“I couldn’t tell Harlow, because I knew she’d never approve of my plan, and I needed her reactions to be natural.” She turns to face me again. “I didn’t know you knew him. I understood that allowing any man into the house so soon after your father’s passing would infuriate you. I needed Sinner to see that. To know you were clueless. That you were lashing out as you would with any man who threatened to take your dad’s place.”
“You think I couldn’t have acted that part?” I inquire, wondering if Mom knows me at all. “If you’d told me the truth, I would’ve put on a good show. He’d never have known.” I shake my head, because this is all so futile. I kept her out of my plans first out of loyalty to Dad and our joint desire to protect Mom and then because I lost all faith in her. She kept me out of her plans to protect me, but all we’ve done is compound the situation and make it worse.
“I thought I was doing the right thing.” She visibly swallows. “And it hasn’t all been bad.” A small smile graces her lips, as she rakes her gaze over my husbands. “You found love, and you have good men protecting you now.”
“Mom. You’re not distracting me with that. Not until I know everything.”
She drops her eyes to my hand, the one intertwined with Theo’s hand, her gaze fixating on the rings on my finger. “I’m not trying to distract you. Merely stating the truth. And we will be discussing your marriage after this conversation.”
“What was your plan?” I ask, deliberately ignoring her statement. She doesn’t get to switch the Mom card on and off as it pleases her, even if there was a reason behind her behavior. It’s going to take some time before Mom and I can put all this behind us, if we even can.
“Initially, when Trey died, I didn’t suspect anything because I was heartbroken. However, when the shock wore off, and I had time to think about it, I knew it was no accident.” She thumps her hand over her chest. “I knew in my heart that Sinner had something to do with it. It was something I’d always feared. I started going through your father’s things, trying to find something to confirm my suspicions. I found a bunch of stuff hidden in the attic, and among the papers was an informant contract your father signed with the FBI. I reached out to the agent in charge, and he told me that Trey was helping them to take Sinner down. I knew what I had to do then.”
She tucks hair behind her ears. “I offered to take over. Said I would help them to continue Trey’s work if they promised you’d be looked after in the event anything happened to me.”
“What?” I splutter, unsure if my ears heard this correctly. Mom has been working with the FBI? What the actual fuck.
“It’s all been for you, Harlow. Everything I have done has been about keeping you safe.”
CHAPTER 29
“YOU’RE WORKING WITH the FBI?” Diesel asks, looking concerned, while my brain continues to spin over Mom’s revelations.
“Yes. But I doubt they’ll want anything to do with me after tonight.”
“What about The Arrows?” I ask before we get into that. “Where do they fit into things?”
“Diego Santana is an FBI informant too.”
“What the fuck?” Bry blurts, his mouth opening in shock. “Why would he do that?”
Mom shrugs. “I’m not privy to all the inner workings of gangland politics, and I didn’t care enough to ask. We’ve been working together, trying to pit one crew against the other, hoping it would distract Archer Quinn and Sinner long enough for the FBI to make enough of a case against both organizations.”
“What happened tonight? We saw you arguing with Diego,” I say.
“How did you know about that meeting?” Mom asks.
“Bry installed a camera in Archer’s office, and we gleaned the details from that.”
“You need to remove that, son.” Mom drills him with a look. “If Archer discovers it, it could put Diego and the whole case in jeopardy.”
“I think that’s a moot point after tonight. Your actions have thrown everything into jeopardy,” I say. “What were you thinking?”
“That I’d had enough, Harlow.” Her shoulders slump in defeat. “Something broke inside me that day in the basement,” she quietly admits. “I realized that I’d never be able to beat him. It doesn’t matter if I have the FBI on my side. Sinner is too smart. I stupidly thought he still loved me. That I could manipulate him into walking into a trap, but he doesn’t love me. He hates me. And he hates you. And the only way it will stop is if he’s dead.”
“You asked Diego to help and he said no,” I surmise.
She bobs her head. “He told me not to do it. To stick with the plan. My FBI handler wants me to return to Sinner. He said it’s the only way, and that’s what Diego reiterated. I hadn’t planned on doing what I did in the restaurant, but I just flipped. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t pretend, and I’m…scared. For me. For you. I just wanted it over.”
“Trey would not want you languishing in a jail cell for the rest of your life,” Lincoln says.
“My brother is right,” Diesel adds. “I’m glad they stopped you from making an even bigger mistake.”
“I’ve messed everything up. I’m sorry, honey.” Mom’s eyes fill with tears. “I only wanted to protect you and to make that bastard pay for what he did to your father.”
I wrangle my hands from Galen and Theo, taking Mom’s hands in mine. “It’s okay, Mom. We’ll figure out a way to make this work, but you’ve got to leave. Tonight. I can’t do this unless I know you’re safe.”
She shakes her head. “I’m not leaving you to face this alone.”
“Harlow is right, Giana.” Lincoln sits forward on his elbows. “Sinner will only continue to play you both. If you are hidden away, he can’t use you to threaten Lo. It will make things easier for her.”
“What do you think?” Mom tips her chin up, leveling her gaze on Diesel. “From what Lincoln’s told me, Trey trusted you completely.” She glances at me with a wry smile. “He’d never have entrusted our daughter’s safety to you otherwise.” I guess Lincoln has filled in some of the other gaps for Mom.
“I agree that moving you overseas is the best option. I’ve already made plans, and we can stash you at one of our safe houses in Europe. Lincoln has already agreed to go with you, and I’ll have a team guarding you both.”
“What about my daughter?”
“Lo can take care of herself,” Diesel confirms. “She has the guys, and I’m here for her too. We’ll ensure she’s safe. I promise.”
She eyeballs me, scrutinizing my face, as if committing it to memory. “Okay. If you’re sure it’s the right thing to do.”
Air whooshes out of my mouth in grateful relief. “It is, Mom.”
She pulls me into a hug, and I don’t resist, sinking against her, wondering when we last hugged with such genuine affection. I’ve missed her. More than I’ve cared to admit to myself. She’s gone about everything all wrong, but she acted out of love. She sacrificed herself for me and my dad, and that’s all that matters. Any lingering hate in my heart disappears.