Page 96 of My Darling Mayhem

The fact that my nephews left me intact shocked him, making fear surge in my chest.

This close I could see this man was older than me by several years. Closer to his fifties or so, but it also spoke of a life lived in the shadows. He felt dangerous, and perhaps I should walk away instead of standing here talking about a photo and two nephews I didn't know. Instead, I answered him.

"My mother is the only reason they stopped."

His stare remained on the photo. "Nice to see they do have some hard limits. I was beginning to wonder."

"Do they?—"

"Scotty, I wasn't aware you were done training," Taylor said firmly, coming into view, her lips pursed like she wasn't happy the man was speaking to me.

The man, Scotty, turned toward my sister-in-law. "I wasn't aware you were breaking protocol by bringing in strangers."

Taylor's arm came around my shoulder protectively. "Wren is no stranger. She's family."

Scotty glared at her almost like he wanted to say something else, but instead he walked back toward the steps that led to this part of the house.

"Come on, Wren. I'll show you your room." She pulled me toward the stairs I had watched her use before getting distracted by the images.

"Who was that?" I asked.

Taylor's hold on my shoulders went slack as she let out a sigh.

“That was Scotty. He’s…well, it’s a little complicated if you haven’t met everyone, but once you do, you’ll understand.”

“Is he dangerous?” I asked, searching the walls for more photos as we walked.

Taylor’s grip tightened on my arm. “Very…never underestimate him. He’s loyal to exactly three people, and only them.”

I lifted my head, taking more steps as we continued to climb step after step. “Who?”

“Well, for starters…Kyle, but you probably have no idea who that is. Just don’t blindly trust him, okay?”

I followed Taylor, feeling like there was so much more I would have discovered if I'd been allowed to stay and talk with the man who stared at that photo as if he was looking at a ghost.

TWENTY-THREE

ARCHER

Thistle waswith me as we waited in the designated spot to meet Juan and this Kyle person.

My men surrounded the location because as much as I wanted to trust Juan, I was still cautious. Dozer would be watching from the building across the street. Thistle would use a flashlight to ensure they knew we were okay, but if things went south, and no light was shown, my men would move in.

I hoped things would go well because Wren texted me that she'd had a good conversation with her brother and that she had a good feeling about things. I wasn’t sure what to make of that, but it did make me feel a bit better about this meeting.

Thistle murmured quietly, "Ruth said if it wasn't possible to find anything on this guy, then it meant he was essentially a ghost. That or someone dangerous enough to erase ghosts from ever existing. Might not be worth messing with someone of that caliber."

I watched the street below us, the glass window from the empty warehouse providing a clear view of everything below.

"He's our only lead."

Thistle turned toward me. "It's more than likely a trap. Juan tossed a story at us that we're being forced to swallow. What are the chances he's even telling us the truth?"

I didn't know how to explain it to him, but I felt it in my gut. Juan wanted to do right by Wren, which meant he would do right by me.

"I—"

The street lit up with the arrival of one car. Just one.

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