Page 44 of Gideon

Chills ran down my spine as I stared at the phone. “What the hell was that about?” I whispered, looking at Gideon.

“I don’t know,” he said grimly, “but I’ll find out. Let me see if Sean can bring his laptop over and dig into this.”

While waiting for Sean, I paced the room, tension building with every step. When he arrived, his expression told me he hadn’t found good news.

“Did you know Jonah had a brother?” Sean asked, opening his laptop as we all sat at the table.

“No,” I said, my voice shaking. Gideon pulled me onto his lap, his grip steadying me.

“Well, he does,” Sean said. “And it gets worse—Jonah’s twin brother, James, was just released from prison. A judge, likely paid off, got him out. He’s already taken over Jonah’s operations.”

“A twin?” I asked, my heart pounding. “Are they identical?”

“Yes,” Sean confirmed. “The only difference is James doesn’t send men to kill his enemies—he does it himself. This guy’s brutal. He even killed his wife because he ‘got tired of her.’ He electrocuted her in the bathtub.”

“That bastard,” I muttered.

Gideon tightened his arms around me. “I’m having you and Haley move in with Raven. I can’t protect you right now.”

“You can’t tell me what to do,” I snapped. “I need to think. The problem is, I’ve already been on YouTube. If James wants me dead, he knows where I’ve been, and he knows about my family—they were all in my videos.”

Grabbing my phone, I called Raven. “The monster has a twin. He knows about our family. They were all on my boat with me. I need you to take them somewhere safe while I figure this out.”

“You’re going with them,” Gideon growled.

“Raven, are you home?” I asked, ignoring Gideon.

“I’m outside,” Raven replied.

Minutes later, he walked in with his coffee pot and enough for everyone. I hadn’t even thought to make coffee, too consumed by my spiraling thoughts. I clenched my hands, frustration bubbling up. I finally had a family. Jonah was dead. I’d hoped for peace. Instead, my dream of an everyday life was falling apart.

“Sit down and drink your coffee,” Raven said firmly.

I handed my cup to Gideon, who hadn’t taken his eyes off me. “Sweetheart,” he said, his voice calm but stern, “I hope you’re not planning anything crazy.”

“Of course not,” I replied. “But I want Raven to take Haley with him. I’ll go fishing in Oregon and post videos. That way, everyone will think I’m nowhere near Oklahoma. I’ve been doing this alone for years, right, Sean?”

Sean hesitated. “Yes, you have,” he admitted, “but the mob wasn’t hunting you back then. I agree with Gideon—you need to lay low.”

Instead of replying, I turned to Raven. “I’m tired of this. I finally found the man I can’t live without, and now this happens. It’s not fair. You’re my brother—aren’t brothers supposed to help their sisters? Tell them I can handle this.”

Raven’s jaw tightened. “Are you out of your ever-loving mind? Gideon’s right. You and Haley are coming with me. Gideon can’t watch over you while healing, so it’s up to me. We’ll leave in the morning. I need to get some things ready.”

“I’ll keep monitoring the mob and David March online,” Sean said.

Trying to hold back tears, I said, “I’ll start breakfast. Haley will be awake soon.” I walked over to Gideon, leaned down, and kissed him. “I love you. Stop worrying.”

21

Gideon

I glancedat Raven while Laney busied herself with breakfast. He was watching me intently.

“She’s planning something,” I whispered.

“I agree. We’ll keep an eye on her,” Raven replied.

“How are you going to do that if you’re in Oklahoma?” I asked.

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