can’t see beyond their own noses. And it’s not as if either of you has convinced Raine to marry you. Are you expecting her to give birth without a husband?”
Liam had expected this prodding from his very Catholic parents. “I proposed. So did Hammer. She said no to us both.”
“So you’re giving up?” Bryn shook her head. “Raine is still finding her path. So is River. He’s her big brother, Liam. She’s all the family he has left. You know that for a warrior, there is no greater regret than failing those you love and should have protected.”
He knew. It was one reason Hammer had been struggling. “River has been Stateside for months, gathering information on us and twisting it all to hell. He could have initiated a fucking conversation before going off half-cocked!”
“You’re not too big for me to wash your mouth out with soap, Liam O’Neill!”
He didn’t mean to be disrespectful, especially when his mother meant well. “Sorry.”
“I suspect you should be. I’m sure you and Macen welcomed River with open arms,” she said tartly. “And thoroughly explained your relationship with Raine when he came callin’, right?”
“He’d already made up his mind. He hurled ugly accusations, jumped to conclusions—”
“Just as well it wasn’t your foot in that shoe, I’m thinking. Imagine how things might have seemed to you if Caitlyn, Maeve, or any of your sisters were in Raine’s situation.”
Liam growled. Raine had said something eerily similar. “That’s not the point, Mum. The man’s a menace and not to be trusted. He wouldn’t listen to a bloody word any of us said anyway, even Raine. He meant to take her from us. He threatened to abort our child.”
“That’s River’s fear talking. Yours is barking, too,” she pointed out. “Why are men so bloody hardheaded at times? Your da can be the same.”
“Because we’re men.”
She huffed. “You listen to me. Raine has to save Macen from himself. She’s the only one who can. And to do that, she needs her brother…without you two interfering.”
Anxiety ripped through him. “What if you’re wrong? We can’t take a chance he’ll hurt her or cart her away.”
“Oh, Liam.” She sighed. “River loves her. He believes he’s doing right by his sister. He’s only concerned for her well-being. His heart is in the right place, even if he is going about things a mite cockeyed.”
“A mite?” Liam scoffed. “I don’t like it. And neither will Hammer.”
Bryn’s face softened. “No matter. She’ll go. Why don’t you send the lads with her? Seth and Kenneth are good boys. They’ll watch over her.”
“Who? Oh, you mean Beck.” Liam frowned. “Don’t call him Kenneth. He hates it. And you know that.”
Bryn just gave him an impish smile. “He needs a woman to put him in his place now and then.”
“God help me.” Liam gave a mock scowl. “I’ll think about what you’ve said.”
“Best do it quick.”
That meant Raine already had a plan. Damn it.
“We appreciate you coming to visit, and I know you want to help…but I have to ask, where were you when Gwyneth tormented me last winter? Couldn’t you have warned me she was full of tripe when she presented me with the boy she claimed was mine? Or when Raine’s mongrel of a father kidnapped her and—” Biting back the memory, he hung his head and fought to control the burn behind his eyes.
“I tried to help with Gwyneth,” she reminded gently. “Before you even married her. But you were set on the shrew. I warned you, but you wouldn’t hear a word of it. Told me to keep out. I respected that, though I don’t mind telling you, ’twas difficult.”
Bryn had never been one to hold her tongue.
He grimaced. “No doubt. And I should have listened.”
“As for your ex-wife’s return and all that led up to Raine’s kidnapping, you know the sight is not always clear. The future’s not set in stone, like the past or present. That’s why I know the sex of the babe and who fathered it. ’Tis already done.” Bryn paused as though choosing her next words. “But what might be…that’s fluid. A whim can change circumstances and alter the future. I am sorry for all Gwyneth put you through. But you’re stronger for it.”
“I felt helpless at the time, Mum, like I was chasing my own bloody tail. I made mistakes that could have cost me the people I hold dearest.”
“None of that happened. I felt your pain at the time. Your worry. But you had everything you needed to choose the right path. Next time, listen more carefully to the voice inside you.” Rising, Bryn retrieved the teapot and topped off both their cups.
“How do I know it’s right?”
“How do you know it’s wrong?” she countered.
His mother’s semantics sometimes drove him mad. “Couldn’t you have just whispered in my ear?”
