“You always have a choice,” Trevor said, brushing the ends of his hair away from his eyes. His long legs stretched toward William, and he leaned on the table with his right arm.
Wheeler stalked toward the right end of the table and spread his fingers on it, leaning forward. “You’re gonna sit there and tell me you want to go back and cuddle up with a rapist?” The tight muscles in his arms locked, making the shadows of his tattoos come to life.
“He threatened Lakota.”
“That all? Threatened some guy and—”
“My son, Lakota. That’s right. I had a baby, and my father forced me to give him up. That’s how he knew one of his men had gotten to me—because while I could hide the assault, I couldn’t hide the pregnancy. When I disappeared the other night, I met with Fox and he gave me his conditions. He’s using my baby against me. I have no idea where he is, but Fox is threatening to kill him if I don’t comply. Maybe he’s bluffing, but what if… I can’t take that chance.”
Austin clenched his fists and leaned forward. “Ben should have been watching the property that night, and just so you know, he’s been reprimanded.”
Ben tapped his hand on the table. “I don’t mind putting double my pay in the pack account, but a man shouldn’t have his car keys taken away like a child.”
Reno tilted his body in Ben’s direction. “Really? You wanna go there? A pack member almost died because you decided to tail off and do what exactly? Your Packmaster gave you a direct order to guard the property, and you disobeyed that order.”
Ben raised his hands in the air. “And I’ll take that responsibility. All I’m sayin’ is that you only had to tell me not to drive.”
“That’s exactly what he told you to do the night you took off.” Wheeler’s words were sharp, cutting to the quick. “Suck it up, princess.”
“You need to reel it back in,” Ben said.
“You wanna start shit?”
“Boys…” Austin’s gaze snapped around the room and made everyone settle down.
“Do you want to find your son?” Reno asked, voice neutral. It wasn’t a question; it was an offer.
“I’m not part of his life anymore. I’m not sure how I feel about that idea. Part of me wants him back, but what right do I have?”
“The right of a mother,” Lynn said. “That’s what you have.”
“But a mother is more than someone who delivers you into this world. They’re the person who loves you and tucks you in at night to keep the bad spirits away. Someone else is doing that now.”
“What if they’re not?” Wheeler suggested, standing up straight with his arms at his sides. “What if he’s lying in some stinkhole of an orphanage and—”
“Wheeler,” Austin cut in, giving him a warning with a shake of his head.
Reno got out of his seat, his gun strapped to the outside of his tight shirt. “If he’s using the boy as leverage, then we need to find him before Fox does. We’ll figure out what to do from there, but I can put a few guys on him. I know good bounty hunters who owe me favors—that way none of us will have to leave the house and you’ll have peace of mind. Anything else I should know?”
He waited in the doorway for my answer.
I shook my head. “The Relic who delivered him was called Mary. I’m not sure about her last name—something that sounded like McPhee, McFaron… maybe McPherson. Is that enough?”
“No sweat. I’m on it.”
I pulled my hand from Lynn’s and placed it on my lap, waiting for someone to speak, but everyone quietly digested the dark and ugly truth of my past. I wasn’t the innocent Ivy they’d come to know, and what judgment would they pass on a mother who gave away her own child?
A hand touched my shoulder and I looked back to see William standing behind me, looking at all the downcast eyes at the table.
Izzy was the first to stand up and walk away. She rounded the table and when I thought she’d gone, I felt her arms wrap around me. She placed her face against my neck. “I’m so sorry, Ivy. I can’t imagine what you had to go through, and then to keep silent. I’m here if you want to talk.” She sweetly kissed my temple and left the room, Jericho following close behind her.
“Mommy!” Maizy cried out from the other room. “Mommy, are we gonna paint?”
Lynn touched my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “I’m sorry, Ivy. Maizy’s been getting cabin fever—you know how much she likes to take walks outside.”
“That’s fine. Go to the little one,” I said, kissing her cheek as she bent down to hug me.
Wheeler waltzed over to the other side of the table across from Austin, stepping over the bench and taking a seat. Unlike Ben, he had a short mustache that connected to a trimmed goatee, creating a circle of hair around his mouth. He had a little stubble along his jaw, as if he were going for the dangerous-sexy look. He held a butterfly knife in his hand and stabbed the knotty wood. “So, how about we catch us a Fox?”
Chapter 15