Page 108 of When the Smoke Clears

“Luke.” He grips my elbow, his fingers digging in with purpose. “You need to stop. Whatever Nathaniel’s into, he’s not in it alone. You storm in there now, you’re walking into a fight you don’t understand.”

I wrench free, jaw tight. “I don’t care.”

“You don’t care if he’s the one who tried to have you killed?”

My gaze snaps to his, fury boiling hot and sharp. “Especially if it was him.”

Gabe drags a hand through his hair. “You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“And he doesn’t know what I’m capable of.” My voice steadies into steel. “If he’s behind this, my mother has been living with a monster for decades.”

Silence falls. Heavy and final. Then Gabe exhales a humorless laugh. “Fine. Fuck it. Let’s go.”

“You can’t come with me.”

The edge in my tone freezes him mid-step. He opens his mouth, but I cut him off. “I need you here. With Isla. If anything happens to me, she cannot be left unprotected.”

His jaw locks. “Luke⁠—”

“I can’t breathe knowing she’s vulnerable. If you want me steady enough to confront him, you stay. I’m begging you.”

The fight drains from him slowly. Finally, he nods, defeated. “Then call me the second it’s over. Hell—call in backup.”

“Not yet.” I shake my head. “This is between him and me. If he’s moving outside the law, I catch him by looking him in the eye.”

His nod is reluctant, but it’s permission.

I’m out the door.

The drive is a blur. The forest road twists like a black serpent, headlights carving brief tunnels of light through the darkness. My hand grips the wheel so tight my knuckles pulse with ache.

By the time I pull into the expansive driveway, dawn is bleeding orange over the horizon. Adrenaline thrums like electricity under my skin as I shove the truck into park and step out.

I don’t knock. I don’t ring the doorbell. The front door yields under my hand like even the house knows I have a right to be here.

Raised voices slice the air inside, reverberating through marble and wood.

“How could you lie to all of us?” my mother’s voice cracks.

“What would you have me do, Elizabeth?” Nathaniel fires back, voice like a whip.

“You owed me the truth!”

“I owed you nothing,” he spits. “You chose to whore around. I did you a favor by marrying you and concealing that bastard’s identity.”

I storm into the doorway of his office just in time to see my father’s fingers locked around my mother’s arm, her body twisted as she cries out.

“Get away from her!”

Nathaniel freezes. His grip loosens, and she stumbles free, arms wrapped protectively around herself. Tears streak down her face, shining proof of what he really is.

He turns to me, lips curling into a smile that hides knives. “Luke. Your mother’s being dramatic. She’s exhausted.”

I step between them, blocking him from her completely. “I’ve had enough of your lies.”

His eyes sharpen, pupils constricting. “For God’s sake, what is wrong with everyone this morning? I’ve had a rough night. I don’t need this shit.”

“I don’t give a damn what kind of night you’ve had.”