“I wasn’t meant to interfere, Liam. Sometimes, there’s no way around the obstacles in our path. Can’t go under or over them. The only way left is to plow straight through. It was Bill’s time to die, and Raine was meant to vanquish him. One of the hardest things I’ve had to accept over the years is that seeing things doesn’t mean I can stop them. I had to let that play out.”
“But Raine’s father—”
“Got what he deserved, and your young woman is a warrior, too. She fought tooth and nail for all of you and the future you could have together. If I’d dabbled in that, I could have changed everything.”
“Then what makes this situation so different?” he asked wearily.
“Macen will sacrifice himself for you both if you don’t stop him, and none of you will live the life you should have together. This love you three share is special. It’s been a long time coming to you all. I’ve known you were meant for something different since you were a wee lad. Now you’re where you should be, son. With the people you should hold forever. Use every tool you’ve got to fight for that.”
“I don’t know what to do, Mum. I can’t fight the law.”
“Think on it, as I know you will. You’ll see the way. Be Raine’s rock—and Macen’s, too. Together, you can find what others only dream of.”
He stared into his teacup. “I don’t have a choice. As soon as I met Hammer, I knew he was the brother I never had. And Raine…the first time I kissed her, it was so powerful, Mum. Looking back, I see my gut was telling me she was meant to be mine. Funny, that.”
Bryn smiled. “I was like that with your father. The moment his lips touched mine, I found myself thinking, ‘Oh, there you are. I’ve been waiting for you.’ You ken?”
“I do. Even when I thought I should walk away from them both, I couldn’t. Since Hammer and I put Raine between us, I’ve been happier than ever. What we share now is…beyond. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat.”
A smile played at her lips. “I did tell you before you left New York for your ‘vacation’ that you’d be starting a whole new adventure.”
She had. And despite being vague at times, his mum always ended up being right.
* * *
The following morning, Hammer lifted his heavy lids to find his face buried in Raine’s neck and his hand wrapped around her hip. Grudgingly, he eased away from her, then stood and stared while she and Liam clung together in a cocoon of love. At least Hammer knew that if he couldn’t disprove River’s accusations, they would survive without him.
In fact, he’d already devised a plan to ensure that.
While showering and shaving, he steeled himself for the dark day ahead. Hammer trusted Sterling Barnes, but he wasn’t a fool. He intended to follow Dean Gorman’s advice and clean house. Well, clean the dungeon. Nothing at home could incriminate him, but scrubbing Shadows squeaky could mean the difference between prison and freedom.
After donning his suit and tie, Hammer forced himself to leave the bedroom and padded downstairs. Bryn was waiting for him, coffee cup in hand, by the doorway near the kitchen.
“Thank you for knowing I needed this.” He forced a chuc
kle.
“’Tisn’t all you need, to be sure. I know you think you’ll better serve the ones you love by stepping back. But it’s not true, Macen. Fight for your family and find your path.”
Hammer gulped his liquid caffeine. “I just hope my path doesn’t lead to a jail cell.”
“Nothing is set in stone, but I suggest you watch your back.” She patted his cheek.
Hammer had already figured out someone had a knife poised between his shoulder blades. He had to fucking deduce who held the hilt.
“I gathered. Thanks for everything.” He held up his mug before he chugged the rest. “I need to go.”
Hammer pressed his lips to Bryn’s temple, then handed the mug back to her, palmed his keys, and left.
On the way to Shadows, he rang Beck, who answered on the first ring. “Everything okay?”
“At the moment. Can you meet me at Shadows in an hour?”
“Yeah. I had a full day scheduled but it’s looking like my surgery might be delayed.”
“I’ll only need ten minutes. Can you bring an empty toy bag when you come?”
“If you’re cleaning out your stash and want to pass on used equipment, no thanks.”
“I won’t give you anything that needs to be sterilized, I promise.”
“You can trust me, Macen.” Gravity filled Beck’s tone. He understood.
“I know. Thanks.”
After the call, Hammer arrived at the club and arranged a meeting with Sterling in two hours. Then he combed through his devices, saving documents and photos onto a thumb drive. Wiping away all traces of Raine from his computer lodged a hollow void in his chest, but he refused to share their private moments with anyone. Thankfully he’d never have to erase her from his heart and soul.
After doing the same to his phone, he reset the memory on all his devices and restored them to their factory settings. Hopefully, nothing could be retrieved or recreated by any law enforcement tech.
