Page 68 of Undertow

I pretend to cower at her fury. “You are the only one with any balls in this family and you’re not even family.”

I blink in surprise as the others wince at the reprimand.

“Take Tyler to the shack. It’s time we wake that boy up.”

Shit. That can’t be good.

Julia tenses, eyes wide. “Hold on. Let’s just?—”

“You can swing a fist or you can join him. We’re obviously getting too soft,” Mama H hisses. “And take Shaw with you.Show him the ropes. Hell, maybe he can teach you all to grow a fucking spine. Afterward, you figure out how the hell McArthur managed to get RLC assets on my island.”

She storms off, leaving the three of us staring at each other on the back porch of the Hartford mansion. Waves crash behind us, seagulls whine through the air, and somewhere a rotted scent corrupts the salty sweet aroma of the surrounding vegetation.

The shack. What the fuck is the shack?

Julia and Adrian exchange a look before she nods and motions for Adrian to leave us alone.

She takes my hand and leads me to a wicker loveseat, gripping my fingers as we settle close.

Her tough front is admirable, but I read the hesitation just below the surface. I can guess what’s about to happen with Tyler in “the shack,” and I have no doubt she doesn’t want to drag her new boyfriend into the coming violence. She’s trying to figure out how to explain the shocking horror of what’s about to go down.

If only she knew.

“Shaw, um…” She squeezes gently, stroking the back of my hand with her thumb.

“What’s the shack?” I infuse just the right mix of concern and curiosity into my question. “What’s going on?”

“So, listen.” She clears her throat and shifts uncomfortably in her seat. Finally, she lifts her gaze and searches my eyes. “You’ve seen what the McArthurs are capable of. You’ve seen the battle raging between us. One false move, one mistake or second of letting our guard down could be devastating.” She pulls in a deep breath. “We have to protect The Family above everything. No matter how much we love each other, none of us comes above The Family.”

My blood goes cold at an old scene.

“No one is above The Family. You will do this. You will do everything you’re told to do.”

“Shaw? You still with me?"

Her teeth sink into her lower lip as she studies me.

I force away the memory and focus on the present.

“What are you saying?” I ask in a shaky voice.

“It’s not what I’msaying. It’s what you’re about to see.”

Forty minutes later, I find out.

The shack is exactlywhat I thought it was. Nestled behind Adrian’s house, the small, secure structure screams of a dark purpose, even from the outside. It’s smaller, moldier, and damper than the torture chambers I’m accustomed to, but the blood is the same. The smell of fear and the echo of pain.

Tyler’s head hangs low as he gasps in a breath. To their credit, none of them fight the process. Tyler takes his punishment without the need for restraints. Adrian and Julia execute it without malice or prejudice. It just is.

Tyler pushes up to his knees, blood streaming from his nose. His expression is bewildered but resigned. His face is already swelling, and I swallow a twinge of guilt at the violence I’ve caused. Tyler is confused by his crime because he didn’t commit one, but this is only the beginning of the carnage I will cause before this war is over.

“The RLC!” Adrian shouts, slamming his foot into his cousin’s ribs again. “How the fuck did you let the McArthurs pass through security with that kind of stash?”

He groans, clearly trying to pull air into his throbbing lungs. I know that feeling well.

“I don’t know,” he rasps out. “I… fuck! I don’t know!”

“What about that source behind the gate you’re always bragging about? They didn’t think to mention this?!”

---