Vengeful Secret (The Burkes Mafia #3)

28. Gray

28

GRAY

Sutton’s already up when I wake, which is unusual given she likes to sleep in.

I frown, sitting up and putting on a robe before walking toward Ciara’s room. Sure enough, Sutton’s in there, lying with our daughter, her eyes closed.

I smile at my two girls.

I suppose Ciara must have gotten up in the middle of the night and asked her mother for cuddles, as she does sometimes. Sutton told me that they used to co-sleep when she was smaller.

I don’t wake them since Ciara has the day off school, some kind of teacher’s workday. I’ve got her schedule memorized and on my phone.

I shower and shave quickly before dressing and heading to my office, wanting to check and see if I have any work messages on my burner phone.

I only have an unofficial invoice from Murray for the cleaning job, and I transfer the money to him immediately.

A knock on the door startles me, and I look up to see Liam standing in the doorway, frowning.

“Something wrong?”

“We just received a letter. An invitation, looks like.”

“So?”

“It’s from Niall Murphy.”

I freeze, standing up and taking the card stock envelope from him.

It chills my blood that Murphy has addressed it to me instead of Da.

I use the letter opener and rip open the envelope, and the embossed invitation suggests a parlay with an address and a time—midnight tonight.

It’s rather formal, but that’s the way Murphy has always done business.

“Fuck.”

Liam clears his throat. “Should we call a meeting?”

I stare down at the invitation for a moment longer before nodding. “Call Declan and Kael and have them meet me here in an hour.” I pause. “You come, too, Liam.”

He nods briskly and leaves the room.

I sit down hard in my chair, throwing the invitation on the desk.

A parlay?

From what Darragh had said, Murphy wanted scorched earth. Scorched earth didn’t include meetings about what is going to happen.

But who knows when it comes to Murphy? This could be a trap.

Declan and Kael show up in exactly an hour, with Declan coming right in and Kael following him. Liam’s a couple of minutes later, and they all come inside and shut my office door.

I wordlessly hand Declan the invitation, and he shares it with Kael.

Kael looks up at me with wide eyes.

“He addressed it to you.”

“I know.”

That can only mean one thing—he suspects that Da is out for the count, even if it’s not confirmed.

Parlays are always done between the bosses of the clans, after all.

Declan looks at me. “Fuck. What if it’s a trap?”

“I thought the same thing, but… He knows I’ll take my men. There’s no indication that he wants me alone.”

“Of course, you’re not going alone. We’ll go with you.”

I take a breath, knowing that Declan might blow his top over what I’m about to say next.

“I think I should go alone.”

“What? Are you crazy?” Declan hisses.

Kael puts a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe he’s right.”

Declan turns to look at him as If he's crazy, too, and Kael sighs.

“I know it goes against every instinct, but he’ll be expecting us all. If it is a trap, we don’t want to be down and out,” Kael explains.

“Exactly right, Kael.” I nod at him, but Declan doesn’t seem to agree.

“We’ll have more firepower if we all go. At least us four.”

“I’m going alone, and that’s that.”

Declan glares at me. “Just because you’re acting boss?—”

Liam cuts in. “I'll go as backup. I’ll stay in the car, wait outside as a getaway driver.”

Declan grumbles out a curse under his breath.

“It’s an order, Declan. You stay here with your wife. You can’t be going out, anyway, she could go into labor at any moment.”

Declan sighs, knowing I’m right. “All right, but I want you to check in every hour.”

I nod. “I can do that. Liam, we’ll head out about eleven-thirty. Just stay at the house until then.”

Liam gives me a thumbs up and a smile and they trail out of my office.

I sit down behind the desk, feeling a little guilty that I’m not consulting Da over this.

He’s been doing a bit better, awake more often, but he’s still weak as a kitten. There’s nothing he can do in this situation but worry, so if there’s anything to talk about after the parlay, I’ll let him in on it.

There’s no reason for him to stress. It isn’t good for his heart.

I make a few calls, making sure that my men are ready in the event that it is some kind of trap. I make my final call to Thomas, worried about him ever since the other night.