Then he dove into his physical files, extracting any paper pertaining to Raine prior to her eighteenth birthday that might seem incriminating—receipts, medical records, the agreement he’d drawn up and forced Bill Kendall to sign once Raine had come to live at Shadows. From his safe, he extracted the receipts for the money orders he’d bribed her father with, in addition to the original photos of her beating at the shitstain’s hands.
After storing it all in a box, Hammer strode down the hall and stepped into Raine’s former room. Her spirit still lingered. If he closed his eyes, he could almost feel the girl she’d been before maturity and sex and the love they shared with Liam had changed her.
The scattered pictures still lay strewn across her dresser where River had left them. Furiously, Hammer gathered them up, pausing to stare at an image of Raine in the kitchen, making him her famous apple spice muffins for the first time. When he’d taken a bite, he’d teased her by gagging and grimacing as if she’d fed him poison. When horror filled her face, he’d choked with laughter. She’d stuck her tongue out at him, and he’d snapped a picture on his cell phone, capturing the moment.
A bittersweet smile floated across his lips. “She hasn’t stopped sticking out her tongue at you since.”
True, but he’d never trade one single day of her sassy, adoring ways. Or the joy she’d brought to his life.
As he thumbed through the rest of the photos, he stumbled onto one he’d taken a week or two after she’d first arrived at Shadows. The guarded uncertainty in her expression pained Hammer. Since then, he’d done his best to give Raine sanctuary, chase away her demons, and help her bloom. His girl had come so far. Pride swelled in his chest.
Piling the photos on the bed, he turned and hauled out a big box from her closet. Hammer was surprised to discover a stack of greeting cards. Raine had kept every birthday, graduation, get well, and holiday card he’d ever given her. Gently lifting a brittle, dried rose, he noticed a note tied to the stem by a thin string.
* * *
GET WELL SOON. WE’RE ALL THINKING OF YOU
HAMMER
* * *
Raine’s first migraine had been severe and had scared him senseless. Claiming the club members were concerned, he’d bought her a dozen red roses.
He grabbed another photo, this one of him and Raine beneath the mistletoe at Shadows’ annual party two Christmases ago. Eyes closed, she’d tilted her mouth under his. Hammer remembered staring at her sweet, parted lips for a thunderstruck moment, wanting and desperate. Finally, he’d brushed a kiss across her forehead. He hadn’t waited to see her crestfallen face before he had walked away.
Regret hung heavy now. He’d give anything to turn back time to stand beneath that sprig of green, wrap Raine in his arms, and devour her.
Among her treasures, Hammer found a colorful key chain emblazoned with HAPPY BIRTHDAY. He’d given it to her, along with her new car. She’d given him an ear-splitting squeal and wrapped herself around him so tight sometimes he swore he could still feel it. She’d also saved the stubs from the tickets to their first concert together, the plastic cap and tassel she’d stashed off her celebratory cake after passing her GED, and a pair of his old sunglasses she’d adopted one summer.
She’d hoarded each as a silent symbol of her love. And he’d been too mired in his notion that he wasn’t good for her, so he hadn’t given himself permission to love her back.
He’d condemned them both to years of misery. What a fucking fool.
Forcing down his strangling frustration, Macen focused on the box of their past relics. A flash of silver caught his eye, and he pulled a delicate pendant free. The chainless bauble gleamed with a filigreed R engraved on the front. On the back, he squinted to read the inscription.
* * *
INTO EVERY HEART MY RAINE FLOWS
LOVE, MOM
* * *
A lump caught in his throat. He knew almost nothing about Robin Kendall except that she’d been the first—and one of the only people—to give his precious Raine any love as a child. Her demented father had destroyed that. Raine didn’t deserve to have anyone else ripped from her life.
Fight for your family. Bryn’s voice echoed in his head.
Hammer tucked the pendant in his pocket, stashed the photos he’d gathered onto the bed inside the box of mementos, and headed back to his office. After adding all of those keepsakes to his growing stash, he plucked up the thumb drive from his desk and tossed it in, as well.
One last stop.
He made his way down the hall and unlocked the door to the operations room.
A dark head swiveled in his direction. “Hey, Hammer.”
“Lewis.” He nodded. “You’re still keeping six months of video footage for security purposes, right?” At the new guy’s nod, he went on. “Good. Just checking. I need a minute to look something up. How about you take a break?”
“Um…sure.” He frowned. “Back in ten.”
“Perfect.”