Chapter 39 Silas #2
“Don’t I?” Ryan straightens, adjusting his collar and smearing Aria’s lipstick further.
“I’m building something, Silas. Something independent of my family, independent of the Matthews expectations and limitations.
I need people who are skilled, loyal, and willing to operate in the grey areas Charles is trying to avoid.
And you—you’re exactly the kind of person I need. ”
I stare at him, processing what he’s actually saying.
He’s trying to poach me.
Ryan Matthews, who spent the evening with his hands on Parker, who lied to Charles about having contact with her in California, who just fucked Aria while conspiring to gather intelligence on the Carter family, who’s currently standing here with another woman’s lipstick on his collar trying to recruit me—this asshole thinks he can buy my loyalty.
The audacity would be impressive if it wasn’t so fucking stupid.
“You think I’m for sale,” I say flatly.
“I think everyone has a price. And I think yours isn’t actually that high—respect, autonomy, the ability to do the work you’re good at without someone trying to reform you into something you’re not.
” Ryan gestures vaguely, like he’s offering me the world.
“Charles is going to push you out eventually. Maybe not today, maybe not this year, but eventually. The legitimate business he’s building doesn’t have room for men who solve problems with knives and fear.
You know that. You’ve probably already felt the shift. ”
He’s not entirely wrong. Charles has been talking more about reducing violent enforcement, about handling disputes through negotiation and economic pressure instead of physical intimidation. The work has been changing, slowly but noticeably.
But Ryan fundamentally misunderstands what motivates me.
“Let me be very clear about something,” I say, my voice low and dangerous.
“I don’t work for Charles because he pays well.
I don’t work for the Carter organization because it’s the most powerful or the most profitable.
I work for Charles because I’ve known him since we were kids.
Because he’s family—not blood, but family in every way that matters.
Because loyalty to me isn’t about money or opportunities.
It’s about the people I’d die for without thinking twice. ”
Ryan’s expression shifts slightly—surprise, maybe, or confusion. Like the concept of loyalty that can’t be bought is genuinely foreign to him.
“Jace, Cal, and Charles—we came up together. We’ve bled together, fought together, built this operation together.
And now Parker—” I let the possessiveness show in my voice, let him see exactly how much danger he’s in just for having touched her tonight.
“Parker and those boys are mine. Ours. Which means they’re under Carter protection, Carter resources, Carter power.
You think I’m going to walk away from that to work for someone who spent tonight trying to seduce the woman I love while conspiring with a bitter widow to destabilize the family I’ve spent twenty years protecting? ”
“Silas—”
“You’re an idiot,” I interrupt. “An arrogant, entitled idiot who thinks everyone operates on money and power like you do. Who thinks loyalty can be bought and sold like any other commodity. Who’s so confident in your own cleverness that you didn’t even consider I might be wearing a wire right now, recording this entire conversation for Charles. ”
Ryan’s face goes pale, his hand instinctively going to his collar like he’s checking for surveillance equipment he should have checked for before opening his mouth.
“I’m not,” I clarify. “But the fact that you didn’t think to check tells me everything I need to know about how seriously I should take your little recruitment pitch.”
I move toward my car, done with this conversation, done with watching this entitled asshole stumble through plays he doesn’t understand.
“One more thing,” I say, looking Ryan dead in the eye.
“Parker told you no. Multiple times. She made it very clear there’s no future between you.
And yet you keep pushing, keep trying, keep acting like her rejection is just an obstacle to overcome.
That ends now. You try to kiss her again, you push her boundaries again, you make her uncomfortable again—and I won’t need Charles’s permission to handle you. Understood?”
Ryan’s expression shifts—the nervousness replaced by something cocky, almost smug. His hand touches his collar again, this time deliberately, drawing attention to Aria’s lipstick mark like it’s a badge of honor.
“Understood,” he says. Then, with that entitled smile that makes me want to break his jaw: “And what will Charles do when he finds out you’ve been fucking his sister?”
The words hang in the air between us.
Red floods my vision.
I step into Ryan’s space—fast, aggressive, with enough force and fury that he stumbles backward, his cocky expression crumbling into something closer to fear.
