He slams his shot glass on the table.
“And what the hell did he say?”
“He knew already. Cecily called him the minute they left here. He wants to meet her. Said to find a way to get her to New York, and get her there today. You know how he is. When he says do something, you do it. It doesn’t matter if you’re family or not.”
“Do you two realize how fucked up this is? We’ve got some crazy fucking sick bastard out there threatening to kill her. Even one of the world’s best assassins can’t find this sicko. Call him and tell him no. She’s not leaving here until we find Kryder. If he wants to see her, he’ll have to come here himself. Now that we’re back together-”
“Who says we’re back together?”
All three of our heads jolt in surprise when Calla gracefully strolls into the kitchen. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees Manny leaning against the counter.
She’s wearing a plain black tank top that stretches across her breasts, white shorts, and a pair of black flip-flops. Her hair is pulled back in a tight ponytail. Her makeup is flawless. I can smell her natural scent from where I’m standing and my testosterone level rises. All I want to do is kick these two out of here so I can cover her entire body with mine.
She smiles at Manny but doesn’t even look my way. If I didn’t know the two of them were cousins, I would beat his damn ass for her having eyes for only him right now. He stands tall, although he’s not the one to move first; she is. She greets him enthusiastically.
“Hey!”
“Hey...” Manny replies cautiously.
“You look great, Calla,” Bronzer acknowledges before turning to me. “I’m out.”
I push myself off of the counter.
“Hold up, man. I’ll walk out with you. I’ve got some shit to do up in the office. Give you two some time to talk, yeah?” I throw a meaningful look at Manny. “Bring her up to me when you’re done.”
“You got it.”
Calla never says a word. She nods her head, never taking her eyes off of the man she’s considered her friend since he first moved here at the age of sixteen; not by choice, that’s for damn sure. His parents wanted him to get an education. Manny, on the other hand, wanted to dig into the family business, feeling he was old enough to start blowing people’s fucking brains out.
But that’s his story to tell her if he wants to, not mine. I’ve got other things to tend to, like trying to find out who my mole is and getting Calla and I out of here safely.
“You look beautiful,” I whisper in her ear as I pass her by.
I grab my bottle and Bronzer and I casually walk outside. I look down for a moment to grab my phone out of my pocket and run smack dab into none other than Salvatore Diamond himself.
“Hello, Cain,” Salvatore greets me smugly in that way only he can.
I love this man, yet his presence here today is going to drive Calla nuts.
He gives me his usual ‘long-time-no-see’ hug, a medium squeeze with a pat on the back. I return the gesture along with a handshake to Beamer, who stands tall with one hell of a strange smile on his face.
“You know I mean no disrespect, but what the hell are you doing here? You’re going to tip her right over the damn edge, and you know it.”
He looks pleased with my sincerity concerning Calla’s well-being. He knows me, knows better than most people how much I love her and that I won’t ever back down when it comes to her.
“Cain, your protectiveness of my niece gives me great pleasure, but I’m a little disappointed in you not telling me she was here. I had to hear it from Cecily, who you didn’t call, either,” he says reproachfully.
“I had no idea she was coming. The last damn thing on my mind was calling you when I first saw her. Besides, she’s safe here and you know it.”
“I have not seen my niece since she was two years old. You know as well as I do that pictures are not the same as the real thing. Her being here is not the kind of shit you keep from family. She needs no protection from us.”
He waves his hand dismissively, and if I didn’t respect his ass, I would pull the ‘I beg to differ’ card on him like Calla did me. They would never hurt her, but this lifestyle sure as hell could.
Salvatore has seen me at my lowest, and was one of the few who helped me see light in all this darkness I’ve been living in since she’s been gone. He’s the only man who told me that distance wouldn’t matter if we truly loved each other. Our minds try and overrule our hearts, but love can triumph over any obstacle, any distance, and any person who tries to take it away.
No one would help me find her six years ago. Not my father, not her parents. Everywhere I looked, there were reminders of her. I gave up. I stole a shit ton of money from my father, found Salvatore’s address, and forced a meeting with him. I will never forget what he has done for me. He gave me the strength and the wisdom to fight for what’s mine. And here I stand, challenging him in that fight. He notices the tension in my stance and raises an eyebrow.
“Don’t get all pissy with me, boy. I care about her just as much as you do. Now where’s my other son?”
The boss opens his expensive jacket, shrugs it off, and tosses it on the porch like it’s nothing. I bet that material cost near five thousand dollars. He wears Armani exclusively. He rolls up his sleeves.
“Well, where is he? I’ve got business to tend to.”
I back up to grab the jacket and place it on the post leading up the stairs.
“Business? Here? You hate this city.”
“Damn right, I do. It’s dirty. Full of drugs. Rats. Sewers. It smells.”
“And New York doesn’t?” I laugh.
“Anyway, smart mouth, Detroit has just become my new favorite city.”
I shoot both of them a narrow look.
“All right, you fuckers. Tell me, what the hell is going on?”
Before they can answer, I hear the sound of a car driving slowly up my path. We all turn to look.
“Jesus Christ, now what?” I exclaim.
I look from Beamer to Salvatore. Their faces stare blankly at John and Cecily, who are now getting out of the car. The three of us stand there and watch them approach. John’s fists are clenched at his sides, and Cecily looks like she’s ready to kill someone herself.
“You!” she shouts, aiming her finger at Salvatore. “You had the nerve to call me and tell me that shit on the phone.”
“Get your finger out of my face and give me a hug. Be thankful I called you at all.”
The two of them embrace, kissing each other on the cheek. My head goes back and forth between all four of them. This is some screwed up shit right here.
“What the hell is going on?” I ask loudly. “You people trying to kill her, or what? You’ve told her enough today, John. And you didn’t speak enough, Cecily. So what brings you back to my house?”
All four of them snap their heads in my direction.
“John?” Cecily indicates for her husband to speak.
“Cain. Beamer here found Kryder this morning.”
My blood starts churning. My hands clench so tightly into fists that I swear to Christ we all hear my knuckles crack.
“Where?”
“He’s been right under our noses this whole damn time, man. Fucking Brightmoor.”
I shake my head.
“Come again? Brightmoor? As in where Emerald grew up? As in where her parents still live? Dad’s old VP Monty? No motherfucking way.”
This can’t be. He’s been right here the whole damn time.
No one says a word. All you hear is the whistle of the breeze and the shuffling of trees until John walks back to the car, the crunching of stone heard with each thunderous step. He opens the back door, reaches inside, and drags out Monty. His mouth is taped shut and his hands are cuffed. He looks as scared as a cat standing on hot bricks.
I freeze. My throat constricts, the blood that was boiling through my veins moments ago turning deathly cold. That prick. After everything my father did for him. I may be going straight to hell, but this piece of shit is about to beat me there.