Page 37 of Gideon

“He tracked us to Gideon’s place. He came on a boat, shouting that he’d kill everyone in the houses if I didn’t hand Haley over. Raven, Gideon, and River were talking about blowing up the boat. But I took a rifle from Gideon’s closet, walked outside, and blew the boat up myself.”

Georgia’s eyes widened. “What did the police do?”

“Not much,” I admitted. “I didn’t talk to them. Gideon and Raven took canoes out to check the wreckage. Jonah was barely alive, so Gideon made sure his pulse stopped. Then he acted like he’d just recognized Jonah as the head of the Chicago mob. The police assumed he was running drugs to Mexico.”

I fell silent as another man walked in, carrying two large pizzas. He grinned at me. “Hi, sis.”

“Hi,” I said with a small smile.

“I’m sorry you went through all that,” he said. “Raven told me about it. I’m glad you did what you did. Pizza’s ready.” He turned to set the boxes on the counter, but when he saw Mike standing there, his jaw dropped. The pizzas almost hit the floor before I caught them.

“Holy shit!” Ron exclaimed, pulling Mike into a tight hug. “How the fuck did you get out? Damn, this is a miracle. Dad, how many more surprises do you have? Tell me, Mike, how did you get out?”

“The mob’s lawyer got me out,” Mike said, smiling. “All charges dropped.”

“What?” Ron turned to me, disbelief written all over his face. “Weren’t you scared the mob would come after you again?”

“No,” I said firmly. “The one I had to hide from was Jonah, and he’s dead.”

“God, I hope you’re right.”

“I am,” I reassured him. “I was friends with the people who were at his house, and Jonah’s enemies are thrilled he’s gone. Everything is taken care of—I promise.”

Haley piped up from her seat. “He used to beat Mommy up all the time.”

“Haley,” I said gently, “we’re going to forget about that. No one will ever hurt us again.”

“Mommy carries a gun now,” Haley added. “Tommy gave it to her.”

“Who’s Tommy?” Ron asked.

“He owns the Bass Pro Shops,” I said. “And before anyone gets worried, I know how to use it.”

Ron raised an eyebrow. “But if you’re not worried about the mob, why do you need a gun?”

“There’s a lot of evil in this world,” I said, my tone serious. “And I won’t let anything happen to Haley.”

Mike leaned forward, steering the conversation to lighter ground. “So, tell me about your first meeting with Raven. Did he stare at your eyes like he does with everyone?”

I laughed. “He met Haley first, so I’m sure he started doing DNA tests before I even arrived. He and River were guarding Haley while Gideon was out looking for me.”

“Where were you?” Ron asked.

“I thought my father-in-law had Haley, so I went after him. But Gideon found her running from the man who’d taken her. That man thought he’d killed me, but I survived.”

“Now I understand why you fish,” Aaron said with a chuckle. “It’s so relaxing after everything you’ve been through.”

“What do you mean, fish?” Ron asked, narrowing his eyes. “Is that your boat out there?” He stopped mid-sentence, staringat me as if something had just clicked. “Fishing with Laney. That’s you?”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Yes… why?”

Ron’s face turned beet red as he looked at Mike and Aaron, clearly flustered.

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Ron was obsessed with you,” Mike said, grinning. “He wouldn’t let us touch the TV when you were on. All he ever wanted was to fish with Laney.”

I laughed. “Well, Ron, you can fish with me this weekend.”

---