Checkmate: Checkmate, #8

by Finn, Emilia

  “That’s what I’m saying.” Sophia draws her laptop back around. “It would appear that we have something in common. You call Colum a murderer. I say the same. Now I use that prick’s money to fund a dance school, but beneath the surface, that dance school isn’t much of a dance school at all, but a shelter for women who need a little help.”

  “A shelter…” My gaze snaps from face to face. The guys are still silent. Jess is watchful, and Sophia is running this show. “You help battered women?”

  She nods. “Colum’s money funds the very types of women he victimized. He was a horrible man, he bought, sold, and raped girls without a single fucking lick of remorse. Now he funds a dance academy, and he no longer breathes, so hopefully we’ve slowed the number of women who might need such services.”

  “And you? How do you connect?”

  She turns the laptop back to me one last time, presenting a spreadsheet of costs, the bare necessities any standard woman might need in a month. Toiletries. Bedding. Underwear. Clothes. Medication. Baby items take up a large portion of the budget; babies that are born from innocent women and predatory men.

  “Ellie Solomon was my baby sister. She wasn’t the first girl he hurt, and she certainly wasn’t the last. But she was the beginning of his end. She was the reason I became who I am. She was the reason I met Jay. She was the reason for everything, so I name my school for her, and when women come to us for help, they cash checks and sing Ellie’s praises.” She snaps the laptop closed. “That was a lot of goodwill, Griffin. I told you a lot. Now it’s your turn. How do you connect, and why the fuck do you think these men should pay for their father’s crimes?”

  “I connect…” I look from one set of eyes to the next. “Through my mother. She was a…” I hate how the words stick in my chest. “She knew Colum.”

  “She was a club whore?” Kane asks. His voice isn’t quite as hard as it was earlier. “Was your mother sold?”

  “She was not a whore,” I seethe. “She was not a fucking whore.”

  “My sister was a club whore,” Jessica murmurs. Her voice crackles, her hands shake as she strokes her stomach, and when she leans forward, I realize it’s because she’s looking through the boardroom windows in search of… well, I guess her sister.

  The blinds remain open, and the men we saw on the way in remain exactly where they were. They might not be able to hear us, but they see. They see every move we make.

  “She was unwilling,” Jess says. “She tried to kill herself because of what happened. But the fact remains she found herself a victim inside Abel Hayes’ club. She was sold, and her involvement was directly related to Colum fucking Bishop. The man that will, technically, be my late father-in-law. Was your mother a club whore?”

  I swallow the bitter pill that is the truth. “Yes.” I cough to clear my throat. “Yes, I believe my mother was one of Colum’s whores. I visited a club only one time, so maybe she got out when she got pregnant or something. I’m not sure. But it wasn’t part of my everyday life.”

  “And now your mother is dead?” Sophia asks. Her eyes are sympathetic, even if her words are hard. “How did she die?”

  I glance down when Libby slides her hand into my lap and clutches to mine. I lick my lips to moisten them, because I swear, it almost feels like I’m inside that club again. My stomach wants to blow, my throat is desert dry, and my lips are cracked.

  “With her legs open,” I choke. “She died with her legs open, laid out on a desk while Colum was fucking her. I walked in at the wrong moment… or the right moment. I don’t know. I walked in and she saw me. I figure he was trying to buy me, but she didn’t want that for me, so she told me to run. They murdered her right in front of my eyes.”

  “And then you ran?” Jess asks.

  I clamp my lips shut and nod.

  “How old were you when that happened?”

  “I was eleven.” I meet Jess’ bright eyes and swallow. “It happened twenty-two years ago, when I was eleven.”

  “And why was Colum trying to buy an eleven-year-old boy?” Jay asks.

  “Because that boy was Colum’s son,” Sophia whispers. Her eyes are wide, and her arm flexes as she grips Jay’s hand beneath the table. To hold him down, perhaps. To keep him on his side of the table.

  “Fuck.” Kane finally breaks character and shows me something other than a machine. He sits back with a groan and presses the heels of his hands against his eyes. “He’s Colum’s son. He’s Colum’s fucking kid.”

