“It-it’s my mother.”
Gavin jolted in shock. Out of everything he’d possibly expected to come from her mouth, this hadn’t entered his mind. “Your mother?”
Lila shook and he held her closer, wishing he could take away all her fear and pain.
“You’ve seen your mother?” Trace asked gently.
Lila sat up and wiped her eyes with a sob. “She was at Dirty Delights last night. I didn’t even realize who she was at first. I didn’t recognize her. She, oh God, she’s so awful.”
“What did she do?” Colin asked as he looked at his brothers in concern.
“She-she threatened to tell everyone that Clay stole me and about how the four of us live together. She said she would spread nasty rumors, make your lives hell, painting Clay as a child kidnapper.”
“Oh, baby,” Gavin said. “Let her do her worst. We don’t care what she says. Everyone who knows Clay will know that wasn’t true.”
“But how dare she try to make out that Clay was the bad guy! He rescued me. He wanted me when she didn’t give a shit. And I don’t want her spreading nasty rumors about you guys. I can’t believe I’m related to her!”
“Neither can we, Lila,” Colin told her. “You’re beautiful, kind and generous. She is nothing like you.”
“She’s my mother, though, what if I end up like her?” Lila wailed. “How can you want to be with me when I’m related to her?”
Gavin shook his head. He couldn’t believe she was actually worried about ending up like that bitch. “Baby girl, there is no way you could ever end up like her. I promise. She may have given birth to you, bu
t Clay raised you and he raised you right.”
She finally relaxed a bit and he knew she was listening.
“But what if people turn on you like they did with Colin after Sara spread her bile around?” she asked quietly. She kept her gaze down, not looking at any of them.
“Oh, baby,” Colin breathed, kneeling before her. “Look at me, Lila.” He waited until she turned to look up at him. “No matter what this bitch does I would never blame you. I was a different guy back then, I didn’t have all of you backing me up. Let her do her worst. I’m ready.”
“What does she gain by spreading rumors, though?” Gavin asked with a frown and Lila immediately stiffened again.
“Lila?” Trace asked. “That wasn’t everything, was it?”
She shook her head. “No. She wants money. She said if I gave her one hundred thousand she’d keep quiet.”
“And you were going to give it to her, weren’t you?” Anger lashed through Gavin at what her mother was doing to her own daughter. Worst of all Lila hadn’t come and told them straight away. “That’s why you wanted to know when the money from Clay was coming through? You were actually going to pay her off? How? Did she seriously expect you to withdraw it and hand it over in a suitcase?”
Lila winced. “Umm. I was supposed to meet her at the old church on the Banning’s ranch. She mentioned something about a bank transfer.”
“Let me get this straight,” Gavin said quietly. “You were going to meet this woman to give her a hundred grand by yourself, without telling us?”
Guilt crossed her face and he knew she had been planning on doing just that. Fury raced through him, nearly blinding him. Thinking of what could have happened to her literally had him shaking.
She lowered her head. “Yes, Sir.”
Gavin stood and started pacing up and down. Goddammit, he was tired of her putting herself at risk. What would it take to get her to fully trust them? To know that they were going nowhere, that they would never abandon her no matter what.
“G-Gavin?” she said tremulously. She was huddled on the bed, curled in on herself, her eyes wide as she watched him. Trace and Colin were staring at her in concern, trying to soothe her, but her eyes were set on him.
There was worry there. And no small amount of guilt. God it hurt that she still didn’t trust them enough to confide in them, to let them help her. But he couldn’t force trust. It would come, he just had to be patient and look out for her until she learned that she could come to them with anything.
Gavin held his hand out to her. “Come here,” he told her.
She jumped up and raced towards him. He pulled her into his arms, placing kisses over her head.
“You terrify me at times, you really do. The idea of you meeting with that bitch alone terrifies me. But no matter what I love you, got me?”