I crowd him against my car, getting right in his face, close enough that he can see exactly how much danger he’s in, close enough that he can smell the violence on me.
“You want to tell him,” I say, my voice deadly quiet, “or should I?”
Ryan’s eyes go wide. Whatever response he was expecting, it wasn’t this. Wasn’t me calling his bluff. Wasn’t me completely unfazed by the threat he thought he was holding over me.
“I—what?”
“You heard me.” I lean in closer, letting him see the violence in my eyes, the promise of pain if he pushes this.
“You think you’ve got leverage? You think knowing about me and Parker gives you power?
Go ahead. March into Charles’s office tomorrow morning.
Tell him his sister is involved with me.
With all three of us. See what happens because I’m dying to see how it blows up in your face. ”
Ryan’s breathing has gone shallow. The confidence has evaporated, replaced by the slow realization that he’s completely misread this situation. He presses back against my car, trying to create distance that doesn’t exist.
“You think Charles doesn’t know?” I continue, my voice still quiet but sharp as a blade.
“You think he hasn’t figured it out? You think Sienna hasn’t told him?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Sienna knew. The Carter women rarely keep secrets from one another.
You’re not revealing some secret, Matthews.
You’re just proving you’re stupid enough to think you can use personal information as a weapon against people who’ve been family longer than you’ve been alive. ”
I step back slightly, giving him just enough space to breathe but not enough to feel safe.
“So go ahead,” I say. “Tell Charles. Tell anyone you want. See if it gets you what you think it will. Or—” I pause, letting the alternative sink in.
“—you can shut the fuck up, accept that Parker isn’t interested, stop trying to poach people who will never work for you, and maybe—maybe—I won’t tell Charles about your little alliance with Aria and your plans to destabilize his organization. ”
Ryan’s jaw works, but no sound comes out. Aria’s lipstick is still visible on his collar, a reminder of his other bad decisions tonight.
“That’s what I thought.” I open my car door. “Now get the fuck away from my car before I decide you knowing about the surveillance is more of a liability than an opportunity.”
He steps back, and I slide into the driver’s seat, engine rumbling to life.
Ryan just stands there in the darkness outside Aria’s guest house, looking like someone who just realized he’s been playing checkers while everyone else is playing chess. His shirt is still wrinkled, his tie still loose, Aria’s lipstick still marking him as someone who makes terrible decisions.
I drive away, my hands tight on the steering wheel, adrenaline still pumping through my veins.
Fucking idiot.
I pull out my phone once I’m clear of the estate, my mind already organizing the information, categorizing threats, building the plan for how to handle this.
I need to talk to Parker. She needs to know what Ryan said, what leverage he thinks he has, what Aria’s planning.
I pull up her contact, type out a message.
We need to talk.
I stare at the screen, then curse. Too ominous. Too much like—
Her response comes almost instantly, like she was waiting.
Uh oh. Those are break up words.
Despite everything, I smile.
I’m worse than a tick. You can’t get rid of me that easy. I’ll be at your place soon.
Three dots appear, then disappear, then appear again.
Should Jace and Cal be there?
Not yet. Need to talk to you first.
Okay. Boys are at the main house with Jimmy and Lottie for the night. I’m home.
I drive faster than I probably should, the streets empty at this hour, the city quiet outside of the compound.
Her guest house appears—lights on in the living room, warm and inviting. I park and I’m out of the car before the engine fully cuts, taking the steps two at a time.
I knock once, barely, before the door opens.
Parker’s there, still in that storm-grey dress that’s been driving me insane all night, her feet bare, her hair down now, falling in waves around her shoulders. She’s taken off the mask and the jewelry, but she’s still breathtaking.
“Silas—” she starts, but I don’t let her finish.
I’m through the door, shoving it closed behind me with my foot, lifting her in one motion. Her legs wrap around my waist automatically, her hands going to my shoulders, and then my mouth is on hers.
Desperate. Consuming. Every ounce of frustration from watching her all night with another man’s hands on her pouring into this kiss.
She tastes like champagne and mint—must have brushed her teeth after getting home. Her body molds to mine perfectly, soft curves against hard muscle, and I press her against the wall of the entryway, finally getting what I’ve been denied all night.
