Page 82 of His Reluctant Savior

“You don’t know my past before I joined The Brotherhood, except that I had killed my uncle, but you never learned why.”

“You hid your past well, as I have mine. All Layla found was that you attended high school with Dalton Reed.”

“I figured you would. Only Easton and Dalton know of my past. I told Easton years ago, so he’d trust me to understand where he came from. To show he wasn’t alone. I told Dalton because I treated him like hell growing up, and I needed him to trust me.”

Malik slowly nodded. “So, your uncle abused you?”

“He raped me repeatedly for years. As I got older and bigger, he would drug me so I couldn’t fight back, and then he would rape me. As you can imagine, I became an angry child and took a lot of it out on Dalton growing up because he was bright, happy… a beacon to my jealousy and loneliness.”

Fuck, I hated telling this fucking story. I downed the rest of my drink, stood, and poured another, staring out at the city, taking a risk by turning my back on Malik, but I had to trust him to at least listen first.

“I kissed Dalton one night at a party. It changed everything, not just because of the kiss, but because of how he reacted to me. It didn’t matter that I treated him like hell for four years. He wanted to give me a chance to do better. That he could so easily forgive… I’d never had anyone do that for me before. No one had ever justseenme and knew I was suffering.”

“I think I am beginning to see,” Malik said. I turned to face him, leaning against the sturdy bar. “That was the night you killed your uncle.”

“Yes. That night changed my life forever, and Dalton was the catalyst. I wanted to do better, and my uncle drugged and raped me that night. Once I recovered, I took a knife to his jugular as he slept.”

Malik nodded thoughtfully, hearing me and contemplating my story, no doubt deciding if it was worth killing me over. “So, this was a way to pay him back?”

“At first. But as soon as we reunited, I wanted Dalton as mine.”

“And why was it you could not explain this to me in the first place? Why all the secrecy?”

I scoffed, taking another sip of the bourbon, my stomach not used to alcohol so early in the day. “Because I know you just like you know me. What do you think would happen? You would tell me I was too emotionally invested and compromised. I couldn’t risk you handing it off to Sully. Even if Dalton had to die, Sully wouldn’t have given him a quick death. You know damn well he likes to ‘play with his food,’ so to speak. I had tosaveDalton, not kill him. You wouldn’t have allowed me to do that.”

I sat back down and leaned forward. “Look, I know this business has always been just a job for us. But now it got fucking personal. I’m not gonna deny that. It changes your perspective on things, making you reanalyze your life and what you’re doing.”

“And what does that mean? Are you saying you want to leave us?”

I shook my head. “No. I would like to stay, but with changes.”

“There is not a lot of room for negotiation, Sid.”

“I’m fucking well aware. My stance doesn’t change.”

“And I am not sure we can trust you again.”

“You can and you will.”

Malik raised a brow, the only expression on his face. “Is that a fact? Explain.”

“You will be able to trust me with Dalton in my life because I’m bringing him in to work with us. He will be on our side.”

For the first time, Malik let his walls crumble to show his anger, slamming his fist on his desk. “You dare?! He is with the FBI. He is a danger to us! Are you so consumed with him you would risk all our lives?”

I wasn’t to be dissuaded. “As if you haven’t risked it all for someone. Besides, Dalton has no one to whom to turn. He cannot trust his employer. Even if he gets his life back, he will never be able to look at them the same again. He has been betrayed, backstabbed, and used as a pawn by people with more power than he has. He is desperate to fight back in other ways. To make a difference without all the red tape bullshit that always seems to protect the wealthy and those in power. You know damn well how it works, Mal. Dalton is beyond frustrated and angry. Theyhurthim and nearly killed him! Do you really think he’d want to go back to that life after organizations such as ours have been hunting him like prey? Fuck! Theydruggedhis son! Afive-year-old!”

Usually, I was calmer than this, but I had to make Malik listen. He had to know how much this meant to me.

I stood and paced the room, pinching my nose and breathing to calm down. “I’m sorry I turned my back on you all, especially you and Easton. But I had totry. There was a chance I could save Dalton, and I took it. I couldn’t risk that you wouldn’t send our people after him anyway. I came back because I didn’t want to leave permanently, and I deeply care about what we’ve built here and everyone in our family, even Sully, the pain in the ass that he is.”

Malik sighed and ran his hands over his face before taking another sip of his drink. “And your Dalton is going to just accept us as killers? Just like that?”

“Yes, and no.”

“Sid, I am warning you.”

“Yes, he will accept us as killers. He loves me despite knowing what I do for a living. He has accepted me. But he won’t come in without some changes. And I’m going to be honest… I agree with him.”

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