Page 125 of Five Fingers of Death

I stilled at that. Fuck, if he was here, that meant?—

“He brought Claire with him. We already knew he was planning that, but we haven’t gotten any information from Cash and Knight yet. We have no fucking clue which side Michael is on.”

“I’ll go. He’s not getting on this fucking property.”

His eyes flashed to mine before he gave a curt nod. “I appreciate that. I think if I laid eyes on him, I might fucking shoot him.”

For what he was doing to Cash. He didn’t have to say the words for me to know exactly what the fuck he was so pissed about. Michael—Shadow—was possibly playing both sides, and if that was the case, that meant Cash was at great risk. Fuck, he’d probably already done a few things he couldn’t take back.

“Where are we keeping Claire?”

“She can stay with Izzy?—”

“Absolutely not,” I snapped. “Izzy’s just getting her feet under her. There’s no way in hell I’m letting her mom come in and push any shit on her.”

“Claire was all for Izzy getting help,” he reminded me.

“She was, but Claire might also bring up shit that Izzy’s trying to leave behind. Until we know how the fuck Claire is going to be, she’s not getting anywhere near Izzy.”

“Do you still think Claire might have been working with Michael?”

Shaking my head, I thought back over our conversation with Cash. “It’s impossible to say. I fucking hate the idea that Claire would willingly let her daughter stay on that island with that fucking monster, but we didn’t think Shadow was capable of it either.”

“We still don’t have proof he was involved.”

“That’s the name the senator gave with his dying breath.”

He nodded, eyeing me curiously. “Kavanaugh seems to think it wasn’t Shadow.”

“He’s also fucked up over his old man being shot in front of him. He’s not thinking clearly.” We were going around and around in circles. We had proof of nothing, and until we could get some evidence, we were left scrambling.

“Stick Claire in the main house,” Lock relented. “She’ll have some privacy, but we can keep an eye on her.”

I nodded and headed for the door, jerking it open just as he hit the privacy locks again. Heading to the elevators, I took it to the main floor, then stepped out, regarding Michael with disdain. Claire appeared agitated, but otherwise fine. As soon as she saw me, she rushed over.

“I want to see my daughter.”

“Not gonna happen. Not yet,” I rumbled. She’d spoken less than ten words and I already wanted to get rid of her.

“I haven’t seen my daughter in months! Take her to me now.”

My eyes flicked to Michael, who looked like he would put a bullet in me if I didn’t comply. But I had never been one to be cowed by another man. “Like I said, that’s not gonna happen. A lot of shit has gone down since you last saw her, and until I know you’re not gonna screw up the progress she’s made, you’re not getting anywhere near her.”

Michael shoved past her, getting in my face. “You may have been on Rafe’s payroll and been his guy, but that’s not how I operate.”

I let out a mirthless chuckle at that. “Oh, trust me. I know how you operate. Always out for yourself. Always trying to play one side against the other. Where the hell do you think Rafe learned it from?”

He grabbed me by the shirt, but I slammed my fist down on his wrist, breaking his contact.

“Don’t you ever put your hands on me again,” I snapped. “I am taking care of Izzy, and that’s gonna have to be good enough until I know for certain that you’re not gonna fuck her up,” I seethed.

“I would never fucking hurt my daughter,” Michael growled. “She means the fucking world to me.”

“Yet, she was on that island for thirteen fucking years. Tell me, how does a man like you with all those connections, leave his vulnerable daughter in the hands of a monster?”

His eyes flashed hard as he took a step back. He wasn’t backing down. He was fucking pissed as hell, and he was trying to rein it in. His hand slipped around Claire’s and he pulled her behind him.

“Enough!” Claire snapped, stepping around Michael. She took a steely breath and faced me head on. “While I don’t appreciate the accusation in your tone, I also believe that you want what’s best for my daughter. As much as I would like to see her right now, if you think she’s making progress and needs…space, then I can give it.”

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