  “That makes him our brother?” Jay’s eyes flicker from me to Kane. He’s not the enraged boyfriend from yesterday, but confused now, vulnerable. “Fuck me dead, Theo Griffin is our brother?”

  18

  Libby

  Rejection Hurts

  Pandemonium.

  Straight up murderous, vicious pandemonium, but it’s all in Kane’s eyes. He wages a war that no one else can see. His jaw grinds, his eyes sparkle with the kind of rage I’ve seen in his mugshots, and his hand holding Jess’ clenches until she hisses.

  She snatches it away on a curse, but practically dives into his lap when he tries to stand.

  She wraps her arms around his neck, and forces him to grunt when she drops nine months of twin pregnancy weight into his lap. “I’m gonna sit here until you get your shit under control. This is what Soph and I could see that you guys can’t.”

  “Same jaw,” Soph murmurs. “Same hair.”

  “Same lips and teeth,” Jess continues.

  “Eyes are different.”

  “They’re his mother’s eyes,” I supply.

  “What was your mother’s name?” Soph asks quietly. Jay remains beside her, curious rather than angry. “Theo, what was your mother’s name?”

  I turn to the man beside me, but I don’t see Theo Griffin. I don’t see the man he so carefully crafted for so long, I don’t see the cover he insists on wearing, or the empire he built on the back of hunger and grief. I see the boy. Innocent, and hurting. I take his hand when his lips refuse to open.

  He thinks I don’t see that he prefers not to speak. That he prefers to be a silent observer. He thinks I know nothing about him, but I know it all. It only takes a moment of staring into his eyes to know his every thought.

  It’s like a superpower that belongs solely to me; no one else can read his eyes. But I can. I’ve always been able to.

  Shuffling my chair, that may or may not have explosives attached to the bottom, closer to his, I slide my fingers between his and squeeze. When his gaze remains on a pen in the center of the table, I squeeze again and try to lend some of my strength.

  Yesterday was the day my world changed, because I got my family back.

  Today, he gets his.

  “His mother’s name was Jacintha.” I bring his hand up, then I press my lips to his knuckles and let my heart race.

  I’m nervous. I’m scared. I’m giving up everything I worked so hard for. But this is important, and it’s all I’ve dreamed about for two thirds of my life.

  “She was a single mother who worked hard to provide for her only child. She was beautiful, and Gunner shares her eyes.”

  “Gunner?” Kane’s brows furrow. “That’s his real name?”

  I feel his pulse racing. I feel it all the way through his arm until it beats against my hand. “He was not born with the name Theo Griffin.”

  “We already know that,” Soph inserts dryly.

  “Gunner Bishop.” I meet Kane’s eyes. “The day I met him in Hayes’ club, he was Gunner Bishop. I thought he died that day. His mother was murdered, I was stuffed into an office, and he ran. My father…” I swallow the lump that lodges in my throat. “I saw my father shoot at that boy. He was eleven, and he threw himself down a flight of stairs to escape, and when my father and the others chased him, I thought he was dead.”

  “But he’s not…” Jess murmurs. She remains in Kane’s lap, her feet almost in Jay’s lap, and rubs circles in her belly. “He didn’t die.”

  I shake my hea
d. “I didn’t know he was alive until last night.”

  “In the office,” Soph says in a quiet tone. “It’s why he was watching you. Why he couldn’t focus on a single damn thing once you walked into the club. It’s why he caught you. Carried you. It’s why you cuddled against him.”

  My cheeks flame with humiliation. Not for cuddling a man, but because I needed to be carried somewhere like a common damsel. “Yes.”

  “We left you in the office with him. A little while after that, we came back, and he was gone.”

  “I shoved him out the window,” I admit on a small chuckle. “I had a concussion and a bunch of people banging on the door. I panicked and told him to leave.”

  “And then you spent the night together,” Kane adds with finality. “Just like that, you pick up where you left off, and now you bring him among my family.”

