her sons. She was trying to protect him as well.
“You can’t go after him. He’s too powerful. I warned you so that you would be safe.”
“And what about you? Was I expected to just forget about you?”
“I know I’m on borrowed time.”
“What the fuck does that mean, borrowed time?” Ink snapped.
She flinched at the fury in his face. “When I stop being useful, he’ll kill me. I just have to stay alive long enough to figure out a way to get my sons safe.”
Anger flooded him.
“Enough,” Ink snapped at her. “I don’t want to hear you say things like that, understand? He is not going to hurt you. You are not dying.”
“I haven’t lived for a long time,” she told him quietly. “The most alive I’ve felt in the last ten years is when I’ve been with you.”
“And you’re going to stay alive. With me. Because I need you. Do you trust me, Betsy?”
“I shouldn’t trust anyone.”
“Do you trust me?”
She closed her eyes. “Yes.”
“Then trust me to keep you safe. You and your sons.”
He stared down at her intently. “Show me that what was between us at the club wasn’t all an act.”
“It wasn’t!”
“Prove it. Tell me what’s going on. Trust me with the truth.”
It sounded so simple and yet she was in an impossible place and he knew that. She was being torn in two.
But doesn’t he deserve to know it all? To know who’s coming after him? To protect himself.
If Forrest ever found out that she told him though…
She looked around at the others. It was one thing to trust Ink but she didn’t know these guys.
“You can trust them as well, Betsy. I own Callahan Security, and you know that I’m ex-Special Forces. Well, so are most of the guys I hire. Brody here is my tech expert. He’s worked for me for years. Duke and Reyes are my MC brothers. I grew up with Duke. There’s no one I trust more. Reyes is our President. He might seem like a scary bastard, but he’s got a soft spot for women. We’ll all protect you.”
Reyes grunted at that but didn’t say anything to contradict what Ink said.
She licked her dry lips. What choice did she really have? “You have to get my sons to safety.” They were most important.
“Of course. Where are they?”
“At a boarding school in Texas. He’ll have people watching them, though. I can’t just go in and take them out.”
“Their names?”
“Royal and Baron.”
“Dates of birth?” Brody asked.
“They’re twins. They were born January nineteenth, two thousand and four.
Ink frowned. “You were only fourteen when you had them?”
“What? Oh, no. They’re not my biological sons. When I met my husband, the boys were eight. I love them like they’re my own.”
“And your husband?” Ink asked in a tight voice.
“Dead,” she said in a flat voice. “Long may he rot in hell.”
Quiet filled the room.
“There’s no record of your marriage,” Brody finally interjected.
“There was a ceremony, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the officiant wasn’t licensed. I signed documents. Maybe he didn’t have them filed. Or maybe the whole thing was faked. I was still young and naïve back then.”
“Who was your husband?” Ink asked her.
She’d reached it. The point of no return.
Like you’re not past it anyway. You were past it the moment you gave Ink that note, warning him.
“His name was Rex Harrison.” She sucked in a breath. “My husband was an abusive asshole who worked as a bodyguard for the only man I’ve met who was more evil than he is. The man attempting to frame you for murdering the senator.”
“And his name?” Ink asked. “Who is this asshole?”
“Forrest Robins.”
14
Ink froze.
Forrest Robins?
Who the fuck was that? Then it hit him.
Shit.
He glanced over at Duke and Reyes.
“Senator Jonathan Robins’ brother?” Duke asked. “Why would he want to frame Ink for his brother’s murder?”
Betsy looked so stressed it made him want to scoop her up and hold her tight. But right now, he needed answers from her.
Then he’d comfort her. And lay down a few rules. Including never lying to your Dom. Never believing that your life didn’t mean anything. And to never keep any threats from him.
She had one hell of a spanking coming her way. But only once he made certain that she understood she was actually his.
No more pretending.
Duke paced back and forth. “Why is the senator’s brother out to frame Ink? It doesn’t make sense. Wouldn’t he want the real killer found?”
And they all knew that was likely impossible. If the Fox