Vengeful Secret (The Burkes Mafia #3)

10. Gray

10

GRAY

I pace around the study, my mind whirling a mile a minute.

Someone’s been following Sutton. Could it be Murphy?

No. There’s no way he could know about our relationship, or that we’ve reconnected. We kept it from everyone back then, and now, the only people who know are people that were at that tavern.

But then again, he does have eyes everywhere. He always seems to know exactly what’s going on with us, despite us being as careful as possible.

I wish I could talk to Da. He’s always been good at this, at understanding the motivations behind why people do things. He’s always been the person I confided in, the person that saw the real me. I keep on such a front for everyone else, but he’s always been able to see right through it. If we could just talk it out...

But he’s not well enough for that. He can’t even sit up to eat on his own, and I can’t bother him with my own stressors when he’s still recovering.

Lara walked Sutton out, and I watched on the cameras in my office. She’s really going to be living here, with her little daughter.

I thought maybe she’d never want to see me again after she rejected me, but she seems to realize that I’m the one that can protect her and her child.

Will it sting, seeing her daughter? Knowing that could have been my life, my daughter, if things had gone differently between us?

I’m not exactly jealous of the man who gave Sutton a child, but I’m envious. I wish it had been me.

Just like any other Irishman, I’ve always wanted a big family. Three or four kids with her smile and my eyes…

But it wasn’t meant to be.

I make a call to some of my top men, putting out feelers and trying to figure out who I can use to help me figure this out.

“Gray Burke,” Liam Morris drawls when he answers. “It’s been a long time.”

“Years,” I admit. “But I need your help. Round up a couple of guys you trust and meet me at the mansion in an hour.”

“Big job?” he says, and then pauses. “Lots of money?”

Some of these guys really only care about the cash, but as long as they’re loyal to my father, it doesn’t matter. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. A lot of the men in this life are the same way.

“Just get here.”

I hang up the phone.

My father has a lot of good men, but I’m not sure I want the older crew working on this.

Declan and I have our own men, as well, guys we’ve met over the years who are in the life. I don’t want this on the Burke payroll. I’m funding it myself.

I let out a long breath and head downstairs, where Kael and Declan are sitting in the living room, still discussing the matters of the day. Our meeting was cut short, and now there are new things that we need to discuss.

“You done with your girlfriend?” Declan asks teasingly, but I’m not in the mood.

“She’s not my girlfriend. But she needs our help.”

Kael looks up at me from the couch. “What’s going on?”

“Someone’s following her. Has eyes on her. I need to figure out who it is and why they’re doing it.”

Declan hums in the back of his throat. “Murphy?”

I shake my head. “I don’t know. It could be, but why would they be following Sutton and not Lara or one of us?”

“He said he’d come after our girls,” Declan points out, and I huff out a breath.

“She’s not my girl. She’s a friend. I want to move her and her daughter in here, just so that I can keep an eye out for them.”

Kael raises an eyebrow. “But she’s not your girl?”

“That’s not up for discussion.” I pace around the living room. “Let’s brainstorm, I need ideas on how to figure this out.”

“We could put surveillance on her house,” Kael suggests. “See who’s coming and going, see if there’s anyone that we recognize.”

“Listen, Gray, I know you keep saying that she’s not yours, but you obviously have some kind of connection with her. Murphy could be feeding off that, following those that are close to us,” Declan says.

I sigh and rub a hand across my face, hating the idea that Sutton is being messed with because of me. I don’t want to be a source of stress in her life.

I never wanted to. I only want to make her happy. I’d thought once that I could do that if we were together, but now, I’m not so sure.

Sutton rejected me for a reason, and I can’t even refute it. My life is dangerous. Even though now, I’m the only one who can protect her and her daughter.

“Maybe.” I sit down in Da’s old recliner. I hope he can sit in it again soon. “We’re weak right now because of Da, and I don’t want Murphy getting wind of that. We can send a few men, put up some cameras, but I don’t want a big turnout. I’ll take point on this.”

“You already have so much responsibility?—”

“Declan, please. This is important. She’s important, and she’s got a little kid that needs to be taken care of, too. I’ll handle it.”

Declan holds up his hands as if in defense. “All right, whatever you say, boss.”

I ignore his comment.

“Are we going to talk about retaliation now?” Kael looks between us.

I frown. “I thought we agreed that retaliation is a bad move right now,” I argue.

“I know that you’re worried about Paige. I know what happened to her was fucked up, but at the same time, we have to think about Da,” Declan tells his best friend. “We can’t let Murphy find out how weak he is, how he’s still recovering.”

“So what, we go subtle?” Kael asks incredulously. “That’s not how the Irish do things.”

“Maybe not, but perhaps we should be more like the Bratva,” I muse, imagining a slow, subtle take down. “We can be snakes just like Murphy can.”