  “Kane.” Jess winds her hand through his short hair and tugs until their eyes meet. “It would appear he’s your family too.”

  Kane’s nostrils flare as he drags a long breath through his nose and lets his chest expand. “Family…” His eyes flicker from Jess, to Jay, to Soph. Then his gaze flickers to the wall of windows until he looks to the men who haven’t moved an inch since we came in here.

  They stand guard, and have no qualms about rushing this room when ordered. The fact I’m a cop does absolutely nothing to deter them.

  “Family to me doesn’t mean blood. It doesn’t mean we share the same last name. It doesn’t mean we share the same father. In my world, family means loyalty, it means love, and protection, kindness, truth, and honor. You and I may share the same blood, but our only connection is through a man we can all agree is a murderous prick. Are you like him, or like your sweet mother?”

  “He asked me the same questions overnight.” I sit forward a little, and draw eyes away from the silence beside me. “He wanted to know if you’re like Colum, or your sweet mom. You guys have a lot more in common than you’d like to think, and all of you are scared. Change is scary.”

  “Rats are scary,” Kane amends. “We have nothing but your word to go on right now. We’re told he’s one of us, so we believe you and invite you over for Christmas?”

  “No.” Finally, Gunner speaks. “I didn’t come here looking for a family to add to my Christmas list.”

  “So why’d you come?”

  “To implicate, and to kill,” Soph murmurs. “That’s what they said. He wants to hurt Colum, and since Colum is no longer here to take his punishment–”

  Kane lifts Jess and places her back in her own seat. His hand wraps around the handle of his gun, which brings the guys outside the room back to high alert, but he doesn’t point it like last time. “We’ve established Colum is no friend of ours. So now you have choices to make; stand and leave this office, having the answers to the questions you came to ask. We’re not Colum’s soldiers, and we’ve done nothing to hurt you. Walk away, and continue to live your life far away from us. We’ll leave you be if you agree to do the same. But if that’s not the choice you’re inclined to make, if you insist on bringing a war to my home, then I’ll fight, I’ll win, and you will no longer have the luxury of choice. I’m not a monster, Griffin. I don’t wanna hurt you, and apart from the fact you tried to buy Soph, we have no beef.” His glittery black eyes come to me. “You said you weren’t bringing trouble, but you lied. You knew his plans, you knew he’d already condemned us.”

  I want to surge to my feet and argue my innocence. I brought him here to make peace. To fix something that was broken long ago by a man that no longer lives. I want to cry about unfairness, and insist I’m not guilty of this crime, nor of being bought by a Bishop. But Kane doesn’t allow me the chance. He doesn’t give me a single second to argue before he continues.

  “No one comes before my family.” His eyes flicker between me and Gunner. “There isn’t a man on this planet I would trade Jess and my children for. Not you,” he looks to Gunner. Then to me, “not the chick cop, not even my own brother. When I love, I love fiercely. But no one knows the full power like Jess does. You may stand, slowly. Collect your things, keep your hands visible at all times. Leave. There isn’t a single man or woman in this building who won’t take you out if you make the wrong move.”

  “I won’t take you out.” Jess watches us with eyes that speak of grief. Her words hurt Kane, but she slowly stands with a grunt, and stakes her position. “I won’t hurt you. You’re family.”

  “Jessica! No.”

  “Yes.” She places her hand on his straining arm and squeezes. “He’s the product of an unfair system. A victim of the same crimes we are. He might be connected to you through what you consider your worst link, but he’s connected all the same. He didn’t hurt us. He’s carrying, but he didn’t pull a weapon once. He could have hurt us at any time; at home, while driving here, while at Lamaze class. He could have come to town and maintained the Griffin story, and I know he’s smart enough to do better than what he did. There are a million ways he could have ended this, but he didn’t. He doesn’t deserve our distrust.”

  “Jess,” Kane’s voice comes out on a groan. “I don’t have room in my life for this.” His eyes come back to us. “I hold no ill will. I will not have someone follow you or hurt you. I will do nothing except go on with my life and pretend this never happened.”

