Page 21 of Colt
“Let me talk to her first, explain what’s happened. Let her process it before she has to face you again.” Betty studied my face. “You’re not the only one who’s going to be reeling from this news, Colt.”
I wanted to argue. Wanted to storm out, ride to her house, fall on my knees and beg her to forgive me for every horrible thing I’d said.
But Betty was right. Lilac had been through enough. She deserved time to process this without me making it about my guilt.
“I’m not going to hide from this.” I met Betty’s eyes, letting her see I meant it. “I made this mess. I’m going to help clean it up.”
Betty studied me for a long moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. “Okay, then. But Colt?” She waited until she had my full attention. “If you hurt her again—if you say one cruel word or make one wrong move—I will personally ensure you never see those boys again. Grandmother’s promise. Don’t test it.”
I nodded. I deserved that warning. I deserved worse.
While Betty was still talking, Bernard had quietly closed his briefcase. Now he set the folder on the table in front of me. “Everything I compiled is in there,” he said. “If you’re ever ready to pursue the legal route, you’ll know how to reach me.” He glanced at the big screen, still covered in Glitch’s evidence. “Get me a copy of what your man found. It’ll only strengthen the case.” He didn’t wait for a response, just gave a short nod and stepped back.
After Betty, Graham, and Bernard left, escorted out by Holden, I stood in the middle of the clubhouse unsure what to do next.
“Brother.” Dutch’s voice came from behind me. “What do you need?”
What did I need? I needed seven years back. I needed to unsay every cruel thing I’d said to Lilac. I needed my sons to look at me with something other than fear and hatred.
But those weren’t things anyone could give me.
“I need to make this right,” I said finally. “And then I need to make Death’s Head pay for what they did.”
Dutch’s hand landed on my shoulder, squeezing hard.
“The first one’s on you, brother. But the second?” His voice went cold. “That’s club business.”
Chapter 9
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— Lilac —
The moment I walked through the door, I knew something was wrong. Graham was sitting at the kitchen table. That wasn’t unusual. He’d been a fixture in our lives since the boys were born, showing up every few months to check on us, fix things around the house, slip Betty money he claimed was “just extra.” He was like an uncle to Luca and Knox, the closest thing to family we had besides Betty.
But the way he and Betty stopped talking the instant they heard my key in the lock? The careful, almost guilty expressions on their faces?
My bag slipped from my shoulder, hitting the floor with a thud. “What’s wrong?” My voice came out high, panicked. “Are the boys okay?”
“The boys are fine. They’re upstairs watching cartoons.” Betty stood and guided me to a chair, her hand firm on my elbow. “Sit down, sweetheart. Graham has something to tell you.”
My knees gave out before I made the conscious choice to sit. I gripped the edge of the table, knuckles white, and looked between them. Graham’s face was pale, his hands clasped tight in front of him. He looked like a man about to confess something terrible.
“You’re scaring me.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Graham took a breath. “Lilac, I need to tell you something I should have told you years ago. About who you were, and the man you married.”
My hands started trembling, and I shoved them under my thighs to hide the shaking. “What are you talking about?”
“We went to see Colt,” Graham said. “At the MC. I told them everything.”
My stomach dropped so fast I thought I might be sick. “Everything?” The word came out as a whisper.
“Everything they needed to know.” Graham leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Lilac, I need you to understand something. Colt. He’s not your enemy. He never was.”
I shook my head. “He’s been terrorizing me—”
“Because he believed you’d betrayed him.” Graham held up a hand when I started to protest. “I’m not excusing it. What he did was wrong. But he spent seven years thinking you’d cheated on him, stolen his money, and abandoned him without a word. His own club brothers told him that lie.”
