Page 61 of The Keeper

I stared into my mug, watching the amber liquid ripple beneath my trembling hands. The weight of my mother’s revelation pressed down on me, threatening to crush what little composure I had left.

“Do you really think Dane could be involved in something like that though?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I do know good men can do terrible things when they’re caught up in that life. I’ve seen firsthand how quickly things can spiral out of control.”

“What do I do now?” I asked, feeling lost and overwhelmed.

My mother squeezed my hand. “Talk to Dane. Find out if his club has enemies who would hurt you to get to him and then let him and the club clean this mess up.”

“What does that mean?”

“Men like Dane live and die by code, and they aren’t known for playing nice when someone comes for the people they love. I may not like his world, but I admire their brand of justice.”

Her eyes clouded with a pain so deep it made my chest ache before she continued. “I’ve spent almost thirty-one years looking over my shoulder, wondering if today would be the day your father tracked us down. I don’t want you to live like that, and I sure as hell don’t want you to have to relive the shit you went through today in a goddamned courtroom.” She squeezed my hand. “But ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether being in Dane’s world is worth the risk.”

What if everything between us had been a lie?

I tried to reconcile the gentle giant I was falling for with the dangerous world he was tied to. The Dane who made Avery belly laugh and massaged my back when I was cramping seemed worlds away from men like my attacker.

But hadn’t I seen a sliver of that darkness when he threatened Derek? Wasn’t that why I’d kept the note from him? Because some part of me knew that beneath his gentle exterior was a man who had taken lives.

He sure as hell hadn’t earned that kutte for his kindness.

A wistful look crossed my mother’s face as she took another sip of bourbon. “I wish someone had taken care of Red back then,” she murmured.

“Someone did,” a gruff voice said from behind us.

We both jumped, whirling around to face the intruder. A tall, imposing man with long salt-and-pepper hair stood in the doorway. But it was the kutte he wore, emblazoned with a president patch, that stole the air from my lungs.

“Ethan?” my mother gasped, her face draining of color.

“Hey, Nik,” he said, his weathered face creasing with a rueful smile. “Sorry, I didn’t knock. Old habits die hard.”

I glanced between them, noting how her hands shook as she gripped her mug. “I take it you two know each other?”

“We went to high school together,” he replied, his eyes never leaving her face.

She shot him a look that could have melted steel. “It was a hell of a lot more than that, Ethan Diaz.”

He ran his tongue across his teeth and chuckled, the tension between them palpable. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling like an intruder in my childhood home.

“What are you doing here?” my mother finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Ethan’s expression sobered. “Got a call from one of our guys at the Dallas PD. He tipped us off about the bakery robbery.”

“But why would they do that?” I asked, confusion momentarily overriding my fear.

His piercing gaze shifted to me. “Because I told them to alert me immediately to anything involving Nicole or Amelia Kelly.”

“I don’t understand,” my mom said, her brows pinching together.

Ethan’s jaw clenched, a muscle ticking beneath the skin. “Made your old man a promise. He came to me after they got you back home. He was worried Red would come after you.”

My mother’s sharp intake of breath echoed in the quiet kitchen. “Did Dad know about your connection to Silent Phoenix? Is that why he went to you?”

Ethan shook his head. “No, Nik. He came to me because he knew I’d die before letting anything happen to you.” His eyes softened as they met hers. “Sure enough, Red showed up less than a month later, and I took care of it.”

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out his meaning.

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