Page 49 of Demo

Harper looked like she was going to start crying. Kelly walked up with their food right then. Seeming to sense the tension at the table, she passed around their food, quickly asked if they needed anything else, and then left them.

No one touched their plates.

Harper looked frantically at Lucky for help.

Lucky ran his hand through his ol’ lady’s long, raven hair before he turned his attention to Paige. “The club stumbled upon the attack at the former sheriff’s house. We intervened. Hannigan covered up the fact ofwhohad been at his house to protect his son’s reputation but also to protect us. We killed the loan shark to protect Cindy and Hannigan.”

It didn’t happenexactlylike that but it was close enough.

Paige blinked. “The club was involved?”

“Briefly,” Lucky emphasized. “If Harper hadn’t wanted to go visit her parents that day, the outcome would have been very different. Bear and I were with her and we rescued the Hannigans. As you know, one of our prospects lost his life that day protecting Harper.”

“Conner,” Paige breathed out his name. She turned to Demo. “You knew? You knew about Richard’s gambling problems.” Her voice was accusatory.

Demo nodded. “I didn’t know thatyoudidn’t know until recently. I didn’t even knowyouuntil recently, Paige.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded.

“And how would that conversation have gone?” he asked her in return. “‘Hey, pretty lady, wanna go out with me? Oh, and by the way, are you aware your husband is a gambling addict?’”

Paige’s cheeks flushed. “You could have still told me,” she insisted.

“And how was I to know what you did and didn’t know?” he asked in return.

Paige didn’t seem to have an answer for that. She looked back to Lucky. “You killed the loan shark. Is that… I mean, it’s over then? I don’t have to worry about paying back that money too?”

Demo bit his tongue against saying she didn’t have to pay back the other money to her stepfamily either.

“We were able to get ahold of the loan shark’s brother,” Lucky told her gently. “Richard’s debt with them was cleared. Hannigan can verify this if needed.”

Paige was silent for a moment as she tried to process all of this.

Demo saw Lucky nudge Harper, but Paige’s eyes were cast downward towards her uneaten food and wouldn’t have seen it.

“Paige, will you tell me about your stepfamily?” Harper prompted.

She quickly wiped at her eyes. “You mean other than they’re a bunch of money-hungry bastards who are threatening to take away my boys if I don’t pay them back every penny your brother borrowed from them?”

There was a great level of contempt in Paige’s voice.

Harper flinched. “They are threatening to take away your boys?”

Rather than answer her sister-in-law, Paige turned in the booth to face Demo again. “You knew about that too,” she accused. “Steel came to me and told me that Ronald told him about their threat. He gave me the club’s lawyer’s card. Told me to tell her everything and to get a restraining order against the Barringtons.”

“Did you?” Demo asked her in lieu of answering her own question.

“She’s looking into it,” Paige told him. Her eyes were still narrowed. “You knew about the threat though?”

Demo slowly nodded.

Shame washed over her like a wave. Demo reached for her, not wanting Paige to ever feel ashamed for circumstances outside of her control.

“Let me out,” she demanded.

Demo blinked. “What?”

“Let. Me. Out,” Paige snapped, louder this time. “Youliedto me. You… I let you into my life! I… I was falling…” She wiped harshly at her wet cheeks. “Itrustedyou. Are all accountants liars?”

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