He’s not exactly an active member of the clan, but certainly an honorary one.

It’s still early, so when he answers with a groan, I hope he’s not hungover.

“Hey, Tommy. How you feeling?”

“Lissa’s wedding is in two weeks. How do you think I’m feeling?"

I wince. “Shit. I’m sorry, man. Things have been so crazy with Da?—”

“I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bitten your head off. It’s just… I don’t know what to do.”

“Have you talked to her?”

He snorts. “Of course not. I don’t want her to see what a wreck I’ve become.”

“Maybe that’s what she needs to see," I insist. "Maybe she just needs to know that you care.”

“She’s always known that I care.”

“But you guys haven’t talked since the breakup, Tommy. Can you really watch her get married?”

“Of course not."

“Then you have to talk to her.” I pause. “Trust me, if I could go back in time, I’d have tracked Sutton down and made her listen to me. I’d have told her how much I loved her, that everything would be okay.”

Thomas is quiet for a moment. “I heard Sutton was staying at the mansion. With a daughter.”

“My daughter,” I say proudly. “And yes, she’s here.”

“If you can get Sutton back, maybe…” He trails off. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll go to her place, try to talk to her.”

“Sober,” I point out, and Thomas laughs.

“Yeah, sober. Thanks, Gray. You’ve always been a good friend to me.”

“Anytime.”

We hang up, and that’s when I notice that Sutton is standing in the doorway, smiling.

“Thomas still having a hard time?” Thomas and Sutton had met a couple of times while we were dating. We’d even been on one double date with him and Lissa.

“Yeah, but something tells me it's going to get better.”

She smiles and steps into the office. “Ciara’s out at the pool with Lara, so she’s occupied for a bit.”

I press my lips together, realizing that I’m going to have to tell her.

“I'm going to be busy today and tonight. Lots of work.”

She freezes. “What kind of work? Does it have something to do with me?”

I shake my head. “It’s Murphy. He wants a parlay.”

She pales. “You’re going to meet with Niall Murphy?”

I nod slowly, and she stares at me.

“I want to go with you.”

“Absolutely not,” I say firmly. “You’re one of their targets.”

“Not anymore. You took care of the guy who took me, right?”

I groan. “Yes, but there’s plenty trying to take his place.”

“You’ll be right next to me every step of the way,” she says, perching on the edge of my desk. “And I don’t want you to do this alone. I’ll be close if something does happen, and you can protect me.”

Now that she mentions it, it’s possible that they have eyes on the house since they have people watching Lara and Paige. What if getting me out of the house is their opportunity to strike?

I have more calls to make, and Sutton’s right. I need her close, and I need my best men protecting my daughter here.

Liam needs to be here, not with us.

“I hate this,” I mumble, and Sutton sighs.

“I hate it, too. I’ve always hated this part of your life, Gray. But you were born into it, and you can’t change it. There’s no way out for you, and so there’s no way out for me.”

“I’m sorry, a ghrá ”

Sutton smiles, leaning down to kiss me softly.

“Don’t be sorry for who you are, Gray. I love so much of who you are, I can take the good with the bad.”

“You won’t be out of my sight, the whole time," I warn.

“Of course."

“And you have to listen to me. You’ll take your gun, put it in your purse.”

“Don’t I always listen?”

I nod. “You’re a good girl.”

She shivers, and I can’t help but smirk.

It’ll be good to have her close, but I’ll also be worried about what might happen.

I feel torn by this whole situation.

The rest of the day goes by in a blur of phone calls and reassurances to Declan and Kael.

I convince Liam to stay at home, and Declan, Kael and Paige are going to be staying at the house so that everyone is in one place. I don’t want Murphy picking any of us off.

By the time I come out of my office, it’s nearly eleven, and Sutton is already dressed and ready, sitting on the sofa downstairs. She’s wearing a simple pair of jeans and a nice blouse, and I’m dressed in slacks and a black T-shirt.

No reason to get dressed up to see Murphy.

She stands up as I come down the stairs.

“Should we go early? Scout it out?”

“That’s a good idea.” I look down at her. She carries a small purse across her body that matches her blouse.

