Page 10 of Bad Business

Willow wakes with a start, her eyes widening as she sees me standing there.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she demands, her voice filled with fury. She quickly stands and guides me out of the room, closing the door behind us.

“Willow, I—” I begin, but she cut me off.

“How dare you come here!” she hisses, her eyes blazing with anger. “Juniper is terrified, and you just barged in like you own the place!”

“I didn’t know you had a daughter,” I say, my voice softer now, filled with regret. “I came to check on you and apologize for my behavior last night.”

Willow’s shoulders sag slightly, the tension easing. “She’s all I have left,” she says quietly, tears welling up in her eyes. “I lost my sister, and now Juniper is sick. I don’t need you making things worse.”

Her words hang in the air between us, a painful reminder of how little I know about her.

“I’m not trying to make things harder for you. I just… I didn’t know. Don’t you think this is something you should have told me?”

Willow looks at me for a long moment, then nods slowly. “Frankly, it’s not your business… but now you know. Can you just leave us alone? I can’t deal with whatever… this is.” She shakes her head again, then turns and shuts the door in my face, leaving me standing in the hallway, a mix of anger and determination swirling within me.

Leaving the hospital, I feel a whirlwind of emotions—guilt, confusion, and an overwhelming sense of responsibility. The stark, fluorescent lights of the hospital hallway seem to fade into a blur as I walk out, my mind racing with thoughts of Willow and her daughter. I never imagined this was her secret. I need answers, and there is only one person who can give them to me—even if I don’t want to involve him any more than I already have.

In my car, I dial my Uncle Loren's number. He picks up on the second ring, his deep, gravelly voice a familiar comfort.

"Dallas, what’s going on? It’s late, and frankly, I’m surprised you’re calling me for a second time in a week," Loren says, his tone tinged with concern.

" I need to know about Willow. No more bullshit from you, Loren. She has a daughter, and I had no idea. What’s her story? And why is she here in Nashville all of a sudden?" I ask, my voice edged with frustration.

Loren sighs heavily on the other end of the line. "Dallas, it's not my story to tell. Willow's been through a lot, more than you can imagine. But it's her life, her privacy. All I can tell you is that you should keep an eye on them and make sure they're safe."

His words only add to my frustration. "That's not the answer I want, Uncle Loren. I need to know what's going on. If there's something in her past that could affect the club, I have to be made aware."

"Dallas," Loren's voice is stern, "respect her privacy. Sometimes, people have pasts they’re not ready to share. Trust me on this. Just watch over them."

Hanging up, I’m even more agitated. Loren’s vague advice isn’t enough. I need concrete answers. My thoughts turned to my half-brother, Drake Winston. I only hope he’ll help me. While we worked together to free Ryker from the mess he’d gotten himself into, our relationship is strained, to put it mildly, but if anyone can dig up information, it’s Drake.

Reluctantly, I dial his number. After a few rings, he answers, his voice clipped and wary. "Dallas, is everything alright? It’s unusual to hear from you, considering you keep refusing to take the money you’re owed."

"Drake, I don’t want to talk about that bastard's money right now. I need a favor," I began, trying to keep my tone neutral. "I need you to look into someone for me. Her name is Willow, and she works at my club. She has a daughter named Juniper. Something isn’t sitting right, and my uncle refuses to tell me how he came to hire her. She’s hiding something, and I want to know what."

There was a long pause on the other end before Drake speaks again, his voice tinged with curiosity and skepticism. "Since when do you care about your employees' backgrounds, Dallas?"

"It's not like that," I snap, my patience waning. "She's got a kid, and I think she’s running from something. I just need to know what I'm dealing with here."

Drake sighs. "Fine. I’ll get back to you when I have something."

The call ends, and I’m left sitting in the darkened parking lot, staring at the hospital entrance. I hate the feeling of prying into someone’s life, but I have to know. If there is something Willow is hiding, something that puts her in danger, I need to know. It’s crazy how this burning need to protect her grows stronger each day. And seeing as she has a daughter, it only makes this protectiveness flare even brighter.

I sit in the parking lot for a few moments longer before finally pulling out. Needing someone to knock some sense into me, I navigate my car to my brother Griffyn’s house. I’ve been keeping my distance from him because he still doesn’t know everything about our newly found brothers—half-brothers, that is. But if anyone can help me rationalize my crazy feelings, it’s him.

Pulling into his driveway, I’m surprised to see another car parked behind his truck. Griffyn is a private man and doesn’t usually have people over at his house.

I knock, but the door swings open under the pressure of my fist. Stepping inside, I immediately sense the tension in the air, as if I’ve walked in on something private, something not meant for my eyes. Griffyn is in the living room, holding a woman intimately. When they hear me, they jump apart. She’s beautiful and familiar, but I can’t place where I know her from. The silence is thick, almost suffocating.

“Dallas,” Griffyn said, his voice strained. “You remember Francesca.”

A memory flashes, and it hits me… Francesca, a student of his. Nodding slightly, my eyes continue to dart between her and Griffyn, trying to read the situation.

Francesca looks at Griffyn, then back at me, her discomfort clear. “Hi, Dallas. And it’s Frankie, not Francesca,” she says quickly, gathering her things. “I should go.”

“Francesca, wait—” Griffyn starts, but she’s already moving toward the door.

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