Just when Shyla was about to take the phone from her ear to hang up, the ringing stopped. At first, there was no voice on the other end, though she could hear a bass line and the murmur of music in the background.
Her mouth dried. Had someone answered? What if it was someone else? What if Score wasn’t there and—
“Yeah?”
That was him. Without a doubt, the curt word came from his mouth, the same mouth that had feasted on her not so long ago. Typical that all it took was one word from him and her mind went straight to that intimate place.
The strength that she’d wanted to exude abandoned her. Calling him was a sign of weakness. All week, while she held a purpose, Shyla had stayed strong. His power over her hadn’t diminished. Her world might be topsy-turvy and her future uncertain, but her heart knew who it belonged to.
“Lamb?”
Sitting bolt upright, Shyla opened her mouth, shocked that he’d identified her without her uttering a syllable. “How did you know it was me?” she asked in a rush of breath.
“Think I get a lot of prank calls?”
She smiled. His tone was no less severe, but his point was valid. Few people would take the risk of screwing around with a McDade just for sport.
“No, I guess not.”
“Are you safe?”
“Physically,” she said, pushing up the bed to lean against the headboard.
“Where are you?”
Maybe she should’ve thought about what to tell him before picking up the phone. “I visited Wyatt.”
Their relationship had gone to pot when she discovered he was withholding information. Lying to him would just be spite. There was no reason not to tell him. Playing games wasn’t going to make anything about their situation better.
Neither of them said anything, but neither hung up either. She’d called him for a specific reason. Her courage was beginning to falter. All she wanted to do was talk, to gush about all the things Wyatt had said, to share her guilt, to get his acceptance and reassurance. That was something a girlfriend would do with a boyfriend. Given the way she’d walked out, it wasn’t clear if that’s what they were or not.
“He helped me figure a few things out.”
“Things?”
The edge in his voice narrowed her eyes. Wyatt could be in danger if Score thought he’d said anything out of turn. Except Shyla couldn’t imagine that he would ever hurt her brother. But he was a McDade capable of hurting anyone, wasn’t that the point? Score didn’t have to do it himself, someone else could do it for him. Especially in prison where fights happened all the time and inmates didn’t get the highest level of healthcare.
“I was naïve and ridiculous,” she said, admitting her starkest conclusion. “It didn’t even occur to me that you could still be involved in—”
“I don’t know if this line is secure.”
Again. She’d done it again. Being with a man like Score meant being constantly vigilant. Law enforcement had screwed up with him once. The embarrassment of convicting a man of murder when the victim was still alive wasn’t something that would just go away when the man was released.
Score was the double whammy too. Agencies wouldn’t give up on the idea of getting him for committing a verifiable crime. In addition, his connection to Burl meant surveillance could lead to more than just one conviction.
“I want to see them,” she said.
If Shyla went back to him, they could discuss Wyatt’s revelations and her own shortcomings in person. That would assuage the worry of forcing him to confess anything while others could be listening in.
“See who?”
Shyla bolstered her courage and swallowed hard. “Your father. Your family.” Silence reigned on the other end of the line. Yet, she could almost feel his muscles tightening. “Do you want to be with me, Score?”
“No.” The reply was so unexpected that its impact was equivalent to a gut punch. Winded, she opened her mouth in silent surprise. “Not if it means you’re gonna kill yourself. You go anywhere near a McDade and—”
“What should I be afraid of? Them… or you? Far as I know, they don’t know who I am. But sometimes when your family come up, you say things that… That make me wonder where your loyalty lies.”
Telling the truth was a dangerous proposition. Thus far in their relationship, she’d been all about following his orders and desire had been a big part of their interactions. Moving beyond that meant talking about the difficult subjects.
“My loyalty lies with my family,” he said, more sure than she’d ever heard him. Piercing her heart with his words, he confirmed she’d been chasing the unattainable. “You are my family, Shyla Bellamy.”
Was she? The dejection that had lowered her chin slipped away as her head rose again. “I want to be your family, Score. I am trying, I am really trying to understand—”
“You have to trust me.”
“I do,” she said because regardless of what he was involved in, he had never endangered her.
As Beeks had said, not telling her everything was his way of protecting her. She understood that. If she knew the details and the feds did descend on Score, she’d be their next collar.
“Then get in a cab and come home.”
“It’s almost four hundred miles.”
“I don’t care. I’ll pay it,” he said. “You’re in a dangerous place without enough protection.”
“I don’t need protection.”
“My girl always needs protection,” he said. “Think no one saw you with Wyatt? He’s got enemies too. Burl has eyes everywhere. I can’t tell you who will come for you, but I will tell you that it won’t be pretty. Four hundred miles is too far. You
