Page 152 of Seizing Control: Part One

Hades nudges my shoulder. “Sit, Cherub.”

After Angelis and Uncle Cass has squeezed me hard, I accept Uncle Duke’s seat. My boss stands. He shakes hands with Hades, then the other three men. Stopping in front of me, he peers down at me with an unblinking stare.

There’s a hard edge to his voice when he says, “You’re making things very difficult for me.”

“I’m... sorry?”

“No apologies required.” Gabriel tips his head at me. Something flashes in his eyes—malice that’s muted by affection. It’s a darkness that I’m familiar with, having witnessed it take control of Zeke more than once. “Yet.”

The tension that ratchets up in the wake of his departure disappears when Angelis chuckles.

“Always was an enigmatic one,” Uncle Duke tells me.

“He doesn’t like me.”

“He’s concerned.”

No one expands on my uncle’s comment, instead they settle into an easy conversation about the Shamrocks. I listen with half an ear, one hand clutching Hades’ as he watches his best friends chat. They are club brothers. Legacies. My dad’s betrayal can’t sit well on any of them, yet they seem at peace with everything he’s done.

All too soon, the temporary respite from my real life comes to an end.

A nurse tells us that visiting hours are over.

“I’ll come back,” I tell Hades after kissing his cheek in farewell.

He pats my cheek. “Don’t wanna see you again.”

“But—”

“With my boy gone, I ain’t interested in livin’ much longer.”

“Hades—”

“Look after my grandbaby, won’t you.”

I blink back tears, determined to remain as stoic as the dying man in front of me. “Of course.”

“Then I’ll die a happy man.”

Angelis leads me out into the corridor. On shaky legs, I allow Slash’s father to pull me in for a long cuddle. He pats my back. I cling to him, needing someone solid to hold me upright for a little while longer. The impending dearth of Miles’ men is a gut punch I didn’t need.

My uncles pat my shoulder as they leave.

“Need you to make one more promise today,” Angelis says once were alone.

I lift my head to meet his eyes. “Anything.”

“Don’t give up on my hard-headed son.”

“It’s not just up to me—he keeps running every time we hit a speed bump.” The knowing look that the big blond man pins me with is filled with well-deserved disapproval. I sniff, then laugh ruefully. “Fine... I won’t throw stones from my glass house.”

“The Trinity will be in the city in a month to check on the progress of the union.”

“Okay,” I concede, recognising the unspoken undertone in his declaration as a subtle threat. I need to show my face at this meeting or Crystal will pay the price, and he will not stand for that. Angelis is his wife’s biggest defender, and there’s no way he’ll let her take the fall for me and Slash. “I’ll come home in a month... but I’m not making any promise that I’ll stay. Slash has a say in the matter, too.”

“All he wants is your love.”

With a heavy arm slung over my shoulders, my father-in-law leads me to the exit. I walk next to him, quietly contemplating the asterisk at the end of his statement. While it’s true on the surface, the main problem that impedes our marriage is his demand that I love him most.

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