I’m carrying my own gun at the small of my back, and I have a couple of knives strapped to my legs.

The drive there is silent, with both of us ruminating on the potential dangers of doing this.

I drive around the building first, being sure that there isn’t an ambush, and there’s not. There’s two men posted at the door of the abandoned warehouse, one I’ve been to before for meetings on neutral ground.

Sutton and I don’t hold hands as we walk toward the open warehouse door.

Murphy’s men are ones I don’t recognize, must be new members, and they only grunt when we arrive, leading us to the back of the warehouse, where Niall Murphy is sitting on a crate.

He stands up as we walk toward him.

His blue eyes are fierce, his silver hair slicked back. He’s got a little weight around his stomach, but he’s in good shape, much like Da.

“Gray Burke,” he greets, and then looks to Sutton with a twisted smile. “And Sutton McIntyre.”

“Niall,” I say in a low tone, gripping Sutton’s hand now, pulling her closer to me.

“Don’t worry, Burke. I’m not after your girl anymore.”

“Because I killed Darragh?”

“No. Because I want to make a deal.”

I stare at him. “I don’t make deals with snakes.”

He chuckles. “I don’t know why you Burkes gave me that nickname. After all, our crest has a wolf, not a snake.”

“Well, you act more like a snake.”

Niall looks me up and down. “Maybe,” he muses. "In any case, do you want to hear the details of the deal?”

Sutton nudges me. “Maybe we should listen to him.”

I turn back to Niall. “What’s your play here?”

He shrugs. “I subscribe to the old laws, Gray. Your father used to, too. I propose an eye for an eye.”

“Meaning?"

“Patrick took my daughter,” he says harshly, pain evident in his voice. “So, I want one of your girls. Now, it’s come to my attention that your youngest sister is with child, and that Sutton has a little daughter. Because I’ve got such a soft heart for kids, I’ve decided Lara will do.”

“You want me to trade Bree for Lara?” I ask with a scoff.

“Precisely. And as a bonus, we’ll stop stealing your shipments. It’s a good offer.”

“Never. I’ll never let you have any of my girls. I don’t trade in people.” I can’t believe he would even ask it, and Sutton is next to me, staring with her eyes wide.

“I’ll warn you that you should listen to your girl, boyo. If we don’t make a deal soon, I’m going to have to assume that Patrick wants a war.” His eyes sparkle a bit as he smiles. “Or is it you that’s running things now, Gray?”

I ignore the dig, not wanting him to get under my skin. He already revolts me.

“No deal. None of my family gets touched.”

“I can’t promise that if you don’t take this deal.” He pauses. “Lara won’t be harmed, you know. Bree wasn’t harmed, she was just turned into a Burke, which might be worse.”

“I said no deal, Murphy,” My voice booms in the huge warehouse, echoing back to me, no deal, Murphy.

He spreads his hands wide. “In that case, I can’t promise that any of you Burkes will make it out alive.”

“Scorched earth,” I say dryly, and Murphy gives me a wicked grin.

“Scorched earth.”

I stare at him for a long moment.

Sutton squeezes my hand, supporting me.

“Too bad. I guess we’ll have to see who the stronger clan is.”

Murphy shrugs. “So be it. Finn, walk them out, would you?”

Finn and the other unnamed man gesture toward the door, and Sutton and I walk out.

I’m walking a little fast, angry, and Sutton hurries to catch up with me.

Back in the car, I curse, and Sutton stays quiet, looking down at her hands.

“Did he really think I’d agree to that?” I ask incredulously. “He thought I was going to give up my sister?”

“I guess it’s a deal he would have made,” Sutton replies.

“Fucking snake.” I scowl, and Sutton puts her hand on my knee, trembling slightly.

I turn toward her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she assures me, but her face is pale. “I just didn’t expect him to be so… intimidating.”

“He’s nothing,” I assure her. “I’ll protect you. I’ll never let him or his men lay a hand on you.”

I think about what Murphy said.

Scorched earth .

That means all of us are targets now, not just the girls.

Well, let him come at me.

He’ll see what the Burkes are really made of.