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He sighs, a heavy sound filled with remorse. “I didn’t want you all getting involved. Jamie was my responsibility, not yours.”
North shakes his head, anger and hurt evident in his expression. “We’re family, Dash. We face things together. You didn’t have to go through this alone.” North steps forward, a stern look on his face. “And your choices put Candy in danger. She was taken hostage because of your choices.”
Dash’s face crumples as he looks between us. “Candy, I didn’t—”
North cuts him off, sharply. “Save it, Dash. We need to figure out how to clean up this mess you’ve made.”
His shoulders slump. “I never wanted any of this.”
North steps between us, his expression stern. “Regardless of your intentions, we need to deal with the fallout. But first, you need to explain to your mum who I am and clarify Candy’s connection to Jamie.”
Dash nods, and we all head back into the living room, where Lindsey is still sitting, tissues clutched in her hands.
“Mum,” Dash starts, his voice heavy with regret. “This is North, one of my best friends and business partners. We served together. Candy was Jamie’s girlfriend. She was dragged into this mess and taken by the people Jamie owed money to as an insurance policy to make sure I paid up.”
Lindsey looks at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and sympathy. “You were with Jamie?”
How do I answer that? I can’t tell this grieving woman how awful her step son was. I can’t. So I nod, my throat tight. “Yes, but I didn’t know about the mess he was in until I was taken.”
Dash takes a seat beside his mother, his expression pained. “Mum, I messed up. I thought I could fix things, but it all went wrong. Candy and Jamie were taken and even though I had the money he owed in time for their deadline, I didn’t have theinterest. They took the money, shot me and ran. They already had Candy and Jamie by that point.”
Lindsey looks between us, her eyes welling up with tears again. “Did they hurt you?” she asks, her voice breaking.
I glance at North and the shake of his head is infinitesimal. “No. No, they didn’t,” I say, praying she doesn’t ask me about her step-son’s death.
Lindsey’s shoulders sag with a mix of relief and grief. “I can’t believe this is happening. My boys…” Lindsey wipes away fresh tears. “I just want my family to be safe.”
“We’ll do everything in our power to make that happen,” North assures her.
I glance at Dash, who looks like he’s carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Dash, we need to sort this out, but first, you need to fill us in on everything. We can’t help if we don’t know the whole story,” North says firmly.
Dash takes a deep breath, his gaze distant as he recalls the events. “Jamie got involved with some dangerous people. He owed them a lot of money, and they were threatening him. I tried to help, but it spiralled out of control. They gave me an ultimatum and started using threats against my family. Against you, Candy. I think they had someone at the club watching us.”
North leans against the wall, his arms crossed and his face unimpressed. “Another reason why you should have told us, Dash. We need to know who we’re dealing with. I won’t have dangerous people or traitors in my club.”
Lindsey looks up, her eyes puffy but determined. “I don’t want any more harm to come to my family.”
“We’re with you on that,” North assures her. “We’ll do everything we can to protect you and sort this mess out. And we’ll help with Jamie’s funeral costs.”
“Thank you. You don’t have to do that.”
“I insist. Dash is family and we take care of our own.”
Dash looks at me, his eyes filled with regret. “Candy, I never wanted you to get dragged into this.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. It sounds like my involvement was inevitable anyway because I somehow managed to get myself tangled up with both brothers. “We’ll deal with that later, Dash.”
North gestures for Dash to continue with the information, and as he starts recounting the details, I wonder how we got entangled in such a dangerous web.
Eventually though, Dash’s story is complete and there’s nothing left to be said. I give Lindsey a hug, feeling awkward and guilty for misleading her about my relationship with her sons. Dash never gave her any indication that the two of us were involved, and I never spoke up and told her that Jamie and I had split up. I guess his situation explained why he stole my rent money and all my stuff though.
Dash sees us to the door and a weight presses down on my chest. I don’t want to say goodbye to him. Don’t want to leave him here, even though his mum clearly needs him. I sigh, feeling so selfish.
“Candy, I’m so sorry,” he says. I know it’s genuine, it’s written all over his face and clear in the strain of his voice. And even though I know he did a bad thing and made a stupid choice, he did it for the right reasons because he was feeling backed into a corner and desperate. But…it still fucking hurts.
“I know,” I reply. Not because I want to hurt him more or be a bitch, but because I can’t bring myself to say ‘it’s okay’ when it’s not. Maybe I’m being harsh, but everything feels so raw. I need time to process everything.
