes behind me as I check on the boy, and I can only assume that’s Malachy reaching the bottom of the stairs.
“Who’s that?” Lucky asks, pointing at Vanessa before pulling the finger to his mouth to chew on near his back molars.
“I’d like to know the same thing,” Charlotte says, reminding me she’s witnessing this entire spectacle.
I finally get myself in gear, scooping up Lucky and circling over to wrap my arm around Charlotte’s lower back. I lead her toward the stairs, but she glances over her shoulder at the nightmare still playing out.
“Lukas,” Miriam calls out, coming down the hallway.
“I’ve got him,” I tell her.
“Holy fuck, Patrick. He looks just like you. Oh. My. God. Tell me that’s your kid,” Vanessa practically begs.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Pat chuckles an unfriendly sound. “It’d save your brothers twenty percent on the penalty.”
“It only counts if I’m the one coming to the table with a child,” Malachy says. “But you know the three of us well enough to understand that we’d honor the penalty, anyway.”
“But he is, right?” Vanessa asks, sounding seriously excited. “I mean, he looks exactly like you.”
“It’s time for you to go,” Malachy growls. “Anything that needs to be discussed can occur at the table with Wilder as our witness.”
“What the hell is happening?” Charlotte hisses as I lead her farther up the stairs.
“I will explain everything. Just allow us to get somewhere private.” I take the stairs faster than I normally would, but we need to get the hell out of here now.
I had grand plans to show Charlotte the room I set up for Lucky. I wanted to surprise them both and make a bit of a show of revealing it.
It almost feels tainted now, like I’m giving her a gift to make up for our bad behavior. My fathers often bought my mother gifts after royally fucking up. She took them, but they never actually made a dent in whatever betrayal they were attempting to sweep under the rug.
I don’t think this qualifies on quite that level, but McCarthy, my MC prisoner, is going to help me alleviate some of my stress as soon as I put out this fire.
Charlotte seems confused, pointing at the door to her room as we pass, but I keep moving her forward.
“The room that connects to yours via the shared bathroom was mine and Patrick’s nursery.
It sat empty for many years, as we had no need for it, but it was already conveniently decorated in white and blue.
” I place Lucky on his feet and push open the door.
“This is for you,” I tell him, patting his back as he bolts inside.
Turning to Charlotte, I add, “And a bit for you too.”
“Whoa!” Lucky squeals as I lead Charlotte into the room. “All this for me?” He points at his chest, and I chuckle.
“It is.”
He runs over and lies down on the white toddler bed. He’s so long that his feet almost touch the footboard. I can’t decide if it’s an illusion because of where the pillows are placed or if he’s already on the verge of outgrowing the bed I just purchased.
“Although, it appears that we’ll need to upgrade to a twin before you know it,” I tell him.
“I like my bed,” he says, rolling over to face us. “My blanket has dinosaurs!”
“I thought you might like that, and there’s more. The bookshelf is filled with books for you to read, and that chest at the end of your bed might have some other goodies for you.” I smile as he rolls off the bed, running over to the bookshelf.
“I don’t know how to read,” he says, sounding very serious.
Well, don’t I feel like a fool now.
“That’s okay. I’ll teach you, but in the meantime, how about you look at the pictures in one and make up your own story to go along with it,” I suggest as Charlotte practically vibrates in my hold. “Or play with the toys in your toy box. I need to speak to your mommy for a moment.”
“Okay,” he agrees, taking off toward the toy chest.
I turn Charlotte toward the back wall and point to the ceiling.
“That’s a video baby monitor. I’ll log you into the system, so you can watch him from your phone at any time.
” We twist back toward the bed. “That small black circle attached to the wall is another camera that’s pointed directly down at his bed.
” I gesture toward the television hanging from the TV mount.
“That model is ancient. I’m pretty sure it has an attached DVD player, but it is hooked up to the cable. ”
“You did all of this for Lucky?” she asks, and I hate the wobble in her tone. She should expect this and so much more.
My brothers essentially nabbed her from in front of her apartment in the middle of the night. The least we can do is to provide them everything they need to settle in and truly view this as their home.
“That evening while Patrick was keeping an eye on you…” I say, trying to make it sound less shady.
“I went shopping, then spent half the night assembling the furniture. I wanted the two of you to be comfortable. Oh, before I forget.” I release her to head over to the closet, grabbing out the step stool and clip-on toilet seat.
I meant to give her this yesterday, but in the whirlwind leading up to the fight, I got distracted.
Lucky is having the time of his life pulling out action figures, cars, trucks, and dinosaurs. That should hopefully keep him busy long enough for me to apologize to Charlotte.
I cross the room, opening the door that leads to the bathroom and eventually Charlotte’s room.
“This door leads to the bathroom,” I tell Lucky, nodding for Charlotte.
“On the other side of that is the room you’ve been staying in with your mom.