The Bratva, the Russian mob, are notorious for playing the long game.

Declan grins. “I’d love to see the look on his ugly mug if we infiltrated the Murphy clan.”

“So, what, we get an inside guy?” Kael asks, and his eyes widen. “That could actually work. We could train someone to join the Murphy clan, have him report back to us.”

“Let’s table this for now. We need surveillance guys, protectors. I called Liam Morris, he’s bringing a few guys.”

Declan groans. “Not Liam. He’s such an ass.”

I snicker, unable to help myself. “Grow up, Declan. Not all of our men can be your best friend.”

“I’ll call some of my contacts,” Kael pipes up, and Declan nods although he seems a bit annoyed.

I know he and Liam don’t get along, but I don’t care.

Sutton and her daughter’s safety is more important than my brother’s mild discomfort.

“I was hoping for an all-out war,” Kael mumbles. “I want Niall Murphy’s head on a stick.”

“We all do,” Declan says, nudging Kael with his shoulder. “But it’s not the right time.”

“When will it be the right time?” Kael asks, and I look at him seriously.

“When Da is better. He’ll know what to do.” I have to admit, a part of me is worried that Da will never be the way he was before. It’s a serious injury, and his road to recovery is long and hard. It’ll be a long time before he is back to being in charge.

Declan gives me a look like he feels the same way, but I don’t acknowledge it. It’s not something that we talk about.

“So in the meantime, we just put surveillance on Sutton’s house, and have men following the girls at all times,” Kael wraps things up.

“That’s exactly right. But I’m going to be the one checking the surveillance at Sutton’s.”

“That’s not a good idea, Gray. You know it’s dangerous, being in the public eye like that. The more people see you there, the more suspicious they’ll be that there is a connection between you,” Declan warns.

“I don’t care.” The urge to protect Sutton and her daughter is all encompassing. I can’t let someone else do this and mess it up.

Kael stands up, wiping invisible dust off his jeans. “I’ll make a few calls.”

“She was nearly attacked.” I need them to realize the gravity of the situation. “And she has a small daughter, so this can’t be taken lightly.”

“Of course not, Gray,” Declan says easily, standing as well. “You care about this woman. That much is clear. Of course, we’ll protect her.”

My throat constricts as Declan pulls me into a hug.

It’s hard, having all this responsibility, taking on so much and now, there’s even more danger.

Now Sutton’s been dragged into this, and I feel awful about it. It reminds me of before we broke up, of her doubts, her fears, and it makes me feel like shit.

“It’s going to be okay.” Kael claps me on the shoulder when Declan releases me, and I just nod, not trusting myself to speak.

They leave the room, and I head to the kitchen, wondering which of the guest rooms Sutton will pick. They’re all big enough for her and her daughter, but she may want them to have separate rooms.

Marisol is prepping for dinner, and when she sees me, she smiles. “How’s it going, Gray?”

I give her a weak smile back.

“It’s been better.” I pause. “Listen, I wanted to ask you to buy some kid-friendly stuff next grocery trip.”

She raises an eyebrow. “Kid-friendly?”

“Yeah, you know, stuff a little one would eat.”

She looks slightly offended. “How little? Because unless they don’t have teeth yet, anyone can eat my cooking.”

I sigh. “I know, Marisol. And I actually don’t know how old the wee one is, but if she wants some chicken nuggets...”

“I’ll pick up some things,” she says, breaking out into a smile again. “I was only teasing you.”

She hums. She’s been in a much better mood since Da got out of the hospital.

I wish the two of them would just go ahead and admit that they’re dating, but oh well. Not my business, I guess.

“Thank you.”

I head upstairs, passing by a couple of the suites that Sutton can choose from. It’s going to be a bit crazy having her here. My head is spinning, and I don’t really know which way is up.

But Liam shows up in an hour, as expected, and brings two men—Jon and Otis. They’re not big and burly like bodyguards, but lean and squirrelly.

“Jon is the best surveillance guy I know,” he says as I usher them upstairs into my library. Declan and Kael trail in, too, with a couple of guys they’ve recommended. “He can hide cameras like a motherfucker.”

I chuckle at his vulgarity. “I’ll have the address by tomorrow morning.”

“And Otis, he blends right into the background because he’s so ugly.” Liam chuckles, clapping the smaller man on the shoulder.

Otis glares at him but then looks at me with a serious expression.

“I can kill someone in ten different ways with a pocketknife. I won’t let you down.”

“Perfect.”

I’ll be also sending one of Kael and Declan’s men—two is better than one when it comes to protecting a woman and her little girl. She might be staying here for now, but her home is sacred to and needs to be surveilled in case her assailants decide to pay her a visit.

We set all the details and by the time we’re done, my head still feels like it’s on too tight.

Sutton will be here, in front of me, every day, and I have to try not to want her.

I just have to protect her, not make her mine.

Can I do that?