He turned to look at Cain and Damon. “I’m sure you don’t believe me. That’s fine. But it’s the truth. I didn’t know.”
“You would have used them,” Damon said. “You just threatened them right here in front of us.”
“Maybe… I don’t… Yes,” Shaw admitted. “To protect my family, to keep my son safe, yes I would. But I would never have authorized this.”
“How much does your authorization mean?” Cain asked softly. He shook his head. “You think you have these monsters on a leash, like attack dogs you can use when you need them. But time and again, they show you thatyouarethe one in chains. They manipulate you, they use you, they get you to do unspeakable things. What thefuckmakes you think they give ashitwhat you authorize? What makes you think they give a shit about breaking your deal?”
Shaw’s jaw hardened. “They know I have information on them. Names, dates, videos, records of financial transactions, and all the things Levi provided them. Adam can’t take me out.”
“But he can sure as fuck threaten you,” Damon said in disgust. “They know exactly how to dothat. How to make sure you stay their obedient little lapdog.” He looked the senator in the eye. “I am not taking this deal. I amnotlike you, not even a little. If I have to make hard choices to protect what’s essential, then you need to know,Cainis essential. Iwillprotect him,andmy sister and niece,andmy brother.”
Damon moved his hands forward, used his thumbs to lift Cain’s chin so he could stare into Cain’s eyes. So blue, so fucking lost. “I amnotJesse,” he said again. “I amnotgoing to let him manipulate me. Cain, for God’s sake, tell me you believe me.”
“Idobelieve you.” It was that fast, that easy. “But Damon, Chelsea and Molly. You can’t just say…”
“Right now, baby, I don’t believe for asecondyour father could protect them even if he wanted to. He couldn’t even protectyou.” He met the senator’s stricken gaze. “Isn’t that right?”
The senator’s jaw trembled. “Take the papers,” he whispered, nodding toward his desk, where he’d tossed them. “Get out of here now. I don’t know… I don’t know who might be coming later.”
“Jesus Christ.” Damon hadn’t considered they’d be in immediate danger, and he should have. Heshouldhave, goddammit.
“Take the papers and keep my son safe, Fitzpatrick.”
“What about you?” Cain asked. “What about Mom and Cady?”
“We’ll be fine. I have my bargaining chips. And you ought to know—” He hesitated, as though he wasn’t sure how much to reveal, how much further he wanted to damn himself. “There was a time when they couldn’t track you. They wanted me to find out where you were, because your phone had somehow stopped transmitting. I was… I was concerned.”
Cain looked at Damon. “When my phone died,” he said, shaking his head. “Must have been.” He sighed. “Thank you,” he told his father, and the senator nodded stiffly.
Damon placed his hand around Cain’s waist and propelled him to the door, only pausing to take the papers from the desk. They’d have to grab their things, get to Eli’s house by nightfall to check on Chelsea and Molly, contact Drew and the Seavers to make plans…
But Cain leaned into his side and wrapped his arm around Damon’s waist, reminding him that even though things had become exponentially more dangerous, he wasn’t alone anymore.
And he knew exactly who he was fighting for.
Cain paused as they reached the doorway, and turned to look at his father. The senator seemed smaller somehow. Just a man, outlined against the indomitable mountain in the distance, a giant stripped of his power.
“I’m not staying silent,” Cain told him. “I won’t publicize any of the information we found in your files, and I won’t say anything about any of the other things you told us, but we’re going to clear Damon’s name.”
Shaw nodded reluctantly. “I know you don’t believe me, Cain, but I do care about you. Everything I’ve done, I’ve done for you. For our family. I would never have cut you off, not really. You’re my son.”
Cain seemed to consider this for a second. His hand twitched at Damon’s waist, he took a shuddering breath, and shook his head slowly, sadly. “No. That’s the lie you tell yourself, but you’re wrong. You don’t care who you hurt. You don’t care who you manipulate. Everything you’ve done is to protect yourself, to protect your own name and your own power. That’s how this all started. And now I…No,” he stopped and gave Damon a hard nod. “We… are going to finish it.”
******
“Can’t you drive faster?” Cain urged as Damon navigated the sharp turns up the mountain to Eli’s house. Their frantic calls to Eli’s satellite phone had gone unanswered - not surprising, since the man was unlikely to have it turned on unless he was using it.
“Not if we want to survive the trip, babe.”
As he had every five minutes for the last hour, Cain turned in his seat, glancing out the back window for any sign they were being followed. As Damon had tried to tell him numerous times already, he’d seen no signs of anyone behind them, and since they’d deliberately left Cain’s cell phone behind, he was confident there was no way to trace them either. The senator’s information said they’d never been traced to Eli’s house, and even if they had, Eli was more than capable of dealing with any unwanted guests.
Still, Damon couldn’t fucking wait to get there and see for himself. He pressed his foot just a tiny bit harder on the gas.
“It’s going to be okay.” He reached out a hand and squeezed Cain’s wrist.
“But what if…”
“No more what-ifs,” Damon said gently. “From now on, we deal with whatis. Together.”
