Gordy was correct about one thing for certain—Echo had given me a lot. He’d given his whole life to supporting me, River, and Phoenix. He was our rock, our shield, our shoulder. And I was no longer going to allow him to stand in front of us. It was time for me to step up and stand beside him.
A chill swept over me and it was terrifying.
Completely.
I desperately wanted to fire my barbs. I wanted to call up nasty words that would wound Gordy and make him leave. I wanted to aim all the pent-up hostility inside of me and lash out.
But I couldn’t.
I. Could. Not.
Fucking hell.
Why couldn’t I?
“I dream about Penelope and her dad,” I rushed out. “Not every night. But a lot. I dream about Clive Hutchinson begging me to save his daughter. Then I see him on his knees screaming with blood spattered on his face. He’s covered in her blood.”
“God, Sunny.”
Tortured.
Gordy sounded utterly tortured.
Did friends gut their friends because they couldn’t keep their issues to themselves?
Then J.D. “Gordy” Gordon did something he had never done before. He wrapped his arms around me and crushed me to his chest. His chin tucked and he rested his cheek on the top of my head.
“Jesus Christ. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Shit, now he sounded mad.
“Scratch that, I know why you didn’t say anything. I hope what’s happening here is sinking in, woman. We waited, all of us, for you to give us some indication you were ready for us to push you to open up. You bringing Luke to dinner the other night was the sign we needed. You’ve opened yourself up to him, and while he’s keeping you busy dodging his bullets, we’re gonna sneak in. No more shutting us out. No more bullshit. You’ve gotta trust us with more than your life. And I know that sounds all sort of screwed up but we know you’d catch a bullet for us but you wouldn’t dream of leaning on us for help. That changes now. You can be as bitchy as you want and we’re not backing off this time.”
“Okay.”
Okay? What the hell? Am I crazy?
“Okay, Sunny. I feel it’s important that right now we talk about these dreams. Give Luke a call and tell him I’m taking you out for breakfast.”
“Gordy—”
“No. This isn’t important, it’s im-port-ant. As in, you’re not outta my sight until we go over this. It’s been fuckin’ with your head for months. We’re talking this out.”
Hard. Impassable.
Damn.
“Okay. I’ll follow you and call Luke on the way.”
Gordy gave me a squeeze and let me go.
“Mable’s?”
“As if I’d participate in a heart-to-heart under extreme duress without a stack of chocolate buttermilk pancakes and scrapple.”
Gordy wrinkled his nose.
“You know the rules. No mystery meat at the table.”
“You’re breaking your rule. If you want me to spill my guts, I need high in cholesterol meat products.”
“Whatever,” Gordy grumbled, then ambled to his SUV.
I watched him walk away.
His shoulders were slumped, his head hung, and his gait quick.
Damn.
19
“Yo, Luke,” Drake called my name.
I stopped and took a step backward to the doorway of the conference room.
Jason, Nick, Carter, Drake, Brady, and Hadley were all sitting around the table.
An executive meeting. Or was it a shareholders’ meeting? Whatever it was called the five of them were essentially my bosses. Though Brady was my direct superior since he handled all of the training and that was my main job. There were times I was pulled in for other things like helping Ethan but thankfully that was rare. Sitting in an office wasn’t my favorite thing to do.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Good work on the Harper case,” Nick said.
“Wasn’t much to do on my part. Dylan got the intel.”
Nick shook his head and smiled. “Y’all are the same. None of you like to take credit.”
I didn’t need to ask who “y’all” was. Nick was referring to Matt, Logan, Trey, Drake, Carter, and myself. Once upon a time, we were a team of another kind. Brothers who relied on the competence and skills of the man standing at his back. We didn’t take individual credit. Everything we did was a team effort.
“Jeff Shepard will be picked up today for questioning,” Nick continued.
“Good news.”
“Yeah, good news,” Nick finished.
“I’ll let you get back to it.”
I started to step out of the room, but Drake stopped me.
“Everything okay with Sunny?”
This was dangerous territory. I didn’t want to spread Shiloh’s personal business but everyone in the room had been at the picnic. Everyone had witnessed Liberty and Shiloh’s exchange. I still didn’t know what exactly was said and I figured Drake actually knew more than I did seeing as he shared a bed with Liberty.
“I’m not sure.” I gave Drake the truth. “Phoenix landed a blow announcing her father’s dying—not in the sense she’s torn up the guy’s gonna die but it opens up bad shit for all of them. And I didn’t get to talk to her last night before she was called out. Did Liberty tell you what they were talking about?”
Shiloh called this morning after I got out of the shower to tell me she was going to breakfast with Gordy then home to crash. There was something in her voice—a hitch, a wobble, sadness, wariness—something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I wasn’t sure if she was just tired or if something had happened. Though she did report no one was hurt and they’d apprehended the suspect and all the hostages—the man’s family—were unharmed.
“All Liberty told me was, Sunny reminded her of herself when she got home after we rescued her. She said she recognized the anger. I hope you know Liberty’s not gonna let this slide. She’s gonna reach out even if Sunny doesn’t.”
Fuck.
“That’s not a good idea. Shiloh’s got issues with people getting close. It would not be good if Liberty tried to get friendly. Shiloh will push back, and it’ll be ugly.”
Drake stared at me a moment. Anguish flashed in his eyes before he masked it and jerked his chin.
“She hasn’t forgotten, brother. Not any of it. But you know what makes it easier for her when her mind goes there? Her knowing that you, Logan, Matt, Trey, and I were there. That when she was vulnerable we took care of her. She will never forget that for those hours the only thing between her and death was us. She also remembers what it’s like to not want anyone close, to lash out, to be mean, to push everyone away. There’s a reason why she recognizes the anger—she’s lived with it. This is two-fold for Liberty. She feels a kinship with Sunny. A sisterhood that not many women belong to and she wants that connection with her. The other part is, Sunny’s yours and Liberty knows it. You know Liberty; you know she can endure whatever Sunny throws her way.”
I was not worried about that. Liberty was tough as hell. Shiloh could turn up her Killer Frost routine and Liberty would laugh at her.
“And what about you? And the others? If Shiloh lashes out and says nasty shit in anger are you gonna be able to look past it? Because Liberty’s right. Shiloh is mine. I don’t want there to be hard feelings. And until I help her through what’s eating her up inside that anger is swimming close to the surface, and when it comes out Shiloh goes for the kill and she slices deep. What’s that gonna do to you?”