Kat: I'm ready to take the shot. Are we killing your brother? Brock didn't give me a mission report after he spoke with your brother. Oh, and don't tell my husband I'm here. He'd asked if the meeting at Blackwood was over, and I said yes but had to run to the store.
Kat: Ohh, is the sexy doctor going all alpha?
Kat: Two houses down, the neighbors are swimming naked.
Kat: Ready when you are. Make sure Brock stays around to help load the bodies.
The woman wouldn't stop, and I was sure she would take the shot if I didn't answer her.
Mia: No killing. Get your ass down here.
Kat: But it's been so long.
Mia: No.
I slid my phone back into my pocket and reassessed the front yard. All eyes were on me.
"Is she coming down?" Brock asked. "I'm sure Antonio will blame me somehow for his wife being here. He needs to learn to get that woman under control," he added in a grumble.
I winced as Kat strode around the edge of the house dressed in black leggings, a black T-shirt, and a black stocking hat over her red hair. "Antonio likes me just the way I am." She waved her black-gloved hand toward my brother and Donovan. "How exciting, getting to meet my second mob boss in the same day."
Not that I didn't enjoy Kat around annoying my boss, I just didn't like the fact it was happening in the middle of a tense fight. The longer we stood out here yelling, the bigger the chance Lucas would come looking. So I sacrificed myself. He would be mad, but I hoped he would understand. I turned to Paxton. "Take care of my boy. Do whatever you can so he doesn't end up with my family."
Paxton's jaw clenched, and I could see the storm brewing in his mind. Finally, he pushed his black-framed glasses up and nodded. "I think we should talk with Brock. You're making decisions based off emotions."
He brushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. My life would never be easy, and I had to accept that. This might be my only chance. I stood on my tiptoes and placed a quick kiss to Paxton's lips. The kiss was short. "My son is all that matters." I turned toward Donovan. "I'll leave with you if we go now."
Brock stepped in the middle of the pathway. "You're not going anywhere. Those assholes were supposed to wait until I called them. We have a lot to discuss."
"He can't know," I whispered, hoping my worst nightmare hadn't come true.
"Except he does," Brock confirmed what I tried to hide from the world.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
My ears buzzed as I repeated the sentence in my head.
I pushed past Brock and marched up to Donovan. I cocked my hand back and punched forward. Donovan didn't move as my fist contracted with his stomach. I swung again, hitting him in the side. A slight groan escaped, but he didn't move.
An arm wrapped around me and pulled me back against a hard chest. "Stop."
Donovan stepped forward, and my brother swung, knocking him to the ground. "Fuck. Sebastian, what the hell, man? We're on the same team."
I felt the blood drain from my face.Same team."You are helping him take my son?"
A gun cocked behind me. "Say the word, and I'll take them out." Kat stated, she always had my back.
Donovan lay on the ground. He spit blood on the cement, leaving a red splotch. His green eyes glared up at me. He winced as he stood. Before I could comprehend what was happening, Donovan leaped toward Sebastian. He swung his leg out before my brother could block him. Sebastian groaned as his back hit the ground.
With each passing minute, I grew more and more confused.
Donovan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "I'm not here to take our son away. I figured out you were pregnant all those years ago, because of how sick you would get in the morning. Do you really want to have this conversation in front of everyone, or can we talk privately?"
I wanted answers, but I worried he was manipulating me. "You won't take him?"
Over the years, I wondered how Donovan would react to the news about his son. Part of me felt guilty for keeping them apart, but my son deserved better than a life of crime and the Calhoun family. Of course, there would be other people upset about his existence.
"I didn't think our son would be here. Brock mentioned a safe house, and I wanted to talk to you before they sent you away. I wanted to make sure these men weren’t making decisions for you and that you trusted them," Donovan said. He used the same tone on me years ago when he was worried about me.