Page 30 of Claimed By The Dragon Daddy

I was shocked. “My mother? What does she have to do with this?”

“Just like every other boy in the clan, Tomas took a liking to Carlita.” His eyes softened slightly when he said my mother’s name. “The Hawthornes were gone for years when I fell in love with her. When we fell in love with each other. But Tomas found out, and it was one more thing to hate about me.”

A ball of dread formed in the pit of my stomach. How deep did this go? “He killed her because of it?”

Sebastian looked away, staring out the window. “I can’t be sure of that. I won’t accuse him of something I can’t prove. I do know he killed them all to get to you—for the power you possess.”

Power they still wanted in the form of my little girl. Rage, raw and white-hot, burned through me. This man killed the clan I’d spent the first half of my childhood with, the only family I’d known. My mother’s clan. He murdered my mother. He'd kidnapped my mate and was after my daughter.

It took all the self-control I possessed to keep my dragon at bay, but as Sebastian’s eyes flew to my fingers, to my talons digging into the arms of the chair, I knew it wasn’t enough.

He pressed his lips together and made eye contact with me. I didn’t know what I expected him to say, if I thought he’d be shocked at my display, at my lack of control. But he didn’t say anything, just watched, waited until I pulled it together.

Breathing deeply, I closed my eyes and recentered. This new element Sebastian just dropped on me was something I’d have to process, but for now it made my priorities clear. Keep Sofia out of his hands in the short-term, then take him down for good. It was time to put an end to Tomas’s reign.

I sat back in my chair, cracking my neck as my talons retracted. When I opened my eyes, Sebastian was still watching.

“You good?”

I nodded once and pointed to the computer screen. “This is enough evidence to lock Tomas up for a lifetime.”

“It could,” Sebastian said with a grimace. He went back to clicking through the files. “In an ideal world. But money like this… it talks, Evan. Money can convince a lot of people to look the other way."

I clenched my fists. "So, all these illegal dealings, they’ll continue getting swept under the rug? What's the point of even having this evidence if we can't use it?"

"Who said we can't?" Sebastian turned to face me head-on, then a slow smile spread across his face. He pointed to a list of highlighted names on the screen. "These are our targets."

I blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"Tomas has money," he said, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "But so do I. What’s more important is I have influence. I have a reputation, both in the shifter world and the business world. He's been paying these people off to keep his dirty secrets. But what happens if someone offers them a better deal?"

I looked at the screen as understanding slowly dawned. If we could get to these people and find a way to turn them against Tomas, get them to consider what we had to say…

"He won't have his shields anymore," I said, a slow smile spreading across my face. "He'll be exposed."

Sebastian nodded. "Exactly. Once he's exposed, he’ll no longer have a hold over Porter. Or Rosalind. She can drop the suit and disappear. It looks like Jax came through for us after all.”

The implications of Sebastian’s plan were still sinking in. It was audacious, reckless even, and there’d be no going back from this move. It would be considered an attack. But hadn’t Tomas already initiated an attack when he kidnapped my mate, threatening her life?

My blood boiled.

Tomas was a man of shadows, operating in secrecy, and if we turned the lights on and exposed his actions to the world, he wouldn't be able to hide anymore. That was our chance to take him down for good.

"It's a long shot, but it could work."

"We don't have a choice, Evan. We have to make it work." His impassioned tone had me sitting up straight. “Son, I know I’ve made mistakes in the past. I’m humbled that you’ve given me a second chance. When I tell you that I will do whatever it takes to keep this family safe, I mean it. The entire Carey clan stands behind you. Tomas Hawthorne will not have Sofia.”

I held his gaze and saw how committed he was to me. To our family. My chest felt tight.

“Okay, then.” I stood and held my hand out. “We’re in this together.”

Sebastian rose, clasping my hand in his. Resolve echoed between us. We had a shared purpose. The next step had revealed itself. We would seek out anyone on this list and pick off Tomas’s cronies one by one.

“Let’s think carefully and meet back together.” Sebastian said. “Why don’t you go find that mate of yours and calm down a bit, hmm?”

I blinked. I’d thought he’d let the partial shifting slide but apparently not. His advice was solid, though. Being near Mariah settled me like nothing else.

“I think I will. Thanks.”

---