Page 66 of The Secret's Out

Chapter Fifteen

Eli

As I stared at Josie’s retreating sexy form when she strode down the hall and then her bedroom door banged shut, I couldn’t help but remember the conversation I’d had with Caden after he recognised the finger in the box. Josie didn’t need to hear it, but unfortunately, we were running out of options after being caught out on a lie from both of us.

“Out,” I’d growled to Memphis and Dive. Dive already had the door open and was out it before Memphis stood from the table and stalked around it. He took the back of my neck in a hold and pulled me in close. There he whispered into my ear, “Take care of our brother. Don’t let him lose himself. If I’m guessing right, it’s his mother’s finger. She ain’t worth the trouble. Get him through it and make the fuckers pay.” With that, he left, closing the door behind him.

“Caden,” I started.

“You know who it is?” he asked with his back to me.

“Yes,” I replied. “Come sit down, brother.”

Caden snorted. “What, you gonna give me head to forget about that fuckhead cutting bits off of my mum?”

Angry. Of course he was. The man was playing him and he didn’t deserve it.

Like Memphis had done to me, I took the back of Caden’s neck in my hand and steered him to the table, sitting him down in a seat. There I let go and sat next to him. His elbows went to the table and his head and eyes pinned to the box. So I picked it up, put the lid on it and threw it toward the trash can.

“Listen to me,” I began, his eyes came to me and then returned to the table, telling me he was gonna listen, but the clenched jaw told me he wasn’t happy about it or the fucked-up situation. “Think back, Caden. Think back to how your own fuckin’ mum used and abused you. Man, she gave an innocent boy’s body to anyone who’d pay so she could get her fucked-up fix. She’s never cared, Caden. If you go to her, help her, you will be sucked back into her nasty fucking web.

“Is she worth your time, your help when finally, fuckin’ finally, Caden, you have pure beauty in your life? She’ll ruin it, brother. She will fuck up your life again.” I placed my hand on his arm on the table. “Don’t let her. She’s using you again, using your heart to get what she wants. Don’t let her win. She ain’t worth it. You have us now. You have your own family and she is not a part of it. The only good that woman did was give birth to you. Now she should be just a memory. Fuck, not even that, not after what she did to you. She’s fuckin’ nothing, Caden, not even worth a thought.” I paused. “Let it go, brother. Let her go and move on to what comes next for you, Josie and me. Your family.” I could only hope Caden would see reason with my words.

We sat in silence for a while. I watched him as his mind ran through many thoughts.

“I don’t know if I could live with myself just letting him have my mum.”

“Are you willing to hand Josie over for her?” I asked.

“Fuck no,” he growled.

“Why do you feel the need to save that bitch of a mother of yours? What has she ever done for you? Tell me of a fuckin’ time she had your back and wasn’t offering it up instead for her own life.”

Nothing but silence.

Because there had never been a time his mother had his back.

Not like Hawks.

And not like Josie would.

“Fuck,” he hissed. “Fuck!” he yelled. “She’s nobody to me. I have no family but the brotherhood and...you and Josie.”

“Damn right, Caden.” I nodded. “Let’s head home. Our girl will be wondering where we are.”

Without another word, he stood and started for the door. Then he turned to me when I was a step behind him. He looked at me and gave me a half-smile. “Who knew we’d...? I ‘preciate ya, man.”

Grinning, I said, “Same.”

On the ride home, I thought it was time to take the reins back into our hands. There was no way in fuckin’ hell I was gonna let the fucker ruin Caden’s life. He had just started to live again.

I slid off my ride and waited for Caden to take off his helmet, I was about to tell him my plan when he spoke, “I’m gonna make a call to Lan. Maybe he can do something. I can’t,”—he shook his head—“I can’t just let her die.”

“You know what that means?”

“What?”

“You’re the better man, out of any of them, us. Fuckin’ always have been, you and Josie deserve each other, but I’m a selfish fucker and I’m taggin’ along for the ride as well.”

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