Chapter 6 #2
"You have a good read on people. I need you there to see everything. Watch their body language. Tell me if they're lying." Phantom's expression is serious. "Banshee will stay with Grace at her cabin during the meet."
"I don't need a babysitter," I protest.
Phantom's eyes soften slightly. "You do. Until we know what these men want, you don't go anywhere unprotected. As a matter of fact, Dakota will be with you. I don’t want her unsupervised either."
I want to argue.
Want to demand to be part of the conversation about my own life.
But I see the worry in my father's eyes, and the words die in my throat.
"Okay," I finally say. "I'll stay at my cabin with Banshee and Dakota."
Phantom looks at Shadow. "Get her home. Make sure she's settled. Then meet me at the clubhouse by seven-thirty."
"Yes, Prez."
Phantom's eyes linger on us for a moment, and I wonder if he sees it.
The way Shadow stands too close to me.
The way I lean toward him without thinking.
But he just dismisses us. "Go on. Both of you get cleaned up."
Shadow follows me to my cabin in his truck.
We shower separately—there's no time for anything else, and the tension is too high.
I feed Charlie while Shadow checks his weapons.
Gun. Knife. All the tools of his trade as enforcer.
He puts on his cut, and I watch him transform.
From the man who told me about his mother to the dangerous enforcer who eliminates threats.
Both are him. Both are mine.
"What if something goes wrong?" I ask, my voice small. "What if they try to hurt you?"
Shadow crosses to me, cupping my face in his hands. "Nothing's going to happen. This is just a negotiation."
"You're bringing weapons to a negotiation."
"That's how MC negotiations work, darlin'. Show of force. But no one's shooting anyone tonight."
I don't look convinced, and Shadow must see it because he pulls me closer.
"I'll be back before you know it. Banshee will keep you safe. You stay here, locked in, with Charlie."
"I hate this," I whisper. "Waiting. Not knowing."
"I know. But I need you safe. That's all that matters to me."
I look up at him, memorizing his face.
The strong jaw. The dark eyes. The scar through his eyebrow I've never asked about.
"Be careful."
"Always."
He kisses me then. Deep and claiming and desperate. Like he's memorizing me too.
When he pulls back, his eyes are serious. Intense.
"I love you."
The words hit me like a punch to the gut.
I freeze, staring at him, sure I misheard.
"Shadow—"
"You don't have to say it back." His thumb brushes my cheek. "Just needed you to know. Before I go."
Before I can respond, there's a knock at the door.
Banshee.
He's grinning when I open the door, but his eyes are alert, Dakota standing next to him. "Heard I'm on babysitting duty for the brats."
"I don't need a babysitter," I mutter. "And if anyone’s the brat, it’s her."
Dakota smirks and wiggles her eyebrows. "I’m not even taking offense to that," she says and pushes her way into my house.
"Hey, I’m just here to follow orders."
Shadow clasps Banshee's shoulder. "Keep her safe, brother."
Banshee's grin fades, and for a moment he's all business. "With my life."
Shadow looks at me one more time. One last look that says everything he can't say out loud.
Then he's on his bike, engine roaring to life.
I watch until he disappears down the road, my heart in my throat.
He loves me.
And I didn't get to say it back.
Banshee and I settle into awkward silence in my living room, while Dakota just keeps yapping about the rodeo.
Charlie's between us on the couch, providing a buffer, until Dakota runs off to the bathroom for a few minutes.
"So," Banshee finally says. "You and Shadow."
I look at him. "Is it that obvious?"
"To me? Yeah. To Phantom?" He tilts his head. "Not yet. But he's getting there."
I sink deeper into the couch. "Great."
"Shadow's a good man," Banshee says. "Best enforcer we've ever had. Loyal to a fault."
"I know."
"But your pop is gonna lose his shit when he finds out."
"I know that too."
Banshee grins. "You worth the fallout?"
I meet his eyes. "Yes."
His grin widens. "Good. Because Shadow thinks you are too."
We fall into more silence after that.
Banshee tells me stories about club runs, about stupid shit the prospects have done, about the time Spur tried to ride a mechanical bull and ended up in the hospital, and Dakota finally returns.
She must’ve taken a massive shit in there.
Time crawls by. I check my phone obsessively. No messages.
We fill my sister in, because what the hell—everyone is going to know about me and Shadow before we know it.
"He told me he loves me," I blurt out. "Before he left."
Banshee's eyebrows rise. "Yeah? What'd you say?"
"Nothing. He didn't give me a chance."
"You love him back?"
Dakota just sits there, staring, speechless, which is entirely unlike her.
I'm quiet for a long moment, the truth settling in my chest.
"Yes."
Banshee nods. "Then tell him when he gets back."
My phone rings.
Unknown number.
I stare at it, my heart starting to pound.
"Hello?"
A man's voice, unfamiliar and cold: "Grace Dalton?"
My blood turns to ice. "Who is this?"
"This is Flint. Bronco's brother. We need to talk."
I look at Banshee, panic flooding through me. I mouth: Copperhead Kings.
Banshee shoves to his feet and Dakota’s face goes pale. Before I can say anything, Flint speaks again.
"The meet's not going well, Grace," Flint continues. "Your daddy doesn't seem to understand what's owed."
"I don't owe you anything."
"My brother paid four million for you. That debt doesn't just disappear."
"Bronco's dead," I say, my voice shaking. "The deal died with him."
Flint's laugh is cruel. "No. The deal transferred to me. And I always collect what's mine."
"I'm not yours."
"You've got two choices, sweetheart. Come to me willingly. Or I take you by force."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Then a lot of people are gonna die. Starting with that enforcer you're fucking."
My heart stops. "What?"
"You think we don't know?" Flint's voice is smug. "We've been watching you, Grace. We know everything. About you and Shadow. About your little secret. Wonder what Daddy's gonna think when he finds out his enforcer's been claiming his daughter?"
The line goes dead.