Page 42 of Law

Hutch shrugged. “You aren’t Georgia’s Daddy without learning a few tricks. Now, Lovie, you’re sworn to secrecy, little girl. What’s shared at the table, stays at the table.”

Zane laughed and jumped to his feet. “I knew it!”

Law put his hand over her knee to make sure the chair didn’t hit her. “Watch it, kid.” Nodding, Zane adjusted his chair and retook his seat.

Lovie put her hands on her hips. “You know, you could just end it by changing the bedtime to nine thirty.”

Law shifted her higher on his thighs. “Stand down, little fairy cat. We’ve already decided to do that.”

That seemed like a lot of trouble to her. “This was a corporate decision. You couldn’t each decide what’s best for your own Little?”

Reid shook his head. “Yeah, no. That ain’t the way it works. If one gets a concession like that, they all want it. We need to establish rules that work for everyone. Now, let’s get to the reason we’re here.” Reid lost his grin and turned his attention to Zane. “Gage told me you think your dad had something to do with your sister’s kidnapping. Is that right?”

Zane’s shoulders slumped. Lovie itched to hug him and tell him everything would be okay. He probably would see it as babying in front of the other men, though. He wanted to be treated like an adult, which was a good thing. She didn’t need to throw water on that fire inside him.

When he finally glanced at her, it took all she could do not to gasp. The sorrow filling his eyes made her long to punch PhillipThorne right in the dick. Her hand reached his shoulder before she could stop it. “It’s all right, Zane. I know everything you’re going to say. The Warriors like to talk. But you’re wrong. The Warriors were after you, not me. I’m the one who insisted they take me.”

Heat flooded Zane’s cheeks as fire filled his eyes. “Why would you do that? If they wanted me, you should have let them take me. I’m a guy. You didn’t need to be held by a bunch of outlaw bikers.”

Her heart. It just might break. “I couldn’t do that, honey. You were only thirteen. I couldn’t let them take you. Phillip would have lost his mind.”

A look she never wanted to see on her brother hardened his features to an angry mask. “I hate him. He a total asshole loser who only cares about himself. I don’t get it. How could he do that to you, Lovie?”

There he was. The newborn her mother brought home from the hospital, who cried non-stop around everyone except Lovie. The five-year-old, who didn’t want to go to a different school than her. And that thirteen-year-old, terrified as grungy, greasy-haired men grabbed him and tried to force him onto the back of a motorcycle and take him away.

She’d never forget those moments, and she’d never forgive Phillip for causing them. Never. But she couldn’t let those thugs take her Zane, not when she had the power to stop them.

“Take a breath, kid. You tell your story at your pace,” Law said, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Zane took his time, regaining control of his emotions. He placed his hands, palms down, on the table. “Like I said earlier, my dad wouldn’t help me find out who took Lovie. After begging him for three solid months to do something, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Whenever he was gone, I would sneak into his office and search through his things. You know, papers, drawers, files. I looked everywhere. After another three months, I finallyfound what I was looking for: the connection Dad had with the Society and the Lawless Warriors.”

Without looking at her, Zane delivered a lethal blow. “It took me too long to find out what happened, Lovie. I tried. I swear, I tried. It’s my fault you were with them so long. I’m sorry.”

That did it. Burgeoning manly pride or not, she needed to hug him. When she wrapped her arms around him, he didn’t move. “Don’t hug me, Lovie. I don’t deserve it. I let you down.”

Oh, she didn’t think so. He wasn’t taking the blame on himself, not on her watch. “You stop that right now. I don’t want to hear you talking like that. None of what happened was your fault. And it wasn’t your responsibility to fix it. You take all of that and lay it on Phillip where it belongs.”

A huge Viking hand landed on Zane’s shoulder. That got her brother’s attention, but he still didn’t move. “I’ve always been straight with you, yeah, kid?”

Zane muttered a reluctant, “Yeah.”

“You’re damn right I have. You need to listen to your sister. She’s being straight with you, too. You might have been only thirteen years old, but you had the heart of a lion. You did more than anyone expected from you. Your dad sure didn’t think you’d figure it out, or he would’ve destroyed all that evidence you found. You went above and beyond. You know I’m not the kind to blow sunshine up your ass and tell you what you want to hear. I’ve got more respect for you than that.”

Zane’s head shot up as he stared at Law.

“You got grit, kid. I’m proud of you. The sacrifices you made? You got no call to feel shame. You let that shit go.”

Law held Zane’s gaze until her brother nodded. Thank the lord! However, Law’s words reminded her of where her conversation with her brother had ended.

She raised her hand, just as she had in grade school.

Law grinned. “Yes, Lovelyn? Go ahead.”

Turning to Zane, she asked, “What were those sacrifices, exactly?”

Color flushed Zane’s cheeks again. He might be almost a man, but right now, he looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Zane rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, about that. Once I found the information, I did my research. I dropped out of school the day after I turned fifteen and joined the Lawless Warriors.”

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