  “Just like that?” Soph looks between Kane and Gunner. She stands, just like Jess, and rests her hand on Jay’s vibrating shoulder. “We discover today that you have a blood relation. He’s your brother, and he’s keeping the peace. And you’re just gonna let him walk away?”

  “I don’t want a part of this anyway.” Taking Kane at his word, Gunner stands and doesn’t trip any explosives beneath his chair. He pockets his cell, then takes my hand and pulls me up. “I came to incriminate and kill. It would seem I can do neither. It wouldn’t sit right with me to hurt any of you because of who you’re related to. Come, Lib. I’m done.”

  “Colum Bishop had my baby sister hurt and murdered.” Soph’s shouted words stop us just as Gunner’s hand wraps around the door handle.

  The guys outside the boardroom inch closer, as though they know something is coming. Kane remains in place. Jay remains seated. And Jess steps in front of her man… not in protection, but in restraint.

  Soph walks around the table so she stops in front of us and effectively blocks everyone else out. “He killed my baby sister. Ellie was my everything. She was my world, and she was stolen from me.”

  Gunner’s jaw ticks as his chest is directed toward the door, but his head is turned and his eyes bore into Soph’s. “I can relate to how you feel. I’m sorry that happened to you and your sister.”

  Soph nods. Then she turns to Kane. “Colum killed your baby brother. He had him executed, and for more than half a year, you grieved for him. He was your baby, and you would have given anything to have him back.”

  Kane’s jaw ticks. That’s the only response he gives.

  Soph looks to Jay. “You were without Kane the entire time you were presumed dead. You watched him through binoculars for months. You watched him through Ace’s communications for longer than that. Every time you sent an email, you asked how he was doing. You just wanted to come home to him.”

  Jay’s eyes flicker between hers. He adores her, but he doesn’t like the point she’s making.

  “Jessie’s sister was violated by that same man. Every single one of us in this room have been hurt by Colum. Some more than others. Jessie’s sister attempted suicide to escape it.” She turns to Jess. “You almost lost her, and if you had, there would have been no undoing that. There’s no coming back from death.”

  “Sophia,” Jay growls. “Stop.”

  “My sister is dead, Jay! That will never be undone. But knowing what you know and the pain you’ve felt, are you really gonna let your brother walk out this door and pretend he doesn’t exist? Can you look me in the eyes and admit you’re never going to wonder about him?”

  “It’s not
so simple, Sugar Plum. It’s…” He sits forward and drops his face in his hands. “It’s not that easy.”

  “It can be,” she replies. “You don’t have to trust right away.” She walks away from us, rounds the long table, and kneels beside his chair. “You don’t have to trust immediately, but you should at least try to get to know him.”

  “No.” Kane shakes his head and pulls Jess back a step. “We let him live. That’s all we’ve got to offer.”

  “You should come to our wedding.” Jess flashes a wide grin at us. “I’ll have an invite made up for you guys.”

  “Jessica! Fuck.”

  19

  Theo

  This Hurts Worse

  For hours after my meeting with the Bishops, I push my hands into my hair and tug as I pace my hotel room. I need to calm down. I need to tear these fingers of anxiety from my stomach, and rid my body of something I never realized would clutch on after meeting them.

  “I will not go to that wedding.” I shake my head, and pass Libby for the millionth time while she sits on the end of my bed. “Absolutely not. No chance in hell am I going to that shit.”

  “Okay.”

  “I will not go, Elizabeth! I will not be their friend.”

  Libby’s lips creep up into a small grin. “I said okay.”

  “I said no! Fuck.” I stop on the spot for a mere second, then I rush into the walk-in closet and yank my suitcase from the storage section on the top shelf. “It’s time for me to leave.” I tear my clothes from the drawers. Jeans. Shirts. Laptops. Why do I have so many laptops? I look up as I toss things into the bag and a shadow fills the doorway. “I’m leaving.”

  “You’re leaving?” Lib’s voice gives a tiny crack that barely registers in my busy brain. She was smiling. But now she’s not… “You’re going back home?”