“WHAT?!” I shrieked and placed my hand over my chest. He was lying. He had to be. There was no way my own brother would have held me hostage while waiting for me to be sold. Who was I kidding? Of course, he would. My own fucking father sold me. It would stand to reason his son would help.
“He’s the reason nothing happened to you while you were there. He’s also the reason you were able to escape. Did you really think your little trick with the hay would keep a grown man from chasing after you?”
Actually, I did, until he said that. “I-I…” I had no words. My mind was a whirlwind of activity, yet my mouth refused to work.
“He told Copper who he was that day in the shed, and he made Copper promise not to tell anyone. He didn’t want the men in his club finding out about you and Annabelle and coming after either one of you. Copper didn’t want to do it, but he agreed to go against his morals and his club to protect you and your sister.”
What had I done? I should have trusted Copper. He said he would tell me what was going on when he could, but I didn’t believe him. Too many men who supposedly cared about me had betrayed me, and I was determined not to let it happen again. But instead, I was the one who betrayed him. I covered my mouth with my hand and bent at the waist as a pain like no other hit my chest and a sob erupted from the very depths of my soul.
“Hey, you’re not to blame. You didn’t know, and you did what you had to do to keep yourself safe.” I continued to cry and refused to look at him. “He’s not mad at you. He’s worried about you, but he understands.”
That had me looking up. “He’s not mad?” How could he not be mad?
Phoenix smiled and shook his head. “Not at you. He’s pretty fucking pissed at Luke, for hiding you away, and at me, for not telling him where you were hidden, but he’ll get over it.”
I took a seat on one of the barstools and propped my head in my hands. “Why did you come? I mean, I know it was to tell me about Copper and my brother, but why?”
“I love my family. I couldn’t have you thinking Copper was a bad man, and I certainly couldn’t have you thinking Annabelle was married to the same kind of man. Plus, you’re family, whether you like it or not, and I felt like you needed to be aware of how much danger is circling around you.”
“Thanks, I think. I’m sorry, this is just a lot to take in. I just, what am I supposed to do now?” I asked, hating the desperation in my voice.
“Stay here, do what Luke tells you, and wait,” he said simply.
“But what about Copper? And my brother? What’s going to happen to him?”
“Your brother can’t be released from custody without blowing his cover, but all charges will be dropped once the club has been dismantled. Copper will be fine. He’s a big boy and can take care of himself. Now, I’ve got to get going. I have a very pregnant wife at home, and I don’t like being this far away from her,” he said with a proud smile.
“How is she? I can’t wait to meet her,” I blurted.
“She’s good. Getting bigger every day, but I’ll deny ever saying that if she gets wind of it. I can wait for you to meet her because she’s going to kick my ass when she finds out I knew about you for weeks and didn’t tell her.”
“I’ll tell her it was my fault. That I didn’t want her to know about me until my life wasn’t such a mess,” I offered.
“I appreciate the offer, but it won’t save my ass. I knew and didn’t tell her; it doesn’t matter the reason. Don’t worry about it. After spending almost two decades apart, we don’t stay upset with one another for long.”
We said our goodbyes, and I made sure to check the locks on the doors and windows after he left. I wasn’t sure how he got in, but I’d be damned if anyone else snuck in on me. Which was why Luke was beating on the door hours later. I may or may not have barricaded all entry points.
“What the hell, Layla?” Luke asked.
“Sorry about that. I didn’t want anyone else surprising me.”
His eyes widened. “Anyone else? Explain.”
Well, shit. Phoenix didn’t tell me to keep his visit a secret, but he didn’t say it was okay to tell either. “Uh, I assumed you knew. Phoenix Black showed up a few hours ago.”
Luke snorted. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Well, what did he have to say?”
Double shit. Was I supposed to tell him? I assumed he was already aware of the information Phoenix shared. Maybe he wasn’t. “Um…”
Luke sighed, “Let me guess. He told you about Aim’s real identity and his involvement in the undercover operation?”
I exhaled in relief. “Yes, and he wanted to make sure I was aware of the potential danger.”
Luke nodded. “You shouldn’t be in any danger as long as you stay here and don’t use any kind of electronics.”
“Speaking of, how long will I have to stay here?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. Could be a few days, could be a few weeks.”