Page 26 of Darkness

Can we have lunch?

“I’m going to say it has to do with mom wanting lunch.” I turn my cell to show Lincoln the message.

A message I get from her a lot more than I’d like to admit, and I’ve canceled a lot, too.

“There is a way you can have lunch with her without worrying about pictures, you know.” Lincoln leans back, and takes the cell off me, and replies to my mom. Which will be the same message he normally sends her.

Cain

This is Lincoln. He is walking around the club at the moment.

But he will call you about lunch.

Which means it gives me time to work out how I won’t be going.

“And how is that?” I ask him.

“Here, you have a dining table at the back. Tell her not to go by the window. No one will see her here.”

Can I risk it? Or the bigger question is, do Iwantto risk it?

But I know it would make her happy, and it might even get her off my back for a few months. If she listens ad doesn’t go by the windows, then I’ll bring her over for lunch.

Lincoln grabs the bottle and fills his glass back up, and I turn to him for a second, watching him looking into Autumn’s apartment. He always says I keep things locked up, but the man never talks about what happened to him down there either. I know he came after me, and I saw some parts of it, but what it does to a person mentally, only they will know.

“You good?” I ask him, watch Autumn sitting on the end of the bed looking up to my window, and even from here I can see how much she’s hurting right now.

“Yeah.” I don’t believe him at all, but knowing how I am, I say nothing. “Cain, there is nothing wrong with moving on.”

“Faith.”The word whispers from behind me.

“You hear that?” I ask him, wanting to make sure I’m not going fucking crazy.

“Hear what?” Well, Lincoln’s answer confirms it. My head is more fucked up than I thought if I’m the only one hearing voices. “Right, I’m off for the night. I’ve left someone in charge, but knowing you, you’ll be in the office to oversee everything anyway.”

I don’t reply because whenever he’s not here; I am there. One of the reasons I wanted Logan to learn the business was because I thought I could keep it in the family, but he doesn’t want anything to do with me. I know Hayden, Mason and Miles would do it in a heartbeat, but they need to focus on the other family business as that will be their life. There is one other person I can bring in to help with things, but I will have to ask Uncle David if he would be good with it. She won’t be taking part in the other family business, and I know this place will be safe for her.

Lileah, Declan’s twin sister. She’s still in high school, and she has some medical problems, so having her look after the booksand things would help Lincoln and I with not having to be here so much. It’s a conversation I can have with him when she’s almost finished high school.

“See you in the morning,” I shout over to him as the elevator doors open, while still looking at Autumn-Rose.

Cain

Would you like lunch at my place?

There will be some rules but if you’re okay with them, then come to the office around 1pm.

There are a lot of things I’ve not spoken to mom about. Things I’ve kept my mouth shut about, and maybe one day those things will come out, but I need to have a better relationship with her. I came back into her life, so I need to start building a full relationship with her.

Mom

Yes. Can I bring Logan?

I knew that was going to be coming from her, she always wants fucking Logan around.

Cain

If it makes you happy.

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