Page 30 of Hateful Union

Dad steps forwards, “What the hell happened to you?”

I wave a hand in the air dismissively, “I went to a club, there was a shootout, I got pushed to the ground and scraped my face.”

Oops, wrong thing to say. Now I’m facing off with six angry men, all whose faces are getting redder by the second.

“You were at Gallagher’s club.” The accusation in Francis’ voice has me tensing. “What the fuck were you doing there?”

“Having a drink. I wanted to be alone, that’s why I went there.” I try to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Francis glares at me. He doesn't believe me, but thankfully he doesn't make any more of it. “Last night, I was taken by the Irish arsehole wanting to know why we shot up his club.” He raises a brow as his nostrils flare. “We didn't of course. It wasn’t us, but what the stupid fucking twat doesn't realise is that he has more than one enemy. Or so I thought.”

I frown, “What’s that supposed to mean? That you thought?”

“Those pricks let me go, they even gave me a car service. Driving me right to our front door. While I was in the car, I got a call from his right-hand man telling me to inform Dad that you are in danger.” My blood runs cold at Francis’ words. He nods and carries on with his story. “He told me to let Dad know that the shooting at the club was a way to get you out in the open where they could shoot you.” He runs a hand over his jaw. “I didn't believe him. Why would my sister be at the arseholes club?”

I nibble on my lip. Not really sure what to say right now.

“I thought he was taking the piss, trying to infiltrate us, because if it was true, and you were shot in his place. It would mean we’d blame him and go to war.” He shakes his head. “So imagine my surprise to find out that he is in fact, right, and you were there.”

“I was there,” I tell him, but I don't think they were there for me. Yes, there were the shots fired and when I left the club there was the man on a motorbike who also fired shots. But what I don’t understand is why they would shoot me. I've done nothing wrong.

But the night that Mayer died replays over in my head. The things those men said before they beat my best friend to death hits me. They wanted to get to me. That's why he died. They wanted to get back at my family for what they have done to those men’s sister. If what Malcolm is saying is true and the shots fired were meant for me as a way to lure me out into the open so I could be shot at close range, then this is all down to my dad and that fucking business of his.

“You are not allowed to leave the house,” Dad tells me his voice thick with emotion, shaky and his body tense. “Don't argue with me right now. I will not lose my daughter.” He points a meaty finger at me. I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s never shown so much emotion.

“Why are they after me?” I ask, needing to know if he will tell me the truth. “Why are they targeting me, I have not done anything to anyone,” I hiss, begging him with my eyes to tell me the reality of what I'm facing.

He just stares at me. “We’ll sort this out. Don't you worry, you’re to stay here.” He glances at Gabby. “You should stay too.”

Gabby shakes her head. “Thank you, but I’m okay, Mr. Silver. I have a lot of work to do. But I’ll be careful,” she says, but her voice is shaky.

I completely understand why she doesn't want to be here. She can't be around my father for too long. I wish I had that luxury. What we uncovered today. It's disgusting. And to even talk to him is hard, my throat’s dry, I’m nauseous, and I just want to cry. I want to ask him why he's done these things. But I know he’ll just lie and tell me that he hasn't. Knowing him, he'll blame Malcolm.

While I didn’t believe Malcolm in the beginning, I had to find out the truth, plus Malcolm has no reason to lie about what my dad does. And finding out from Gabby’s father just cemented it. Not to mention he has evidence of my father’s dealings. There’s no other choice but to believe that he is the monster. Especially now, with these people after me.

There's no greater revenge than an eye for an eye. Being the only daughter of the Silver family, and the greatest target. I should have realised that, I’m so naïve. I hate that he’s put me in this position.

Thankfully, Gabby's father has assured me that he will be sending me the evidence he has through secure email. One that can't be traced, so I can see for myself and know what to look for.

I will not be defeated. Mayer died to protect me for something my father did. The man has caused too much pain. And I can't let it go on anymore.

I will bring my father down. I just hope that I can survive while doing it.

13

Malcolm

The wheels of the private jet touch down in New York City and I sigh in relief. I’m here for a few days and I’m glad of the reprieve. Being here gives me a chance to put everything into perspective, a chance to be away from what's happening. I hope that I’ll see things with a clearer mind.

I’m hoping that being this far from Raylee will give me more focus. That woman has taken up my every waking thought. She's a constant fixture in my mind, it's ridiculous that I've become so obsessed over her. Thankfully, there's been no more attempts on her life. I've kept Isaiah and Matt on her while I'm in New York, needing to make sure that she's taken care of. I don't care if her father is the leader of one of the biggest gangs in Spain. I need to make sure she's okay.

The fucking kicker of it? She hates me, I know it, I can feel it. I hate who she is, who her family is. She's gorgeous, fun, quick-witted, and she always gives as good as she gets. That’s something I actually admire about her, she never lets anything get to her. She stands tall and stares me down, never cowers behind the fear; instead she faces it head on. But she’s a Silver. And what that family has done, I can't and won't accept it.

She hates me enough as it is for allowing Mayer to be killed. I can just imagine how much she's going to despise me if her family dies at my hands. There's no other way around it. Harry Silver is going to die.

Christian is working on trying to find out where the motorcyclist went after he got to the airport. We need to find out which flight he got on and then see if we can track him from there. Christian and I know a lot of people in the right places that can help us do this. We just need to figure out our starting point. As soon as I find out, I'm going to pay that piece of shit a visit, and I'm going to find out why he is after her, or who hired him to kill her. Then I'm going to kill him. That doesn't bother me, the fact that I'm gonna kill him. What bothers me is thewhyI am going to do it. Because of her.

I don't understand how I could care for someone so much in such a short space of time. It's a foreign concept to me. Yes, Sienna warmed my bed for a while, but I didn't feel half as much for her as I feel for Raylee. There was also something about Sienna that kept me on edge. I couldn’t understand her motives. Whereas, with Raylee I see her. To me, she's an open book. I see the hate. I see the lust. I see everything in between. She has no qualms showing me exactly how she's feeling. It's refreshing. I want her. God, I want her more than I have ever wanted anything in my life.

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