Page 3

T he sun has barely started to rise when I find myself standing in front of Aunt Charlie’s door. The house is dark, but I can’t fight back the intrusive thoughts anymore. I need to know.

My knuckles rap against the wood, interrupting the peace of the early morning stillness. In less than a minute, lights start to flicker to life, then the door swings open. Charlie stands in the entryway, her dark hair messy and her hands fumbling to tie the belt of her blush-colored silk robe. Tired, worried eyes scan over me from head to toe.

“Remington, it’s barely five o’clock. What is it? Are you alright?”

“Did you know?” I ask, my voice devoid of any of the emotions threatening to strangle me.

Her brows furrow. “Know what, Remy darling?”

“That Rock had a son? One he named Colton and hid away from all of us?” Her eyes widen, whether at my revelation or my complete lack of emotion, I can’t be sure. “Did you know?”

She blinks, her mouth dropping open only to close again before she finally collects her thoughts. “A son?”

My head cocks. “You didn’t know he hid his firstborn, his only son , in New Mexico with his drug-addicted club whore mother? Let him rot there, giving him scraps of attention which just fueled my brother’s hate and fury?”

Shock and disappointment flash across her face as her palm meets her chest.

“No,” she whispers, shaking her head. “I had no idea.”

My serial killer senses aren’t tingling, which means she’s telling the truth. Rock apparently concealed his bastard from his sister, too.

I nod, satisfied. “You know I loved my father, but there are times, even now, I hate him a little too.”

“Understandable,” she murmurs, motioning me closer. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll make us some breakfast, and you can tell me everything you’ve discovered.”

Following her through the door and down the hall into the kitchen, she steps over to the coffee pot and pushes a button.

“You shouldn’t be drinking coffee, but lucky for you, I’ve got some decaf pods on hand.” With quick efficiency, she makes a cup, setting it down in front of me before turning to make her own. “Alright. Now, spill. What’s this about Rock having a son?”

Recapping the latest crazy turn of events, including the brother I didn’t know I had and the lunacy of him kidnapping our sister, I help her make breakfast like it’s just a regular ol’ morning and not one in which the life I was building feels like it’s one crack away from crumbling down around me.

When I finally set my plate of food down on the table, my stomach growls loudly. Aunt Charlie gives me the look, and I sigh.

Fuck, Remy. You’ve gotta take care of yourself, if not for you, then for the baby.

“I know, I know. I’ll do better. I promise.”

She just tsks and sits down with her own food. We eat in silence, each of us lost in our thoughts as we come to terms with the reality of our situation.

“So what are you going to do?” Aunt Charlie asks, lifting a bite of pancake to her mouth.

“I’ve got a few ideas, but…”

She lowers her fork to the plate. “But what, Remington?”

“I’m not used to having to do this alone,” I whisper, like it’s blasphemy for me to say the words even though it’s not that I feel weak.

Strength isn’t measured by your ability to handle a situation on your own. Strength is measured by your ability to get through it in whatever way you can so you can come out better on the other side. That very concept defines my entire adult life. So while I may not be used to operating solo, that doesn’t mean I’m not capable. I just need to have a little more faith in myself and my abilities.

“You’re not alone, sweet girl.” Aunt Charlie reaches over, her hand covering mine. “I might not be a whiz with computers or have a motorcycle club to back me up, but you’ve got me, and I will help in any way I can.”

My eyes come up to meet hers, and the sincerity shining back at me warms my heart.

“I’m hesitant to get you involved. I don’t want Colt to come after you to get to me.”

“I may have left the life long ago, Remy darling, but underneath this classy exterior, I’m still a Steele woman. We were born and raised for hell, and I dare any motherfucker to try to hurt those I love.”

For the first time in hours, I smile. “Why, Aunt Charlie…such language!”

“Psh. Whatever. Don’t pretend like you didn’t hear me cussing at inanimate objects the entire time you lived here. I’m a reformed Sinner, but I’m not a saint.”

“Your patients and colleagues would disagree.” I chuckle. “But thank you, Aunt Charlie, for everything.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I always promised Rock that I would make sure you girls were taken care of if anything happened to him. Now that the old buzzard left you with an out-of-control shit storm, it’s only right I try to help clean up his mess. Honestly, what the fuck was he thinking?”

