Page 74 of Loving Trent
“I do.” Shawn chuckles as Zak’s hand disappears.
Thirty-Seven
TRENT
The plan is simple but leaves no room for error. Demon has been watching Steven and Nathan since early this morning after Uncle Joey called him to inform him that the family knew and was hatching a plan. Before we left town, Shawn called Nathan and told him that he needed to meet Shawn at the restaurant. The reason? Easy, Shawn was having second thoughts about selling it and wanted to get his opinion. Shawn might have mentioned that he needed a friend to lean on because he was also unsure about his new relationship. He thought that would entice Nathan more, and it worked.
The restaurant just happens to be closed for repairs, but with one phone call, the construction company was all too happy to take the day off with pay. Uncle Joey and Ryan drive Shawn’s car to the restaurant while the rest of us head to the gym and walk the seven blocks. We only have a few minutes to set everything up when we get there before Demon texts us.
Demon
Heads up, he’s heading your way, but something doesn’t feel right.
Me
What makes you say that?
Demon
Right after Nathan left the apartment, so did Steven. He hasn’t left the apartment since Shawn was up here in November. He had a black bag with him, and I didn’t like the glint in his eyes. Nathan just turned onto Sprigg Street and is heading your way. I’m going to follow Steven and find out where he’s going. He might be trying to make a run for it.
Me
Keep me updated.
I shove my phone back into my pocket and press my back against the stone wall of the basement. Thank fuck for Missouri weather. When Shawn bought the building, he had a basement dug out and built up, just in case. It cost an arm and a leg, as Sonny told all of us when Zak asked how it was possible. Spring, Summer, and Fall weather can sometimes be dangerous for the people living here. Depending on the weather, tornadoes have been known to hit and cause significant damage. Most people have basements or storm shelters around their houses, but not at businesses. However, Shawn wanted to make sure that he had a place to protect his employees and customers if the need arose. I bet he never thought his family would use it how we are about to.
“He’s here,” Adam says as he comes down the stairs that lead straight outside. He was waiting outside because, out of all of us, he seemed the calmest.
Shawn and Nathan’s voices are muffled, and I hate that. I need to know what is being said, but I promised Sonny I would stick to his plan to get Nathan down here. After that, I’m doingwhat I want to do. The basement door opens, light spilling down the stairs, and Nathan’s voice is clear. “Shawn, you deserve better than this, Trent fucker. Say the word and I’ll handle him.”
Fuck you, I’d like to see you try. I think as I smirk at the thought of this fucker thinking he could ‘handle’ me.
“I know you would,” Shawn says, and I don’t know how Nathan doesn’t hear the sarcasm dripping from his words.
Counting their footsteps as they descend the stairs, I raise my gun when I hear Nathan step off the last stair. “Shawn?—”
Nathan’s sentence dies as he steps into the open room, and I move forward, pressing the barrel of my gun against his temple. “You got one thing right. Shawn deserves better than me, but I won’t let him go.” The basement door slams shut, the sound echoing around us.
Shawn walks around a frozen Nathan, Sonny following closely behind him. The rest of our family emerges from the shadows with their weapons drawn but not pointing at him. “What… What is going on?”
Before anyone has a chance to answer him, the door leading to the outside flies open, and a body is thrown down the stairs. A scream, one that I’ve heard before, fills the room, and I smile. “Oh, shut the fuck up. That didn’t hurt,” A low, gravelly, smokes a pack a day voice comes before a man walks down the stairs.
“Move,” I order, and push the barrel harder into Nathan’s head. Luckily, he listens and walks forward toward Shawn. I look sideways and see Demon hauling a crying and blubbering Steven to his feet. “Nice of you to join us.” Steven’s head snaps toward me, and we all hear the pop of his neck.
“What—”
“Don’t,” Parker says, his voice sounding just as dark as Demon's did moments ago. He brings another chair into the middle of the room and places it beside the one Levi is currently tying Nathan to. “None of us wants to hear you speak.”
Uncle Joey and Ryan come from the storage room on the left, carrying a small black folding table. “You’re going to listen to what we have to say, and if you try to talk… well, I might just remove your ability to speak for the rest of your lives,” Sammy says, coming to stand behind Steven, looking like a badass warrior with her shotgun thrown over her shoulders.
Once Steven and Nathan are secured to the chairs, Shawn starts laying out their misdeeds while the rest of us surround him. I don’t watch the cowards like the others. No, my eyes are glued to Shawn. I’m in awe of his strength. His voice never falters or breaks while discussing their plans for him. His body never trembles, nor does it relax. The only emotion in his smooth voice is anger. Everything about him is turning me into a molten pot of lust.
“Before we give you a chance to try to explain all of this,” Shawn says, waving his hands at the papers on the table before him. “I want to thank the two of you.”
Everyone gasps, and I step closer to him. Pressing my body against his back, I wrap my arm around his waist and slide my hand up until it rests over his heart. It’s pounding and I press harder as if I could reach inside and hold it until it calms down. Shawn presses his ass back against my erection, and I lean down and whisper in his ear, “Easy, Baby Boy.”
“Thank them?” Levi asks.
