Delivering His Gifts (Mountain Men of Liberty #10)- K.C. Crowne Page 0,55
need you. You know Danielle needs you. You can help her. That’s the difference.”
I wanted to believe him, but seeds of doubt were already planted in my brain.
What if I let her and Skyler down? What if they got hurt because I didn’t do what was needed? What if I was wrong to leave her just now and he came by?
My head was spinning with every way this could go wrong. I’d acted the way I had based on what I knew at the moment, but what if I was wrong? What if Greg saw past our little “electrical problem” act?
“I sure hope so,” I said, pulling up to the curb outside of his place. I unbuckled my seat belt, ready to help him inside, but he stopped me.
“I can do this. Go on, save your lady,” he said.
“You need help getting inside,” I argued.
“I’ve got Oscar now. And besides, I manage to walk inside by myself most days. You’re wasting time arguing with me when you really need to worry about Danielle.”
I suspected a major reason for him arguing with me was because of his pride.
“Alright. Take care, old man,” I said.
Calvin was able to get out of the truck, though I could only breathe once he was on solid ground with Oscar at his side. He waved as he walked up the path to his home. I started the engine, but I waited until he disappeared into his house. For his age, even with a prosthetic, he could get around pretty well.
I drove toward home, hoping maybe some of my contacts would be able to help us with Danielle. But as soon as I stepped into the living room, I regretted the decision. Eli was standing there, as if waiting for me.
“Where were you? We have a job in twenty minutes. We need to leave now.”
Dammit. We were doing security for a local politician speaking in Sunville. How could I have forgotten?
“I can’t right now, Eli. I’m sorry.”
I pushed past my brother, but he grabbed my arm. I yanked myself free and took the stairs two at a time.
“What is so damned important that you’re willing to throw away the family business over it?”
I turned on my heels. “You wouldn’t understand, Eli.”
My brother had his arms crossed in front of him, staring up at me with a face filled with rage. If his eyes could shoot lasers, he would have sliced me right in half.
“Try me.”
“I don’t have time right now,” I said, turning back around.
I heard his footsteps coming up the stairs behind me.
“You never have time for us anymore, Mason. I’m starting to think you’ve found another family.” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.
But I took the bait. “You know, family is more than just your blood, right? So yes, I have found another family. It doesn’t mean I’m replacing the one I have, though. So lay off, man.”
Eli grabbed the door handle to my room. The clock was ticking. I had to be there to pick up Danielle as we’d discussed or else… Greg would know they were leaving and might get there before I did. I didn’t know how far he’d go to hurt Danielle, and I didn’t want to find out.
And the way I saw it, I had two choices in that moment. Get into a fight with my brother, likely wasting necessary time dealing with him. Or come clean.
I decided the latter option was the best one.
“Eli, I’m going to be a father, and the mother of my child is in danger. I need to find a way to help her, and fast.”
Eli’s face shifted. His blank, hard mask turned into something softer as he loosened his grip on the doorknob and stepped back.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked quietly.
“Because I wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet. I’m still coming to terms with it myself, and I have no idea what I’m doing or what’s going to happen between Danielle and me, so I couldn’t answer everyone’s questions even if I wanted to.”
“How long—” He stopped and shook his head. “Never mind, we don’t have time for that,” Eli said. “What do we need to do? Should I get Graham and Sam involved?”
I opened my bedroom door and hurried inside, Eli right behind me. “I need to find a place that will let her, her daughter, and their pets stay with them,” I told him. I walked to my desk and grabbed