Page 107 of Thorns of Deceit

“Yes. And this is your last warning, Uncle.” I stepped between them before it went further, before the past could detonate in the middle of this restaurant. My hand went to the small of her back, grounding her. “Watch how you talk to my wife.”

Jack’s hand tightened around the back of the empty chair beside us.

“I can see you two will get yourselves killed. God help you both,” he said. “Because no one else will.”

“That’s enough,” I said, my tone low, final.

Raven headed out of the restaurant and I got into my uncle’s face. “Didn’t I fucking tell you to get back to your table?”

“But—”

“No fucking buts.”

I pulled a thick stack of bills from my wallet and tossed them onto the table. The sound cracked through the tense air like punctuation.

“God help you if my wife’s crying out there,” I said, my voice low enough to make him flinch.

Then I turned and strode out of the restaurant, fury and adrenaline pushing me forward before reason could catch up.

The night hit me like a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding—cool, sharp, alive with the scent of rain and the distant hum of the city.

And there she was.

Right in front of Le Petit Chardon, standing under the awning’s golden light, her arms wrapped around herself. Thesight of her—unharmed, waiting—punched the air from my lungs.

Relief swept through me so fast it almost hurt.

I exhaled slowly, forcing the edge out of my breathing, then I straightened my cuffs and stepped toward her.

“Raven,” I said, softer this time.

She lifted her head, and in her eyes, the chaos of the night still burned, a flicker of hurt and defiance.

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly. “I didn’t mean to make a scene.”

“You didn’t,” I said, reaching for her hand. “He did.”

Her shoulders loosened at that, the fight in her slowly fading. She took a small step closer until her forehead rested against my chest, her breath warm through the fabric of my shirt.

“What if your uncle—” she started.

“My uncle won’t do anything,” I cut her off gently. “He’s not the head of the Callahan family. I am.”

She went still against me, but I kept going, my hand sliding down her arm until my fingers found hers.

“Now that I know Mom’s alive, I’m scared something will go wrong and I’ll lose her before I get to her. And last time, your uncle made it clear to her that she wasn’t going to be protected.”

“Your mom will be under my protection.”

“Your uncle won’t agree.”

“It doesn’t matter. Besides, my uncle knows the rules if he steps out of line.” I paused, then softened my tone. “But he won’t. I’ll make sure of it.”

Raven tilted her head up, eyes searching mine, trying to read the truth there. After a long, silent beat, she nodded. “I’m trusting you.”

I brushed my thumb slowly over her knuckles. “We’ll save your mom,” I said. “And whatever comes after that, we face it together.”

Her lips curved faintly, a whisper of conviction in her voice. “Always together.”