Surrender (Steel Brothers Saga 6)

“Talon went to court for that. He’s paid his debt.”

“My son wanted to be in court that day, to tell his side of the story. But he wasn’t. And who would have the most to gain by him not being there? Your brother. And you.”

Oh my God. Was this truly happening?

“Look, we had nothing to do with that.”

“As I understand it, only Talon has an alibi. Jade. And that’s sketchy, given her history with Colin. But you and your brother Ryan have no alibi for your whereabouts after you left Colin that night. For the five mil, this all goes away.”

“This is all ridiculous. All I need to do is have the stupid DNA test and you’ll find out I’m innocent.”

“Are you sure about that?” His eyes glinted with slime.

What the fuck? Was he trying to frame me? There was no way any trace of my DNA could be found anywhere near Colin’s private parts.

Would it be easier to just pay him off? I could afford it.

Then—

“Wait a goddamned minute. I want to talk to your son.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible. Only family can see him.”

“This isn’t his idea at all, is it? He never told anyone that I raped him. You made that up to extort money from me. He knows I saved him.”

“Mr. Steel—”

“You are a goddamned piece of work, Morse. I’ll tell you the same thing I told Jones when he called me. You want my blood? Come here and take it.” I glared at him.

He backed away slowly.

“You know what my brother did to your son, and that was only because Talon saw Colin kissing his woman. Let me tell you something. I’m way meaner than my brother could ever hope to be. What do you think I could do to a guy who’s trying to frame me for kidnapping and rape?”

“You had better think before you threaten me, Mr. Steel.”

“This isn’t a threat. It’s just the way things are. You and I both know I never touched your son. In fact, I think I’ll go get Officer Jones, and I’ll tell him exactly what you said to me during this conversation.”

Morse pursed his lips. “You still haven’t seen the last of us.”

“Look, I’m really sorry about what happened to your son. Those degenerates did the same thing to my brother when he was only ten years old. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But I will not take the blame when all I did was find him and save him.”

He looked at me sternly, his eyes betraying nothing.

“I don’t think I’ll be having a blood test today after all,” I said. “Unless you let me talk to Colin first.”

“That won’t be necessary.” Morse turned and walked away.

The fucking asshole. Trying to extort money from me by accusing me of such a despicable act. Nausea rose in my throat. Part of me wished I had kept my Glock in my ankle holster, but I knew that wasn’t the answer.

I had Melanie back now. I wasn’t going to screw up my life.

I checked in with Officer Jones before I left. “I think you’ll find that my blood test is no longer necessary when you talk to Mr. Morse. In fact, the asshat just tried to extort money from me. You should arrest his sorry ass.”

I walked out of the hospital.

Chapter Fifteen

Melanie