If You Were Ours

Chapter Forty One - Tyson

Tyson ~

Dane's sudden change in demeanor and willingness to discuss our options with Kinskey caught me off guard, stopping me in my tracks as I joined him in the living room.

I sat across from him and could see from his body language alone that he wasn't in a good place. Hell, none of us were, including Kinsley.

"She still sleeping?" I asked.

"Yeah." Dane confirmed unable to pull his gaze from the floor.

"So if I consider this, and that's a big fucking if, how wound you ensure her safety? I wouldn't leave her alone here in L.A. so why the fuck would I leave her alone anywhere else?"

"I've given this a lot of thought. I started, wringing my hands as we started the unbearable discussion.

"And?" Dane bit out impatiently.

"We've got crews in New York that owe us major favors. Crews that were loyal to my parents and are loyal to me. They've got no skin in the game when it comes to Angelo. We could hire them and pay them weekly to protect Kinsley - off the books."

Dane grit his teeth and shook his head.

"Where would she live?" Dane asked flatly.

"We could buy her a nice place - put it in her name - rig it up with security features and cameras so we could check in on her. Set her up with bank accounts in her name and everything."

Lifting his gaze to meet mine, Dane scowled at me with more pain in his eyes than I'd ever seen.

"But you're not talking about a long distance relationship...are you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement and it was a true statement.

"No. I'm not. Angelo would need to think she left us. That all this shit just became too much for her and she ran. It would need to be believable."

Pushing out a low irritated breath, Dane scoffed at my statement.

"Kinsley would never agree to that. She'd never willingly leave us even if we told her it was for her own good."

I locked eyes with Dane and held his intense stare. We both knew what had to be done and it was agonizing to even discuss.

"She'll go if she thinks we don't want her here." I said in a low voice.

Dane sprang to his feet and started to pace, clearly trying to keep himself in check so he didn't put hands on me.

"No - absolutely fucking not." Dane fumed.

"It's gotta be legit, Dane. If she stays in contact with us it'll lead Angelo right to her. It needs to be a clean break." I said as if the words didn't get caught in my throat.

Sinking down back into a chair, Dane hung his head and slumped his shoulders in defeat.

"Think about it. We could put her in contact with her art mentor, we could keep an eye on her at a distance. She could be happy eventually. Happy and alive." I tried not to let my voice crack as I considered my own words.

Dane simply shook his head no over and over again.

"I can't...I'm not strong enough to hurt her like that." Dane's  said in an anguished voice that tore me apart.

"Are you strong enough to put her in the ground?" I asked flatly, causing Dane's eyes to instant meet mine.

"Are you strong enough to watch her die and bury her, Dane? Because that's the alternative."

Dane raked his palm down his face with a pained expression that I hated, but I was telling him what he needed to hear.

"No." He muttered.

"She doesn't belong here, Dane. We're fucking savages surrounded by monsters. And once I kill Angelo, how long until the next traitor makes a run for their seat at the table? She'll never be safe with us...and you know I'm right."

"No contact?" Dane asked.

"No contact. But we can keep tabs on her and check in with her security detail daily if you want. She's got a small chance at a life outside of all of this fear and bloodshed."

I watched Dane sift through every word that left my mouth with a deep scowl as he ran his hands through his hair.

We sat there in silence, having to make the hardest decision of our entire lives in that living room.

"Make the calls." Dane finally relented.