I swallowed past a thick throat, but had not a single word to offer in reply.
"Let's go corner Dominic," Pierce suggested. "I want you protected in every possible way throughout."
I blinked back tears as they threatened to drown me, and felt Ryan's thumbs caress each escapee away from beneath my eyes.
"Shhh, Tiger," he murmured softly. "I'm not letting anything happen to you or Daisy. OK?"
I shook my head, but offered a small smile. "You've got to stop saying such nice things," I said in a scratchy voice.
"But I'm a nice guy," he shot back with a sexy smirk and a wink, making my tremulous smile widen. "Come on," he encouraged, slipping his fingers between mine again and tugging me towards the deck at the rear of the house.
We walked in the back door and everyone in the kitchen immediately hushed. I realised, rather belatedly, that the large picture window above the sink and bench, directly opposite the dining table that was crowded with over half a dozen people, had an uninterrupted view of the backyard. Right up to the Cherry Tree and swing beneath.
I glanced at the table of people, flicked my gaze back to the window. Then back to the table again. Then the window. Everyone's eyes tracked my head move.
Kelly and Gen sniggered openly. Adam let out a wolf-whistle. Ben gave a chuckle and pulled Abi closer with a tug of his arm about her shoulder. And the two men left; one of which was a dark haired guy who'd been in on the previous conversation before I stormed off - I was going with him being Nick from ASI - and the other was a well dressed, suit wearing one - had to be lawyer Dominic - both offered knowing smiles and nods of their heads to Pierce. As though they were high five-ing him.
I let a little groan out and felt heat at my back as an arm snaked around my front, pulling me into the comfort and support of Ryan's body.
"So," Pierce said from over my shoulder. "This is Marie. She's with me, in case you didn't get that memo."
I blinked, turned my head to glare at Pierce. Did men actually say that sort of thing? And received a stunning smile in return, then a quick peck of his lips against my own.
"About time," Gen declared.
"The pheromones coming out of that back garden," Kelly offered, fanning herself dramatically.
"You'd know all about pheromones, Kels," Adam supplied.
"How do you know Kelly is into pheromones?" Abi asked suspiciously, flicking her gaze between the two.
"I am not into pheromones," Kelly retorted, swishing her curls over her shoulder haughtily with the flash of her delicate hand.
"Fuck, Kels," a guy said, as he entered the room from the side. He'd also been there earlier, but I still hadn't figured out who he was yet. "You wrote the book on pheromones."
"Jason," Gen complained. "Stop winding her up."
"But it's so much fun, sis," he shot back with a wink.
The men chuckled unanimously, all receiving very stern glares from both Kelly and Genevieve.
"Anyway," Kelly finally said, "it's not all about me." Her hand lifted and she waved in our general direction. "It's about the two raunchy lovebirds who practically set the Cherry Tree on fire in the backyard."
Oh, and here I was thinking we'd dodged a bullet with the tangent they'd all gone off on.
"So, what's the story?" Nick asked, from his seated position at the table.
"Well," Kelly started, about to launch into some debauched tale, no doubt.
Nick held up his hand for the woman to stop. Her mouth snapped shut a little petulantly.
"Pierce?" Nick pressed. "Where are we officially at now?"
I felt his chest rise as he sucked in a steadying breath behind me, and then the fall as he slowly released it. Hot air tickled the skin at the base of my head and I struggled, despite the current topic shift, not to react to the tingles Ryan's proximity created.
"Marie has a ledger that details all of McLaren's criminal transactions, debts owed, and how they were paid, over the ten years prior to Richard Costello's death."
Silence met Pierce's announcement and for the first time I realised that this decision had another consequence too. One I hadn't even considered until this moment.
The chance that all these people, whom I'd begun to feel like close friends, could turn away in disgust, once they heard what I had done and the reason why.
I wasn't to blame for where Rick took us, but I hadn't tried hard enough to stop him until it was too late. And my attempt had left him dead in the end, letting McLaren walk away.
How many crimes had McLaren performed since? How many people had been harmed because I hadn't succeeded, because I'd remained quiet for fear of my daughter's and my safety?
What would they think?