Page 59 of Starting Over

Evelyn shared with me that she, James, and their daughter Lily had followed Ace to Nebraska when the club opened this chapter. She told me that Ace’s parents had been their best friends. And they felt it was the right thing to do to watch over their son for them.

Shortly after they passed away, Ace had told them the club was opening a new chapter, and he was moving here. He wanted to get away from the memories. With his permission, they had followed.

I shared a little of my life with Evie. I wasn’t sure how much the Samson’s knew about where I came from or my connection to the club, so I kept things vague. Talking only about Duane and Colleen, and leaving out any connection I had with Micah.

They had been here on Thanksgiving, so they knew Declan and I had known each other as kids. Thankfully, Evie didn’t ask about that.

It was nice meeting someone my age. Allison, the mayor, had mentioned a book club earlier today at The Diner. Evie shared a few more details about the upcoming meeting, and I was excited to meet more women my age.

“Hello, Evie. Would you mind if I stole Maureen for a few minutes?”

“Not at all, King. I am going to go help the girls clean up the kitchen,” she said, collecting both our plates. “I’ll see you next Tuesday.”

“Absolutely, looking forward to it,” I replied.

King chuckled as he sat down beside me. “They roped you into the book club, huh?”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“Not at all. I’m glad you’re making connections. I want you to stick around. I think Diamond Creek will benefit from having you here.”

There was a sparkle in his eye as he said it, and I wondered what he was up to.

“Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Did you know I had an older brother besides Declan?”

Taking a deep breath, I knew I had to answer carefully. This was family shit. And one thing you learned in the Mob was that you didn’t get in the middle of family shit.

There was Mob shit, and there was family shit.

Mob shit was easier to deal with.

“I did.”

That was all I said. I knew he wanted more. Knew he would ask more questions. But I wasn’t volunteering anything.

“Is that what you were Declan were arguing about on Thanksgiving?”

“Not exactly. I asked him if you knew. And he said no. It wasn’t my place to tell you. When Declan moved away, it was just him and your parents. No one knew your mom was pregnant. I’m not sure Sal even knew.”

King nodded, accepting what I told him.

“I want to meet him.”

The gasp that escaped was involuntary. I didn’t mean it. Well, I meant it. I just didn’t mean for him to hear it.

“You’re really afraid of him, aren’t you?”

“It isn’t that I am afraid of him. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Sal is brutal. He rules with an iron fist. He doesn’t put up with bullshit. From anyone.”

“What is it then? Why are you so worried about him coming here?”

Looking around the room, my eyes settled on Blade and Beck. He had his hand on her belly, and the smiles on their faces were beautiful. He had a life here. He was happy.

“Kara was my friend,” I said, looking back at King. “That man over there, he may not be the same little boy I knew. But he is still my friend’s son. I want to protect him. I don’t know why Sal chose to spare him, but with Sal, everything comes at a price. And that woman he loves. That is Sal’s niece. She doesn’t know him. Or anything about him other than what she has been told. I worry about how he will react when he meets her. When he meets you. When he realizes I am here. He didn’t want me to leave. He wasn’t happy about it. There are things going on that I can’t put my finger on. So it isn’t that I am afraid of him, per se. I don’t believe he would hurt me. I know he wouldn’t hurt her. Family is everything to Sal. But I don’t know what his endgame is. He is unpredictable. And that scares me.”

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