Page 57 of Darkness

“He’s here again. I’ve told him you’re out. He said he’s not leaving until he sees you,” Lincoln tells me.

My body straightens. Two nights in a row he’s been to the club. It’s either he has something on me so he can get his son out, or he will talk about making an offer to get him out. Either way, I’m not going to the club to see him. He can wait until I’m ready to talk to him.

“I checked his laptop last night. Nothing but me and you on it. I’ve not seen Autumn, on there, or the family. You think he knows we’ve hacked it?” I ask him, because if he had something on me, it would be there. “The man is old school, he might have nothing on there, I’m sure it’s only his grand-kids and nephews on the laptop.”

“Should I leave him again?”

“Yes, he can stay there until we close. Heis going to keep coming until he sees me. I need to know what he knows about me first.” I tell Lincoln, hearing the door behind me open and close.

“I’m watching him.” The line goes dead. Before I turn to face my uncle, I take a deep breath because I know there will be questions, and I’m not in the mood to answer them. Especially now, because that fucking family knows something, and they will make their move when I least expect it.

“Cain.” I turn to face him, and he just watches me for a moment, not saying anything. “Is someone coming for you?” The question I have about five different answers for, but I go with the one which shouldn’t have too many questions.“I always have a family coming for me. Shall we go have dinner?” I say, walkingpast him back into the house, because he has questions and I’m hoping he keeps them to himself while I’m with Autumn.

Walking over to Autumn, she leans in closer to me, and I feel her body relax against mine. “Everything okay?” she asks, and I smile, looking down at her, but I take her hand in mine, and look at the band-aid around her finger. It wasn’t there when we left her apartment. “I cut it on the paper. Don’t know how? I don’t have the answer to that one.”

Not saying anything to her, I look over at my uncle as I can feel him burning me with his stare. “What do they want? Or should I ask who?”

“I’m not having this conversation-”

“You never want to have this conversation.” I pull away from Autumn, not wanting her to feel my body tensing up because I’m angry. I was already pissed off, but now I’m on a whole different level.

My hands are in my pocket, eyes locked on my uncle. “Aunt Jane, you want to show Autumn-Rose the ideas you have for the charity event. I’m sure she would have some ideas about the flowers.” I ask, not looking at her, staring at Uncle David. I feel Autumn’s hand on my arm. “Won’t be long,” I whisper, giving her cheek a kiss.

I wait for them to leave the room, hearing the boys behind me. “He wants his son. I won’t let him go because The Pit is where that little bastard will die, and there is nothing that’s going to change my mind.” I’m the first to speak, mostly because I’m not in the mood to hear what he has to ask me. “And, no, I won’t let him out if it means everyone is safe. Like you always tell me, ‘We can look after ourselves,’ you might have to, because the bastard will die in The Pit, and I’m the one who’s going to kill him.”

“When it comes to The Pit, I’ve never asked, and never thought you were doing something wrong. Tell me why youwon’t let him go if it means keeping the family safe, and maybe your girl-”

“Don’t.” I stop him from even mentioning Autumn. I know what this means and for him to think I don’t is messed up. “The man who wants his son is the man who killed Grandad. I don’t want to talk anymore.” I walk out of the kitchen, as the pain in my head is shooting to the front of my eyes, and the light is making it worse.

“Cain?”

“Uncle David, I’m not in the fucking mood.” I walk out of the kitchen and hear Autumn laughing at something my mom has said to her.

“Cain, your aunt has invited us to the charity event at the weekend. I’d love to go. It’s been so long since I’ve dressed up.” While Autumn talks, I look over her shoulder at my aunt, smiling.

“I already said no to it,” I tell my aunt.

“I know you did, but you can’t say no to Autumn-Rose.” Aunt Jane walks closer to me, patting my arm. “I can see it in your eyes.”

I look at Autumn looking between myself and my aunt, then smile when she sees me watching her. “We don’t have to go.”

“Do you want to go?” I ask.

“Only if you do.” Autumn takes a step closer to me and kisses me softly on the lips.

“You might need to go shopping,” I tell her, and the smile gets bigger.

How can this woman make me feel so at peace, so different? It was nothing like this with Tess, but, I stop the thoughts going through my head and take a step back from her.

“Autumn-Rose, we’ve found the soft spot for Mr. Cold Hearted. Can you ask him if we can have a party on the sixth floor?” Mason asks, Miles agreeing with him.

“Not fucking happening. You’re lucky you get to go in there at all. I can stop-”

“No, won’t ask again.” Miles cuts me off.

Walking to the corner of the dining table, and turning the lamp off, I ask Uncle David to turn the one off by him, too. I take two tablets out of the container and take them in one go. I need something to get through this dinner without losing it.

Twenty-One

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