Page 45 of Hidden Heir

LEON

Brooke’s face falls the second the words leave my lips, the glass nearly slipping from her grasp as her mouth drops open. “Wh–what?”

No instant denial, I’m on the right track.

It might be unfair to ask her such a thing after I’ve just rearranged her insides, but it’s the perfect time for her to be vulnerable and honest. Her defenses are down. I need to get closer to the truth before I fall for her completely.

“Do you want to tell me the truth or do you want me to start with what I know?” I take a slow sip of my drink, my eyes never leaving hers.

Brooke doesn’t answer. She watches me with wide eyes, clutching her glass so tightly that her knuckles turn white.

“Since you arrived, I’ve been doing some digging into your life. You turned up here in the middle of the night with a drugged-up brother and a child, asking for my help. I could have turned you out onto the street but I didn’t because of that night we had together four years ago.” My cock aches at the memory. “You left an impression, and I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind ever since. The story you told me when you first arrivedwas believable at the time, but I run in dangerous circles and I had to be sure. So I cloned your phone, as you already know. I researched your apartment and your place of work, looking for the truth.”

Brooke remains silent, her eyes downcast to her glass.

“But then you get that picture of Hannah and your story changes. You have to understand why I’m wary. I want the truth, Brooke, and I’m not going to ask you again.”

Brooke shifts on the couch, tucking her legs underneath herself until she’s almost completely wrapped up in the robe.

“I didn’t lie on purpose,” she says softly. “I did it because I was scared. There was so much happening and I didn’t know where to go that was safe. I have Tiffany to think about. She’s the sole reason for everything I do and everything I have done.” She looks up at me, despair in her eyes. “How did you find out about the Irish?”

“Not much happens in this world without me finding out about it. The amount of money you asked for just happens to match the exact amount the Irish have somehow misplaced. Doesn’t take a genius.” Resting my glass on the armrest, I trail my fingers around the edge. “How in the world did you fall into debt with the Irish mafia?”

“I didn’t. Not exactly.” Brooke heaves a deep sigh as if she’s been holding her breath for days. “Ant owes them money.”

Of course he does. My veins turn to snakes and irritation worms through me at the thought of that man, but I don’t interrupt. I need the whole truth.

“He’s been using drugs for as long as I can remember. I suppose at some point he turned to dealing. And because my brother doesn’t always make the smartest decisions, he ended up skimming some of the product off the top and using it for himself.” Brooke shakes her head and rubs at her eyes. “He’s a fucking idiot. He kept it a secret from me, turning up at my doorbecause he’d lost his apartment. Although now that I think about it, I wonder if he was just hiding from those Irish bastards.”

That wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest.

“Anyway, he stole from them. At least, they think he did but he claims he’s innocent. It doesn’t matter though because they came to my store, tore it apart, and threatened me. They told me that the missing drugs and all related costs came to seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. They wanted me to pay the debt because they couldn’t find him and I—” Brooke hesitates and her gaze falls away as if there’s something she can’t quite bring herself to say. “At the end of the day, he’s my brother, so I couldn’t tell them where he was. They got mad and that’s who attacked me. I escaped and ran.”

I glance down at her feet, now free from bandages, but the sight of them cut and bruised still sits clear in my mind.

“I panicked. I didn’t want them to get ahold of Tiffany and Ant was so high he couldn’t function. I had nowhere to go, and the only person I knew that was scarier than them was… you.” She lifts her sad, shining eyes to me. “So I came here. It was the only thing I could think to do. I had no one else. I was terrified to tell you the truth because I was aware you were also a criminal. For all I knew, you were friends with those monsters, and telling you what really happened was signing my death warrant.”

My ego inflates tenfold. Being feared was never my goal, but there’s something extremelysatisfying about hearing how my reputation is more fearsome than the Irish, at least from the standpoint of an outsider. And admitting she never left my mind doesn’t make me feel so exposed anymore since I was clearly on hers. Why else would she randomly think of me four years later.

“Is that the whole truth?”

“Yes,” Brooke mumbles, but she doesn’t quite meet my eyes.

I want to press the issue but I don’t want her closing back up on me. Pushing too hard won’t help. Besides, I’m sure Ihave most of the details now. At least enough to make a more informed decision.

“Are you going to hand me over to the Irish?” Brooke asks quietly. “Please don’t give them Tiff. I don’t care what you do to me, but please don’t give them my daughter, I beg you.”

Brooke looks as if she’s ready to throw herself at my feet, something I do not want. I adore her, and watching her beg for her life in such a way cuts me deeply. There’s no other path here. As soon as she came to my door, I knew I would protect her against whatever it was that frightened her, and the truth doesn’t change that. It just makes me more determined.

“You won’t be going anywhere.” I rise from my chair. “Protecting my family is what is most important to me, and now that you have told me the truth, I can do just that.” Approaching her, I take the glass from her hands. “You and your daughter are safe here. You always will be. And now that I know what you are hiding from, I know how to ensure that protection.”

“You’re serious?” She looks up at me in shock. “You’re not angry?”

“Angry?” I scoff softly. “Lying is never a good way to start any relationship but I understand why you did what you did. I would’ve done the same to protect my own family so how can I fault you for protecting your daughter? Now go upstairs and get some rest. I will take care of everything.”

Brooke gets to her feet then looks at me. “Really?”

“Really.” Before she steps away, I catch her chin between my fingers. “But Brooke? No more lying.”

---