We’ll be right over there if you need us, but don’t worry, we’ll leave the door open. ”
“Okay.” His head wobbles up and down, but I’m not sure he’s really paying attention. “Bye.”
Charlotte crosses the room, and I follow her into the bathroom, putting the step stool on the floor between the toilet and the cabinet before dropping the seat on the countertop.
“I meant to give all of this to you yesterday, but then I needed to leave to attend the fight.” I shove my glasses up and turn to find Charlotte glaring at me from inside her room. Her hands are planted on her hips, and I think the three of us are in even more trouble than I realized.
“Are you fucking engaged?” she whisper-hisses, jabbing a finger at me, and I can’t hold back the grimace.
“It’s not what you think.” I cross into her room, and she backs away from me, making my stomach drop.
“Oh, fuck off with that,” she says, laughing mirthlessly. “It’s not what you think. Is that really what you’re going with?”
“Well, yes, because it’s not.” I keep my tone gentle but firm.
“Our families made an arrangement twenty years ago. A marriage contract that neither side wishes to fulfill, but Vanessa’s family refuses to pay the penalty for breaking the contract.
” I sigh, shaking my head. “Malachy’s state has declined in the time we’ve waited for them to figure their shit out, but we’re stuck.
If we back out, her family would still owe mine the initial investment.
Fuck. I think I’m messing this up. They say they can’t afford to pay to break the contract.
We’ve been hesitant to dissolve it on our end because we can’t tell if they’re genuinely broke or just trying to game the system.
Please, come sit next to me,” I say, offering her my arm.
She huffs, skirts around me, and takes a seat on the edge of her bed before crossing her arms over her chest. Every inch of her body language is closed off, and I’m not sure how to fix this other than to be honest.
“If they don’t pay, we would be expected to go to war to recoup the money they took upon accepting the deal.
” I follow her over, taking a seat and turning toward her.
“Along that same line, we would be expected to forcibly take back the properties they were given. Boston has been relatively peaceful for the last thirty years. No one wants a war like what played out in the old days. It would get ugly. Good men on both sides would die.” I reach over and rest my hand on her thigh.
She doesn’t slap it away, and I pray it’s a good sign.
“That doesn’t even touch how vulnerable a position it would put us in with the other families.
Any of them could get it in their heads that we’re weak.
They could start encroaching on our territory, suppliers, or try to back out of their own contracts. ”
“Do you need the money?” Charlotte asks, studying my face.
I squint, trying to determine where this is headed. “Would it be nice to have? Yes. Would it make or break us? No.”
Having said that, all my other points still stand.
Looking weak in front of the other families is, at the very least, dangerous.
At most, it’s a death sentence.
“Can’t you claim they paid the fee and be done with the whole situation?” she asks, and my mind races.
Could we do that?
Possibly, but I don’t trust the Chapmans as far as I can throw them. If the truth got out, and I have no doubt that it would, it would be an even more catastrophic blow to our image.
“I mean, it’s your lives. It has nothing to do with me.” She shrugs, and I hate how closed off she seems.
“But it does.” I scoot closer to her side. “Our fathers wanted the three of us to form a pack. Patrick and I are half brothers—we have different fathers, but share the same mother. However, Malachy has a different mother and father.”
“You’re not biologically related at all,” she whispers with wide eyes. “I’ve heard about that happening before in packs, but I’ve never known anyone that it was true for.”
“Our family history is…” I frown, trying to pick the right word.
“Messy. After everything our fathers put our mothers through, they realized far too late how they ripped the family apart. They wanted better for us. The three of us bonding different omegas could make things tricky when it comes to inheritance and succession rights. Would Patrick’s sons inherit the family one day?
Or would it be Malachy’s? He’s technically the oldest, but Patrick has been running things for him. ”
“That is a lot,” she says softly. “You still should have warned me that you’re engaged.”
“That wouldn’t have come off as presumptuous?
” I ask, tilting my head. “Did that sound sarcastic? I didn’t mean it to.
My intent was to point out that you’ve only been here for a few days, and you’re in a vulnerable situation.
Assuming you might be interested in us romantically seems pushy.
At the very least, I think it would have been ill-timed.
” I frown, shaking my head. “God, why can’t I stop talking?
I don’t think I’m actually making anything better. ”
“I get what you mean. It makes rational sense when I try to see it from your point of view,” Charlotte says. “But it still seems…sneaky. I don’t like it.”
“In a perfect world, I would have sat down with you at some point over the next few days to explain the situation. The very first time I scented you, I knew I wouldn’t be able to bond Vanessa.”
“You never even asked for my phone number,” she says, snorting.
“Yes, I did fumble that quite badly, but you were skittish. I thought it would be better if we kept casually running into one another.”
“So, you were stalking me?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.
“I’d like it if we could view that more as me romantically verifying that you were safe.” My entire body freezes as I realize what I admitted to.