Page 87 of Forbidden Need

“It’s done,” he said, raising his arms, freeing them from her hold. “You want to know who killed your granddaddy—”

“And if they don’t know? If Silvio and Swerve are not the ones responsible? You’re putting yourself in the path of a bullet.” If he was lucky. “Don’t do this.”

“How the fuck is it different?” he hissed. “This is what you wanted.”

“I didn’t,” she said, her lips drying. “Please, Strat, I can’t let—how will I look your little girl in the eye?”

“Same way you’d have me look at her if I put you on this course.”

“But you didn’t! I did it myself. I did all of this myself!” Tears fell, but she swiped them away fast. “I do not want you putting yourself between me and this bullet. I’ll take the hit! I want to take the hit!”

“Turnabout is fair play, kid. You protected Imogen. Now I protect you both.”

Turning his back, he walked away.

“Strat,” she said again, but he didn’t react. “Strat! This isn’t what I wanted! Strat!”

He walked out the front door, disappearing into the light. What did she do? How did she undo it?

On a surge of adrenaline, she rushed back to the club to lock on Ford. “Do not let him out of your sight.”

“What?” he asked, smacked with her urgency.

“Go after him! Do not let your father out of your sight!” Ford was already halfway across the room when Jagg leaped up too. “Yes! Go! Both of you. Do not let him out of your sight. Not for a second!”

“What the fuck is—”

“Just go!” she screamed, gesturing them out.

As they retreated, she exhaled, and fell back against the club wall, eyes closing. What the fuck had she done?

THIRTY-ONE

“WHAT’S GOING ON?” Lachlan asked. “What happened?”

Rather than her brother, she sought Connel. “I fucked up.”

“I’ll fix it,” he said with a glance at Niall that quickly transferred to three McDade guys.

They sped out in Ford and Jagg’s wake.

Could she really trust the Swerve meet was tomorrow? Even if it was, Strat could bring it forward if he feared she’d act on her own to circumvent him. More McDade manpower decreased the likelihood of Strat walking into trouble. If it came to it, they could hold him down.

“You’re guarding Strat now?” Lachlan asked.

“And you can’t tell Imogen,” she said. “It’ll complicate things. She’ll worry and end up in the line of fire.”

“What the hell’s going on? Is this about your source?”

“No,” she said, her forefingers finding her temples. “This is about a decision I made that Strat is taking ownership over.”

“And you’re scared he’ll get hurt?” her brother asked.

“He will get hurt, but that’s not the point.” Though it was in the moment. “This was all me. Others shouldn’t face the consequences.”

“Doing the right thing never starts with doing the wrong thing.”

Oh, Lachlan, it was almost laughable. “We are so far beyond that point. Like super, light years away from that line, brother. And it started off the other way around. I did the right thing. What people would think is the right thing and… I fucked up.”

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