Page 44 of Fury
It's not a question, but he nods anyway. "The clubs don't deal in human trafficking or the other sick shit these guys are into, but we occasionally occupy the same spaces. We can get messages to them."
"So, what happens now?" I ask, looking between Dad and Greyson.
"Now we send those messages," Dad says firmly. "Make it crystal clear that harming you would start a war they don't want. Meanwhile, you stay close to home, close to protection."
"And Diane?" I can't help but ask, despite my lingering anger toward her.
Dad and Greyson exchange another look, something unspoken passing between them.
"She made her bed," Dad says finally. "We can warn her, but beyond that…" He shrugs, the gesture saying everything his words don't.
The cold reality of the situation settles over me. Diane didn't just put me in danger through carelessness, she deliberately engaged with dangerous criminals, used information she had access to for personal gain, and all without any thought to the potential consequences for those around her.
"I want to call her," I say firmly. "She deserves to know what's coming."
"Livie—" Dad starts to protest.
"I'm not saying we help her," I clarify quickly. "But I need to hear her admit what she did. And she should know why these people are after her."
After a moment's hesitation, Dad nods. "After dinner. We'll set up a secure line."
Mom clears her throat. "Speaking of dinner, it's ready. And I think we could all use a moment to breathe before diving back into… all of this."
As we move toward the dining room, Greyson pulls me back slightly, his voice low in my ear.
"Whatever happens with Diane, with these mob connections, I won't let anyone touch you," he promises, his eyes intense. "You're under my protection now. Mine and your father's. That means something in our world."
I lean into him, drawing strength from his solid presence. "I know," I whisper back. "And for the first time in my life, I'm grateful for exactly what that means."
Dinner passes in a strange blend of normalcy and tension—Mom's excellent cooking, with Dad and Greyson discussing club business with Mason in carefully measured terms. Through it all, I can't stop thinking about Diane, about the recordings, about the web of danger I have unwittingly stepped into.
And beneath it all, a realization that's both comforting and terrifying: I've spent years trying to escape this life, this world of clubs and codes and sometimes violent justice. But now, facing threats I never imagined, I find myself grateful to be exactly where I am—surrounded by men who understand this dark world and know how to navigate it.
Men who would kill to protect what's theirs.
And somehow, against all odds, I've become Greyson Reed's to protect. The thought should frighten me, but instead, it feels like coming home.
After dinner, Mason leaves to go home to Meadow, and Dad leads us to his office—a room I rarely entered as a child, understanding even then that it was where "club business" happened. He picks up a secure phone, one I recognize as untraceable, and hands it to me.
"Make it quick," he advises. "And put it on speaker. We all need to hear what she has to say."
As I dial Diane's number, Greyson moves to stand behind me, his hand resting on my shoulder. The phone rings three times before she answers.
"Hello?"
"It's me," I say, my voice steadier than I expected. "We need to talk about what was really on that flash drive, Diane. About what you've been doing with Richard Keller's recordings."
The silence that follows tells me everything I need to know.
"Livie, I—" Diane's voice cracks, and I can hear her crying. "How did you find out?"
"Does it matter?" I ask, anger flaring despite my exhaustion. "The question is, why didn't you tell me you were blackmailing dangerous criminals with recordings from our apartment?"
"I never meant for it to go this far," she whispers. "It started small, just… just enough to pay rent before I moved in with you and when my hours got cut at the salon. A few hundred here and there from Richard's business associates. I never thought?—"
"You never thought they'd trace it back to you?" Greyson interrupts, his voice deadly calm. "You never thought they'd kill to protect their secrets?"
"Who is that?" Diane asks, fear sharpening her tone.
