Shield My Heart (Heaven Hill Book 9) by Laramie Briscoe Read Free Book Online

hadn’t wanted to press his luck. Especially because of what he wanted to ask. Liam could easily say no, and he hoped being patient would get him some leeway with the man so many of them looked up to. He needed this favor like he needed his next cigarette. If he had any hope at all of helping his uncle, he needed time, and right now, that was a precious commodity.
    The shop was busier now than it had ever been, fuck what his dad thought. Their client base was strong, and they’d been getting by legitimately for a long time. They didn’t have to have their hands in everything because they made damn good money doing things their own way.
    “Dalton, c’mon in.” Liam walked through the clubhouse holding a file full of papers as he opened the door to their meeting room. Here they had some privacy, and within that privacy Dalton would beg if he had to. He wasn’t beyond that. Things had to change, he had to get some relief from the stress he was feeling. If he didn’t, he was going to go crazy, and that helped no one.
    He’d specifically asked they not do this at the garage. This was his business and no one else’s. He’d inadvertently pulled Mandy halfway into it, and he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He didn’t want Drew involved, didn’t want Tyler involved, and didn’t want anyone else to stick their nose where it didn’t belong. Most of all, he didn’t want to bring this to Heaven Hill’s front door.
    “You asked to see me privately?” Liam motioned for Dalton to have a seat and then had a seat opposite him. The pres gave his full attention as Dalton struggled with what to say. He’d never been good at asking for favors, and never wanted to disappoint anyone. Right now he felt like a world-class fuck-up.
    And Liam was tired. He could tell by the way the other man ran his hands through his hair and blew out a breath. His shoulders sagged ever so slightly, and Dalton hated to add this stress onto him.
    Playing with the edges of the long-sleeve shirt he wore, Dalton nodded. “I did. There are some things I need to talk to you about, a favor I need to ask. Some issues going on in my life that I need to take care of.”
    Liam frowned. This didn’t have a good feeling; in fact it felt downright bad. That little dip in his gut that told him when something was off; it was positively vibrating. “Is this about what’s going on with you and Mandy? A lot of us have noticed things have seemed off with the two of you lately. Is there anything I can do?”
    How could he look at the man who’d been his hero for most of his adult life and ask him these questions—basically lie to his face? How was he going to pull this off? How was he going to live with himself when this was all over? That was the better question.
    “This is personal. Some of it has to do with Mandy, but I’d prefer to keep that between me and her, if you don’t mind. There’s a lot she doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep her in the dark, where possible. Not because I’m stepping out on her,” he was quick to assure. That was the very last thing he would do and, from what he heard, the very first thing people were quick to assume. “Just because I don’t want anyone coming to her for answers she can’t provide.”
    Dalton could tell Liam did mind, but he bit his tongue, and for that Dalton was grateful. He didn’t have the stomach to get into everything that was going on. The ulcer he’d been nursing since he was a teenager had made a reappearance lately.
    “I need to take a leave of absence from the club.” There, he’d said it. No beating around the bush, no pretending like it wasn’t what he’d come here to ask. He’d gotten straight to the point and hoped like hell Liam would too.
    The pres recoiled almost as if he’d been hit in the chest. There was more to this request, much more than Dalton had let on to anyone. With everything, Liam wanted to fix it. He wanted his boy to be good, but that boy had to be honest with