Page 30 of The Lies That Shatter
Kian’s definitely not Brandon’s biggest fan. Even though Brandon kidnapped and tortured him, the grudge he holds has more to do with the way he used Freya in his plans. Nobody messes with Kian’s girl, and he’s been out for revenge ever since. Red says we need Brandon on our side—for now. When the time comes, Kian and Freya can have their revenge…and it looks like that time is getting closer.
“I don’t like this, Shane. Is your cover blown? Are you in danger? Because if you are, we’re pulling you out now,” Bree says, her eyes widening in fear as she looks at the young lad she sees as a brother.
Shane reaches over and takes hold of her hand, stroking the back with the pad of his thumb, as he gives her a small reassuring smile. “I don’t think my cover is blown. If it was, I’d probably already be dead. I’m fucking fuming that Brandon is up to something, but we’re not ruining any of our plans until we’re sure. Besides, now I need to stay to find out what he’s up to.”
Even though Shane and Bree are not actually related, when he spoke just then with a sneer, disgust towards Brandon rippling off his tongue, you would have thought they were real siblings. They’re so alike sometimes, it’s a little scary.
“As much as we all want to know what Bran’s up to, and Whitlock, risking your safety is not worth it,” Liam adds, sounding like the protective brother that he is.
Kian disagrees. “I think if we pull him out now, before we’re sure, it’ll put us back a lot. We’re almost ready to start the next phase of our plans, and we can’t do that without Shane in position. If we extract him, we have to be certain he’s in danger.”
Bree’s eyes widen, and a venomous look spreads across her face. “We already know he’s in danger. He has been since we senthim undercover. If we send him back and his cover is blown, there won’t be a warning. They will just kill him. I won’t allow it.”
“Bree,” Shane starts, pulling her attention back to him. Her face softens again as she looks at him, but there’s a stubbornness that tells us she’s not backing down on this. Sadly, Shane has the same look. “I promise you, I can take care of myself. Going undercover was something I agreed to. I want this over and done with, so I can come back to you, to Ryleigh, but I can’t do that until this is all over. So, let’s get moving with the plan and end this fucking thing while we still can.”
At the mention of my little sister’s name, I can see the pain on Shane’s face. I, of all people, understand exactly how he’s feeling. He’s found the girl he loves, but he has to be separated from her. At least they can meet in secret, and can admit they love each other. I can’t do anything with Mac while I’m pretending with Mel. It feels too wrong. That doesn’t make her any less mine though…which is why this whole thing hurts so much.
Before Bree has a chance to reply, Kellan interrupts. “Look, I know most of you probably won’t agree with me, but I’m going to say it anyway. We’re all in danger as long as Whitlock is around. We have no fucking clue what he’s planning, and while he’s out there, he’s a risk.
“So, as far as I’m concerned, we need all the bloody help we can get to bring the fucker down. Which means Shane has to stay undercover. We need him to bring the Marcushios over to our side. Without them, we don’t have the army we need to take him on. If they’re not with us, they’re with him, which would be far too big a blow for us to take.
“And, as far as McKenna is concerned, having another pair of eyes in the house can only be a good thing. She can get access to places you could never dream of, Finn. But, I know we’re all worried about her safety, so I have a ‘two birds, onestone’ solution. I think we need to get our own bugs inside the Whitlock house. That way, we can learn about his plans, and keep McKenna safe. It also means we can pull her out if we suspect any danger, or as soon as we have all the info we need. I know it’s not an ideal solution, but it’s the best we have right now.”
Kian chuckles, shaking his head in a bewildered manner, and we all turn to look at him like he’s gone a bit crazy, as there was nothing funny about what Kel just said. “You know the whole world has gone fucking topsy-turvy when that asshole is the voice of reason,” he jokes, pointing over at Kellan, who flashes a big grin at him before flipping him off.
“As much as I hate to agree with him, Kel is right,” Liam says, as all eyes fly to see if he’s serious.
Liam is the careful, protective one in the family. He’s usually the first to talk us out of crazy plans. Anything that puts one of us in danger, he usually vetoes the plan straight away. Kian is right, the whole world has flipped upside down.
Bree lets out a loud sigh, and as much as she may not want to, she agrees with her husband. Her eyes flit from Shane over to me, and I hate the sadness I can see reflected back.
“I’m sorry, Finn. If we pull McKenna out now, we could lose an advantage we may need.”
I shake my head as my hands ball into fists again. “She’s not one of us. I don’t want her in our world,” I say through gritted teeth.
She gives me a closed-mouth smile. “You may not want her in our world, but she’s in it…and by the sound of it, she chose to be here. Desmond can be an asshole, but Evan isn’t. He wouldn’t have forced her to do something she didn’t want to do.”
I run my fingers through my hair, tugging on the ends in frustration. “They may not have forced her, but they put thestupid fucking idea in her head. She’s going to get herself killed…all because of me.”
My heart breaks as I voice my worst nightmare. The whole reason I’ve spent the last few years pushing her away and trying to forget about her. I don’t want her to be part of a world where the people I love get kidnapped, tortured, or killed.
She’s had the most horrendous life already, bouncing around foster homes, getting knocked around by fucked up people who are not fit to call themselves parents. She’s finally free of all that, and she could be off living her best life. I hate knowing that the feelings she has for me will most likely be what gets her killed.
“She is not going to die, Finn,” snaps Liam, his voice firm and so fucking sure that it sparks a little hope in my soul.
“You can’t know that for sure,” I reply, my voice dripping with pain I can’t hide anymore.
“You’re right, Finn. Liam can’t promise that. ButI canpromise that we will do everything we can to protect her. We all know how much she means to you, and we’ll watch out for her the way we do all of our family,” Bree says, her firm gaze locked with mine, so I can see the intensity shining back.
My sister-in-law is nothing but honest, and I know she would protect Mac with her life, which means everyone in this room would. Doesn’t mean I still don’t hate that she’s in this position in the first place though.
All the fight and anger in me dissipates, and I’m left with a sinking black hole in my gut. I may not like the situation, but it is what it is, and we need to make the best of it. Meaning, I need to get her the hell out of there and to safety as soon as possible. “Okay, but as soon as we have what we need, we pull her out.”
Bree gives me a brighter smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. She’s not happy with the shit situation we find ourselves in, but she’s putting on a brave face. I should at least try to do the same. “We will. And I’ll make sure that someone is monitoringthe Whitlock feeds at all times, as soon as they’re up and running.”
Kian jumps in. “I won’t trust just anyone with the job. We’ll all take turns doing it. We will watch out for her like she’s family.”
I don’t know Kian all that well, but I know how much my family likes him. Even Kellan, who loves to argue and insult him, has a lot of respect for the guy and his work ethic. Even before he fell for Freya and tied himself to this family, he followed Bree.
