Page 5 of Brandishing Betrayals

“What’s going on, Marc?” Dagger asked, cracking a beer can as he leaned back in the recliner.

I shook my head, feeling the weight of the world settling on my shoulders. “Maya texted. Luke wants to play football, but practice starts before she gets off work. She wanted to know if I could swing takin’ him to practice Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. He’s got to be there at four.”

Dagger raised an eyebrow. “You started that security gig with the Irish…” he trailed off.

I nodded, I was well aware of what I had signed up for with the Irish: protection detail, four nights a week, while the IRA was in town. “I’m going to need you and Stone’s help with this one.”

“You’ve got it,” Stone’s deep voice came from over my shoulder.

I turned to see my friend and brother, and nodded.

“Yeah man,” Dagger also said. “You know you’ve always got us.”

I sighed, grateful. “I know.”

Stone moved around the recliners and slowly took a seat on the couch in front of me and Dagger. “Have you talked to her at all?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Any time I tried, she shuts down. I stopped asking.”

Maya had refused to tell me why she kept Lucus a secret. She also refused to tell me why she left. She pretty much refused to tell me much of anything that wasn’t directly pertaining to Luke.

I didn’t know what to think about it—about her. She was an enigma now. Stony silences usually met my questioning—when I’d still tried—so I stopped asking.

“You?” Stone asked Dagger.

Nico shook his head. “She seemed sad when I drove her home after the party at Kara’s. She didn’t say much of anything, tried to push me away, like usual. But I’m tellin’ ya man, she seemed sad.”

Stone rolled his eyes, but didn’t comment.

I sighed.

“There’s something more going on here—with her,” Dagger continued. “This isn’t Maya.”

Stone chuckled sardonically. “It’s been ten years, bro. You don’t know her anymore.”

“Did we ever?” I asked, frowning.

“We did,” Dagger said vehemently. “We knew her, inside and out—”

“We thought we did,” Stone cut him off. “We thought we knew her, owned her—then she left. Just packed up one day and was gone...”

For a man that didn’t speak often, Jason got really talkative when he got passionate about something, I thought.

“She was scared!” Dagger defended her. “She had been in a fight with that chick, what was her name? Letty? Letica?”

“Leticia,” I supplied, frowning. “Tish,” I added.

“Tish,” Dagger nodded. “She had that bloody cat fight with Tish the night before. She was covered in the bitch’s blood when we dragged her off Tish, yelling at her.”

“She never did say why they fought,” Stone shot back. “All we know it what Bear and my dad said. About Dax and Tish. You don’t think they threatened her, do you?”

“I don’t know… maybe? She took off the next day, and refused to answer our calls after that,” I said. I rubbed a hand over my beard covered jaw, staring off at the wall, lost in the thought.

“Talking was always hard for her,” Dagger said.

“And we had ways to make her talk,” Stone grumbled.

“So what are you saying? We tie her up? Make her talk?” I said, half joking, but half serious—we needed answers.

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