Page 26 of Shared By Her Brother's Best Friends

Bess’ mouth draws into a thin line. “What sort of accident, Emma? What happened exactly?”

“Um… well I don’t know exactly. Just that he went out boating and his boat was found but his body was never recovered. It was officially ruled an accident, though there wasspeculation that perhaps he took his own life…” I stammer, now realizing how little I know about my husband’s death. “When I heard the news, I’d been shellshocked and, to my shame, a little relieved that Adam was gone, so I didn’t think to ask too many questions…” I admit guiltily.

“So no one was with him on the boat?” Ty asks, startling me slightly as he’s been silently listening throughout the conversation.

I shake my head, “Not to my knowledge, no. He went out alone and never came back. I didn’t hear much from the authorities or from his mother, just the basics. His funeral was out there. Max and I didn’t go.”

Mason looks at Bess. “Do you think it’s possible…?” he says, not voicing the question, yet Bess seems to know exactly what he’s asking.

“I think so,” she replies grimly.

“What?” I ask, feeling foolish that they all seem to be thinking the same thing and I’m missing it.

Jax decides to be the one to break it to me. “Emma, it’s possible that Kane could have even been involved in your husband’s death.”

My hand flutters to my mouth as I gasp, “Do you really think so?” I ask, looking around at the grim-faced expressions of the others as I realize the gravity of who we might be up against.

“It’s not beyond the realm of possibility of what Kane is capable of. Have you spoken with your mother-in-law recently or any other members of Adam’s family? It’s possible you’re not the only one being targeted.”

I shake my head. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of her since this all started, but I haven’t managed to get through. But that’s not uncommon. She only has a landline and is notoriously bad at answering it. As far as I’m aware Adam has no other family. His father died a while back, he was an only child, and he didn’t have any other relatives that he ever spoke of.”

Again, the other share concerned glances.

“Emma, could you let me know your mother-in-law’s details, name, address, her number, that kind of thing?” Bess asks, pushing a notepad and paper over to me and pulling her phone out of her pocket.

“Sure,” I reply, writing them down. “Why? Do you think she could have something to do with this? As I said to the guys before, I think if she wanted custody, she’d have taken the correct channels or at least tried to be part of Max’s life more. She barely speaks to him, only Christmas and his birthday, really. She sends extravagant gifts and calls to speak to him for about five minutes, but that’s pretty much it. Adam’s mother was always distant, they barely interacted when he was alive. That’s why it was so odd when he decided to go visit her when he died. I figured he was trying to get money from her. Adam had always implied she had money but cut him off when he was young.”

“When was the last time you spoke to her?” Mason asks, his eyes darting to Bess, an unspoken conversation going on between them.

“Not since Max’s birthday in June…”

Bess nods decisively. “Alright, let me make some calls,” she says before leaving the room.

“What’s going on?” I ask, looking toward Mason for reassurance.

“Bess has contacts in high places. I assume she’s going to verify your mother-in-law’s whereabouts,” Mason says.

When he doesn’t offer any further information, I probe him further. “But why? Does she think she might have something to do with all this?”

Mason studies me for a moment as if determining how much he can hide from me. “That’s one possibility,” he offers.

“What’s the other?” I insist, not wanting to be fobbed off with half-truths.

Mason doesn’t respond, and before I can press him further, Jax intervenes. “Mason, she has a right to know everything. If it is Kane… she needs to know what she’s up against.”

Mason sighs but seems to relent as he speaks up. “The other option is that Kane already got to her,” he says, his tone implying that if Kane has, she won’t have survived. “Emma, I really fucking hope that Victor Kane isn’t the guy behind all this. Fortunately for us, we don’t know him, and he doesn’t operate in Oklahoma, but even we’ve heard about him. He’s ruthless and dangerous. It doesn’t end well for those who become involved with him.”

A seed of panic starts to swell in my chest. If Mason and the Iron Serpents are afraid of this guy, what hope do I have of protecting my son from him? My breath quickens as my mind tries to fathom the notion that a dangerous mafia boss might be after my son.

“This can’t be happening…” I whisper disbelievingly, putting my hands on my head and slumping forward.

Jax moves closer to me, placing a comforting hand on my back. “Let’s try not to jump to conclusions, we just need to rule every possibility out,” he says though his words fall flat.

After what feels like an eternity but can’t have been much longer than ten minutes, Bess returns. We all snap to attention, our gazes turning to her, hopeful for good news, like sunflowers searching for the warmth of the sun.

My hope is extinguished when I see the pity in Bess’ eyes. She comes to sit opposite me, delivering the news like a doctor who’s just lost a patient.

“I’m sorry, Emma, there’s no easy way to tell you this. Your mother-in-law passed away.”

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