Page 46 of Dangerous Command

“I was pissed, but when it comes down to it, Ethan would do anything for the family. And we would do the same for him.” I put my hands back on the couch, trying to force myself to calm down. I had to focus on what was important—protecting Maddie and Mack. “We’re brothers,” I added.

“You’re lucky, you know,” she said, her voice melancholy. “The word ‘family’ means something to you.”

And it had never meant anything to her. Until Mack. That was her only family.

“If you’re good to my family, we’ll be good to you,” I said. I grabbed her face in my hands, studying her, trying to make her see that I was real, thatthiswas real. “My family’s legacy is my life. It’s my sole purpose. And if you give me that kind of loyalty, I will make sure that you and Mack never suffer again.”

I wanted her to say ‘yes.’ To promise me that she would swear herself to my family. But her eyes flicked down. It was hard for her to trust.

And now, I understood why.

“Family doesn’t always mean blood,” she said. “And legacy and family aren’t the same things.”

My chest tightened. “They are to me,” I said sternly.

“You said you want to be a role model for Mack,” she said quietly. “I would rather my child be soft, than violent. I won’t let my child become his father. I refuse to let him go down that path.”

“He can be both,” I argued. “He can be soft and still learn to stick up for himself.”

“Derek,” she said. “You’re not his father.”

And those words broke me in two. I wasn’t his father, and probably never would be.

But I would never let his biological father near him again.

“He can be both,” I repeated. “It’s for his protection, Mads. He needs to know how to defend himself. Especially if his father comes back.” I pinched her tighter. “It’s for his protection.”

“No, Derek. It isn’t.”

She saw through me. My need to control everything, including her and her son, down to how he was raised. But I still believed that I was right. That protection was the best thing for Mack.

That protection was the best thing for her too.

CHAPTER 13

Maddie

In the living room, we stared at each other for a long time.

“Not just his protection,” he said, “but yours too, Mads. Think about it.”

That nickname sent a chill down my spine. It made us seem so close. But I had to stay firm.

“I am thinking about it,” I said. “And he doesn’t need violence in his life. You have to figure your shit out.”

That is,ifhe wanted to stick around. I shook my head at myself. Why did I want him around? There were so many reasons to kick him out, and yet I loved seeing how he was with Mack. How he was with me.

My phone rattled, bringing me out of my thoughts. I blinked, then glanced at Derek. He nodded, telling me to answer it. I went to the hallway.

“Hello?” I asked.

“So I wasn’t wrong, then,” a familiar woman’s voice said. “It was you.”

Tina. “Yeah,” I said. “It’s me. How’d you get my number, anyway?”

“I have my ways,” she said, her voice as sly as ever. “Tim just got home.”

Whoa. They were living together now? “You got hitched to your high school sweetheart then, huh?”