Chapter 4 - THE POCKET WATCH
"What is it?" I asked, pulling Leo tighter against my chest.
Cashion stood up slowly, the gold pocket watch dangling from his large fingers. It was old, intricately engraved, and clearly expensive.
"This belonged to Silas," Cashion said, his voice hollow.
Eli stepped into the nursery, his face pale. "Silas? Your mentor? The man who basically raised you?"
Cashion nodded, staring at the watch as if it were a venomous snake. "Silas died five years ago, Mara. I buried him myself. This watch was in his casket."
The room grew freezing cold.
Answer one: The attackers weren't a random rival family. They were connected to the deepest, most guarded secrets of Cashion's past.
Open two: If Silas was dead, who had dug up his grave? And why was a blonde woman using his watch to send a message?
"We can't stay here," Cashion said, his demeanor instantly hardening back into the syndicate boss. He looked at me, leaving no room for argument. "Pack a bag for the boy. Five minutes. We are moving to a secure location."
I didn't fight him this time. I grabbed a duffel bag and shoved diapers, clothes, and Leo’s favorite wooden toys inside.
As we rushed down the stairs to the SUV, Cashion walked a step behind me, his body acting as a human shield between my son and the dark street.
We drove in silence for thirty minutes, leaving the city limits. We pulled into the underground garage of a high-rise luxury building—a Rourke safe house.
Once inside the sprawling penthouse, Eli took Leo to the kitchen to find snacks, desperate to keep the toddler distracted.
I stood in the center of the massive living room, crossing my arms to stop my shivering.
Cashion walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring out at the city skyline. He poured himself a glass of whiskey but didn't drink it.
"I'm sorry," I said quietly.
He didn't turn around. "For which part, Mara? For hiding my son? Or for lying to me the night you left?"
I swallowed hard. "Both. But I didn't lie about why I left. I left because your world is exactly what happened tonight. Violence. Fear. I wanted Leo to have a chance at a normal life."
Cashion finally turned. His eyes were completely broken.
"You think I didn't want that? You think I wouldn't have walked away from the syndicate for you? For him?"
"You couldn't have walked away!" I cried out. "Your family doesn't let people walk away, Cashion!"
He slammed the whiskey glass onto the marble table. The crack echoed through the room.
"My family is dead!" he shouted. "My father, my mother, my brother. They were all killed. I am the only one left. You were the only family I had, Mara. And you vanished."
The pain in his voice broke me completely. I closed the distance between us and pressed my hands flat against his chest. His heart was hammering against my palms.
"I'm here now," I whispered, looking up into his eyes. "We're here."
For a second, the anger melted. He reached up, his large, rough hand cupping my cheek. His thumb brushed over my bottom lip, and the electricity between us was just as violent and undeniable as it had been three years ago.
He leaned in.
But before his lips could touch mine, a cell phone rang.
It wasn't Cashion’s phone. It wasn't mine.
It was a cheap burner phone, sitting inside the duffel bag I had hastily packed for Leo.
Cashion pulled away instantly. His eyes narrowed. He walked over to the bag, reached inside, and pulled out the ringing plastic phone.
He answered it, putting it on speaker.
"Hello, Cashion," a woman's voice purred smoothly.
It was a voice I didn't recognize, but Cashion clearly did. His jaw tightened so hard I thought his teeth would crack.
"Vivienne," he breathed.
Reversal.
"Hello, little brother," the woman replied, her tone dripping with mock affection. "I see you found my gift at the apartment."
I stared at Cashion in pure shock.
Little brother? Cashion had said his entire family was dead.
"You're supposed to be in a federal penitentiary," Cashion said coldly.
"Good lawyers can work miracles," Vivienne laughed. "I hear congratulations are in order. You're a father. What a beautiful little boy. It would be a shame if something happened to him because you refuse to give me what I want."
"If you touch him, I will kill you," Cashion promised, and I had never heard a truer vow.
"Oh, I don't want the child, Cashion," Vivienne sighed. "I want the ledger. The one Silas hid before he died. The one Mara stole."
May you like
Cashion froze. He looked at me, absolute confusion warring with betrayal.
"I didn't tell him, did I?" Vivienne mocked. "Your sweet, innocent Mara didn't run away because she was scared of our world. She ran away because she robbed it."