“Only he knows, and unfortunately we can’t ask him.” My gut churns a little at the thought, but I force myself to focus on the present, not the past I can’t change. “Look… I don’t want you to insert yourself right into the middle of this madness, but I might not have a choice.”

“Whatever it is, the answer is yes.”

With a heavy sigh, I set my fork on the table. “If I can manage to get the guys released, can we stay here? Colt knows where our new house is, and obviously the ins and outs of the clubhouse. This might be the safest place to set up a base of sorts since as far as I can tell, he’s not aware that you and I have reconnected—if he even knows about you at all.”

She nods. “Of course. Maybe it’s time I show you the upgrades I’ve had installed. They’ll be beneficial, I think. You can let me know if Squire would approve.”

Leaving her food mostly untouched, she stands and heads down the hall. Placing my napkin on the table, I follow her to a nondescript door toward the back of the house that didn’t exist when I called this place home. The lights automatically turn on when she twists the knob, and my gaze scans the room, in awe of what I’m seeing.

“It’s a state-of-the-art security and camera system, with alerts set up to notify me on my phone if anyone steps foot across my property line. Everything is recorded twenty-four-seven, and when the alarm is set, the police are notified if a person lingers longer than the preset time limit, which I can adjust if needed.”

“Holy shit.”

“Right? I was pretty impressed myself, and it gave me peace of mind. Especially after…”

My eyes snap to hers. “After what ?”

She clears her throat. “My drunk, belligerent neighbor from a couple miles down the road showed up one night not long after you left, insisting I stole his tractor.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

She rolls her eyes. “You don’t think I can handle a sloppy drunk? Man could barely stand upright. One wave of my handy nine-millimeter, and he sobered up real quick. Of course, it didn’t hurt that I had your dad on speaker. Anyway, his wife eventually arrived, begging him to come with her because, as it turns out, his teenage son took the tractor for a joyride and crashed it into a tree.”

She says it like it was no big deal, but this room says otherwise. She was obviously terrified if the sheer size of this set-up is any indication. The monitors cover damn near one whole wall, and a bunch of high-tech equipment that Squire would probably orgasm over fills the built-in desk beneath them.

“I don’t doubt you handled the situation, but it obviously scared you enough to install all of this.” My hand sweeps the room.

“I just realized how isolated I’d become. Figured it was better safe than sorry.” She shrugs.

Us Steele women are cut from a different cloth, I swear.

“Squire’s really gonna fucking love this, and I already know he’s going to want one for our house.” I steal another glance at the different screens, noting they cover every square inch around the property with zero blind spots. “It really is the perfect set-up if you don’t mind us crashing your sanctuary and potentially bringing danger to your door.”

“Let it come.” Her eyes flash, letting a hint of crazy she does a damn good job of hiding sneak through. “But that raises another question. Just how are you planning to get those boys out of jail?”

“Actually, that’s one more thing you could help me with. I need you to call Owen.”

This might be where her generosity ends, but it’s the only solution I could come up with on short notice. That says a lot considering I don’t trust outsiders… ever. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that this particular outsider comes with two-for-one benefits.

Her eyes go wide. “Remy, you’re not seriously thinking about asking Owen to help you with this?”

“Look, he’s the best attorney in the Southwest, and I know y’all broke up years ago, but he’s the only one I know I can trust. He’d never do anything to hurt you, which, in turn, means he won’t try to fuck me over.”

“I don’t know. I?—”

“Aunt Charlie, you know I’m right. I’m not sure who Colt’s already sunk his slimy little claws into.”

Her sigh makes me feel a little bit guilty for potentially dragging the man she loved and let go back into her life when she clearly doesn’t want him here—it’s been ten years after all—but I don’t have a choice.

“No. You’re right. I just…” Another long, drawn-out sigh. “I haven’t seen him in so long. I’m not even sure he’ll answer my call.”

“Try? For me?”

She exhales roughly, “I’ll call him in a few hours when?—”

“I need you to call him now , Aunt Charlie. This can’t wait.”

She swallows harshly, then nods, pulling her phone out of her robe pocket. She stares at it like it might bite her. Reluctantly, her fingers tap across the buttons. Putting it on speaker, it rings once. Twice. Then there’s an audible click.

