Page 96 of Shattered Secrets

Nodding, she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know why I’m so tired all of a sudden.”

“Most likely an adrenaline crash, sweetheart. Just rest for a little bit. I’ve got you.” She felt his lips press against her forehead. The one spot on her face that didn’t hurt. “Just rest.”

Sweat and dust and gunpowder scented the air. But as she nuzzled closer to Matt’s neck, she drifted off with his woodsy, soapy scent filling her nose.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

It was nearly three in the morning, and every part of Scarlet ached. She had been checked out by EMTs on Whidbey Island, and much to Matt’s frustration, she’d refused to be admitted into the hospital. She was a mess of bruises and had a slight concussion, but nothing had been broken. It was nothing time and rest wouldn’t heal.

She’d wanted to go home. To be alone with Matt and Daisy.

The hours after she’d been rescued were a complete blur in her mind. Highs and lows and everything in between. They had stayed on Whidbey for a while, talking with the local police before eventually taking the helicopter to Hudson. By the time they’d made it back, Daisy had been sound asleep.

Poppy and Cade had brought Daisy home from Hudson Security and waited up all night. Scarlet didn’t know what she’d have done without her friends. Not only had they spent the last countless hours with Daisy, but they’d reassured her and kept her calm, tucked her in and told her that Scarlet and Matt would be there when she woke in the morning.

Now Scarlet was showered and wearing a tank top and her baggiest joggers. The cut along her lip from Psycho’s fist had stung something fierce when she’d entered the shower,but decompressing under the hot water was exactly what she’d needed, had left her feeling a little less raw.

She let out a weary sigh and looked around the dining table. Matt sat beside her, Gavin and Bean across from her. One final debrief, and then she could go lie down.

“Obviously, the investigation is still ongoing,” Gavin said, rubbing a hand over his tired face, “but we do know that five individuals were arrested and—” He cut himself off, glancing down the hallway to where Daisy’s room was.

“You’re fine,” Scarlet said. “A bomb could go off in here and Daisy would still be asleep. She’sthatheavy of a sleeper. But thank you.”

Gavin nodded. “Five arrested and one, as you know, deceased. His name was Randy Klien. It looks like he and Melissa Aber, the lone woman in the group, were on Hudson for about a week, scoping out the place. The leader of the group is Brady Wilson.”

“Everyone called him Psycho.” She shivered, and Matt took her hand in his.

“Fitting,” Bean said with a roll of her eyes.

“What we’ve gathered,” Gavin continued, “is Psycho led them to believe that you’d purposely hid Daisy from Steele. That you’d stolen her. He rallied them to come and take her back.”

Bean rested her elbows on the table and stifled a yawn. “Brady Wilson—Psycho, for clarity—was the half brother of both Steele and Michael Wilson, the guy who was stabbed. They shared the same mom, but they all had different fathers. It appears that Michael Wilson either knew the truth about Daisy or didn’t agree with Psycho’s plan or some combination of the two, and so he tried to warn you.”

Scarlet frowned. “How did they even find me?”

Bean sighed. “We don’t know yet. Quinn, in his official capacity as sheriff, made a pretty heated call to your formerhandler with the US Marshals. Hopefully, he’ll get some answers.”

Scarlet wasn’t sure she wanted to know, but she asked, “And what was Psycho’s plan?”

“He wanted to take over the Reaper’s,” Gavin said. “Almost all the original members are either dead or in prison. Psycho was a little fish for the most part, but he wanted to take control. Take over as president. However, it was never going to happen because there was no tie.”

“What do you mean?” Matt asked.

Gavin shrugged. “This is just my theory, but I think that Psycho being half brothers with Steele wasn’t good enough. They had different dads. Steele’s dad—Rory MacBride—is still alive, and even though the guy’s in prison, he’s still the president of the Reaper’s Assassins. MacBride doesn’t give a shit about the mom. He took his kid and cut all ties with the woman. If he doesn’t care about her, he especially doesn’t give a shit about any kids she had with a bunch of other guys. So there’s no way MacBride would okay Psycho taking over his MC.”

“But MacBride would care about his grandchild,” Matt said as he scratched the stubble on his jaw. “Biologically, Daisy is Steele’s.”

Gavin nodded. “Exactly. How Psycho was going to make that work for him, I’m still not sure.”

“He said something about him being Daisy’s next of kin.” A chill swept over her, and she rubbed her arms to fend it off. “He wanted me to give her to him. Can I assume he was planning on killing me after?”

“Motherfucker,” Matt growled.

“Agreed,” Gavin said. “On both counts. But it doesn’t matter anymore. The second he shot Klien, they all turned on him.”

Scarlet let out a breath. At least there was that. Her mind flashed to all those people who had just stood there and watched while she’d been tied to the chair. They’d done noth?—

She gasped. “What about Cutter? The guy who was still in the diner?”

---