Page 90 of Seizing Control: Part Two

“I’m trusting you with my life.” The words I said to Slash months ago are especially poignant in the wake of my dad’s death. “Keep her safe.”

“It’s done.”

The call disconnects.

Hunter meets me at the front of the building like I requested. He does a double take when he sees how wet I am, but wisely refrains from commenting when I narrow my eyes at him.

“What do you need from me, boss?”

“I’m going to see the message left with my dad’s body, then I’m engineering a face to face with the Adjudicator. He has some questions to answer.” With a maturity that belies his age and inexperience, Hunter doesn’t flinch at my blunt statements. His throat works, grief enters his gaze for the merest moment, then he nods. “You’ll stay here, wait for the medics to finish working on Slash, then you’ll take him home.”

“Laz—”

“It’s where he belongs.”

The petulance that crosses Hunter’s face would be amusing in any other circumstances. “Agree to disagree.”

“Make sure he puts the Shamrocks on lockdown. I have our people on Lily, but she’s getting close to giving birth.” The obstetrician thinks she’ll go into labour early, around thirty-two weeks if we’re lucky. It’s a prediction that fills me with dread because I know that the longer she can keep the babies inside her, the healthier they’ll be. The state of the world we live in also means that the longer they remain unborn, the safer they’ll be. “The club needs to be on high alert, and so does the new security company. I won’t have her exposed unnecessarily.”

“Cherub will be my priority.”

He’s halfway to his Harley when I call out his name, “Hunter.”

“Yeah.” The newly bleach-blond man with the purple tulip tattooed on his temple turns back to face me. “What else do you need, boss?”

“If you don’t hear from me in a week, I need you to talk to Lily.”

“It won’t come to?—”

“If it does.” I cut off his protests. Dragging my fingers through my hair, I feel my right leg start to bounce. It takes me a moment to steady myself enough to continue. “Tell her about Everett and give her the deed to the house. It’s already hers, free and clear.” Our ongoing dispute over my decision to allow Lily to purchase the house from me flares in his eyes, but Hunter doesn’t verbalise his disagreement. “There’s a budget to fully renovate it from top to bottom in her name at our bank, and I’ve left her an explanation about everything else in the safe. She’ll know the code to open it.”

“Won’t come to this,” Hunter tells me. “But I’ll give you a week before I speak to her.”

“’Preciate it.”

“You’re my brother, Lazarus.” There is a stern resolution in his ice-blue gaze as he speaks. “The only person to never doubt me. It means more than I’ll ever be able to say.”

“You’re an easy man to believe in, kiddo.”

When I see the same worries that I’m doing my best to ignore reflected back at me in Hunter’s ice-blue gaze, I have to walk away from him. The risks are steep. Our curia is unprepared. Hampered by ethics, loyalty, and morality, we are entering this battle on the back foot.

It’s not a situation I enjoy.

In fact, it’s my least favourite launch position.

Still, I have to take comfort in the knowledge that my record for surviving the bullshit and betrayals that life throws my way is one hundred percent.

Here’s hoping it stays that way...

15

LILY

A week later

16

SLASH

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