The ability to touch her properly. To claim her. To make sure she knows exactly who she belongs to.
Parker’s fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer, her body arching into mine. She makes that sound—the one that drives me crazy, breathy and needy and completely uninhibited now that we’re alone.
Or what I thought was alone.
Someone clears their throat.
Loud. Deliberate. Impossible to ignore.
I freeze, Parker still wrapped around me, both of us breathing hard.
Slowly, I turn my head.
Jace and Cal are in the living room. Jace is in one of the armchairs, his expression somewhere between amused and exasperated. Cal is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, a smirk playing at his lips.
“Don’t stop on our account,” Cal says helpfully.
Fuck.
I set Parker down carefully, her feet touching the hardwood floor, though I keep one hand at her waist because I’m not quite ready to let go entirely.
“I told you not yet,” I say to the room at large.
“They showed up right after you texted me,” Parker says, and there’s amusement in her voice even though her cheeks are flushed, her lips swollen from my kiss. “I wasn’t going to kick them out.”
“You could have texted me that they were here,” I point out.
“You were driving. I’m not going to text you while you’re driving.” She smooths down her dress, trying to look composed despite the fact that thirty seconds ago she had her legs wrapped around me. “Besides, whatever you need to tell me, they should probably hear too, right?”
She’s not wrong.
But still.
I was really looking forward to having her alone for a few minutes before diving into the shitstorm that is Ryan Matthews and Aria’s schemes.
“Fine,” I say, releasing her waist reluctantly. “But I wanted to talk to you first, firefly. This affects you most directly.”
“Then talk,” Parker says, moving into the living room and settling on the couch. She tucks her feet under her, looking up at me expectantly. “What happened?”
So I tell them. All of it.
The tail from the gala. The bug Parker planted working perfectly. Ryan’s call to Aria. Following him to her place. The conversation about building alliances, about Aria knowing information about the twins’ paternity, about destabilizing Charles’s control.
Ryan catching me. His recruitment pitch. His confidence that I’d want to work outside the Carter organization. His threat to tell Charles about me and Parker.
My response.
When I finish, the silence is heavy.
Parker’s expression has shifted from curious to calculating to something harder.
“Aria doesn’t know anything,” she says finally. “She’s bluffing.”
“Are you sure?” Jace asks.
“Positive. She has no access to my medical records from California. She’s guessing, presenting speculation as facts to make herself valuable to Ryan.” Parker’s jaw tightens. “But Ryan doesn’t know she’s bluffing, which makes her dangerous.”
“And Ryan threatened to expose your relationship with Silas,” Cal says quietly. “Implied he knows about all three of us.”
“Let him.” Parker’s voice is sharp. “I’m done hiding.
I’m done letting people manipulate me with threats and secrets.
If Ryan wants to tell Charles, fine. If he wants to make it public, fine.
I’m not ashamed of this.” She gestures between the four of us.
“And I’m not going to let him control me with it. ”
Something in my chest loosens at her words.
“We need to tell Charles,” Jace says. “Tomorrow. He needs to know about Ryan’s recruitment attempt, about Aria’s intelligence gathering, about the alliance they’re building.”
“Agreed,” Cal adds. “But tonight—Parker needed to know what Ryan thinks he has, what leverage he might try to use.”
“Thank you,” Parker says, looking at me specifically. “For telling me. For not trying to handle this without me.”
“We’re done making decisions for you,” I say, moving to sit beside her on the couch. “This affects all of us. We handle it together.”
She leans into me slightly, and I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
“Together,” she agrees.
And sitting there in her living room, with Jace and Cal watching, with the weight of Ryan’s threats and Aria’s schemes pressing down on us, I let myself believe it.
That we can handle this. Together.
That we can protect what’s ours. Together.
That we can build something real and lasting despite the odds. Together.
Tomorrow we’ll talk to Charles. Tomorrow we’ll start planning how to ha ndle Ryan and Aria, how to protect Parker and the boys, how to neutralize the threats before they can do real damage.
But tonight—tonight we’re just the four of us, processing what happened, making plans, being a family.
And that’s enough.