“Charlize? Is everything okay?” a deep voice asks urgently.

He definitely doesn’t sound like a man who wants to dodge his ex to me. I raise my brow, and she scrunches up her nose at me. I can’t help it. I grin.

“Y-yes. I’m fine. I just… Um… Well, I’m sorry to call so early, Owen, but I need a favor.”

“Anything. How can I help?”

“You remember my niece, Remington?”

“Of course.”

“She’s got a complicated situation that requires an attorney’s guidance, but it has to be someone she can trust. I told her I wasn’t sure if?—”

“Say no more. I can clear my schedule this morning, and we can get together to discuss the situation. Is there somewhere private we can meet?”

The moment my aunt realizes her house is the only safe place for such a meeting, her narrowed eyes turn to me. “Um, yes. My house. But you don’t have to?—”

“Nonsense. If you’re calling me after almost a decade, it must be important. I think I need to get a handle on this right away.”

Her head falls back, her eyes closed as her fingers grip the phone so hard her knuckles are white. “Thank you, Owen. Truly. No rush. We’re here.”

“I’ll be on my way in thirty minutes, and it shouldn’t take me longer than another thirty to get there, so plan on an hour.”

“Okay. I’ll let her know.”

“See you shortly. Oh, and Charlize…”

“Yeah?”

“It was good to hear your voice.”

There’s a swift intake of breath before her hand drops to her side, still clutching her phone. Accusing eyes turn to me.

I hold up both hands. “What did I do?”

“Remington, whatever it is you’re concocting in that scheming mind of yours… Stop it!”

Shaking my head softly, I fight back my smile. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, give me a little credit here. I know you. You always felt guilty about our break-up. I told you then, and I’ll reiterate it now… It just wasn’t our time back then. I had a busy job and had just taken you in. He was climbing the ladder at his law firm. We simply couldn’t focus on each other without our other responsibilities getting in the way. It wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe not, but I sure didn’t help things. You’re still a young, beautiful woman, Aunt Charlie, and just like I’ve recently learned myself, you’re deserving of love too.”

For a few seconds, she’s absolutely still, then, before I can react, she’s wrapping me up in a hug so fierce, I can barely breathe.

“I’m so damn proud of you, Remy darling. You’ve become an incredible young woman. Those boys of yours better take damn good care of you.”

My arms slide around and hold her just as tightly. “It’s all thanks to you. I may have chosen a different path, but the person I am today wouldn’t exist without you. You and Squire saved me. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you did, but if I can give back even just a sliver of the love you so selflessly gave to me, then I’ll do it, happily.”

She sniffles.

“No. Nope. We’re not going to do that. Once these flood gates open, there’s no closing them. I need to keep that shit locked up tight right now. Pregnancy hormones or not.”

She laughs, pulling back, and holds me at arms length. “You’re going to make an excellent mother, Remy. I can’t wait to be there to see it.”

“Ah! Stop it.” I spin around, staring up at the ceiling, biting my tongue, doing anything I can to not cry. Exhaling, I turn back around. “I don’t need to remind you that the love of your life will be here in an hour. I’d go take a shower and get all sexied up if I were you. Show him what he’s been missing.”

“I don’t even know if he’s single.”

“He is. I checked.” I wag my eyebrows suggestively.

Her cheeks flush, then she turns and heads for the door, muttering the whole way to her room. “I absolutely am not doing this to try to get his attention. I’m doing it because I have a reputation to uphold. That’s all. Nothing more.”

“Keep telling yourself that!” I shout.

She growls in response.

Laughing, I walk back out to the table to finish my breakfast. Even though it’s cold, I don’t care. I’m still starving. My phone is on the table, and when I pick it up, I look at the numerous missed calls from an 800 number that were forwarded from my previous line.

I don’t trust myself enough right now to go see them in jail. Not only because Colt obviously has eyes everywhere, but with the way my demons are skirting the edge of my control, one look at my men trapped in that oversized cage might be enough to rattle my fragile barriers.

Don’t worry, boys. I’ve got a plan that, surprisingly enough, doesn’t include blood or torture. At least not yet. Hang in there for me. I’m coming.