by A. M. Myers
Jumper scoffs, shaking his head as he looks around the room. “Jesus. Is it gang up on Jump day?”
“She did mention that she doesn’t want him knowing where her new place is so I think there is something going on that we don’t know about. Either way, we need to make sure that doesn’t happen and that she’ll be safe after we leave,” Streak says, ignoring Jumper’s question. There is a part of me that probably would have done the same since he’s been acting like an idiot lately and everyone is getting tired of his shit but he’s still a brother and that buys him a little goodwill, I suppose. When his gaze meets mine, pissed that he was ignored, I shake my head and he falls back in his chair with a huff. The kid is young and he’s definitely got an attitude problem at the moment but we wouldn’t have let him join if we weren’t all sure that he was a good guy. Maybe I’ll try and find him after we get done here and “lovingly” tell him to get himself together.
“Good. If that’s settled, let’s move on to Izzy’s case. Anything new to report?” Storm asks, turning to me and I shake my head as I blow out a breath as my stomach churns. Izzy was scared of Luca before a week ago but now, she’s terrified and I have nothing to aid in our attempts to stop this which only makes it worse. Not to mention, that the loss of everything she owned has stolen that fire from her eyes that I love so much. It’s unacceptable.
“Not much since the fire. Izzy hasn’t wanted to leave the compound and as far as I know, Streak hasn’t found anything new about Luca.”
Streak shakes his head. “Nope. I’ve exhausted the security cameras around the restaurant and this guy is nowhere to be found. I’m going to move on to the DMV database and just search for every Luca in the state.”
“And if he’s got a license from another state?” Maverick asks, his gaze bouncing around the room. Maverick works alongside me at Devil in the Details and we work really well together. He started prospecting for the club a year after I joined and in the beginning, I was unsure about it working out since he is Tate’s twin brother and Tate is married to Kodiak. Oh, and Kodiak’s little sister is married to Streak. As far as I was concerned, it was too much family and bound to cause drama but so far, that hasn’t been the case.
Streak shrugs. “I’ll expand it to surrounding states.”
“What if we get Izzy to describe him to me?” Nix asks. Nix joined the club after his father and our former president, Blaze, was killed a few years back and he’s a damn good artist so there might be something to that idea. Streak nods in agreement.
“That I could work with.”
Storm nods, looking satisfied. “That sounds like a good starting point. What about the fire captain? Have you heard from him yet?”
“Yeah,” I answer, running a hand through my hair. Captain Grier called me yesterday to let me know that the heart found in Izzy’s fridge was a pig’s heart and that it was fresh… like cut from the animal only a couple of hours prior to being placed in her fridge. I relay that information to them.
“Jesus,” Kodiak hisses, shaking his head. “That’s fucked.”
“Why, though?” Henn asks, a scowl on his face. “Just to scare her? She already seems pretty fucking scared to me and that cut on her chest was no fucking joke.”
The image of the gash on Izzy’s chest from where Luca tried to slice her throat pops into my mind and I push it away just as quickly as I nod. “I can’t think of any other reason that he’d put a damn organ in her fridge and light her house on fire but who the fuck knows? He honestly doesn’t seem all that bright.”
“I’d second that,” Chance says.
“Are we still just going off of the idea that it’s these two guys coming after Izzy?” Rooster asks, arching a brow as he crosses his arms over his chest and looks around the room. I’d briefly entertained the idea that Luca and his friend could be working for someone else but with how unorganized they are, it doesn’t seem to be the case.
“Is there something that would make you think otherwise?”
He shakes his head. “Naw, not really. Except for the thing with the cops and the reports going missing.”
“That’s true,” Fuzz adds. “If these guys are as stupid as they appear, how in the hell do they have the power to make files and murder reports go away? That requires money and influence that takes time and brain power to build. It doesn’t really fit.”
“Let’s look into it,” Storm says to Streak and he nods. “See if we can find any evidence of someone else running the show.”
“You got it, boss.”
Storm turns to me. “Anything else to add?”
“Actually, yeah,” I say, leaning back in my seat. “I had my friend, Max, search the area around Izzy’s house and he found a pistol in the brush off to the southeast. He said it looked like someone was camped out there, watching. I don’t know if Luca’s been hanging out there and waiting for Izzy to show up or if he was there the day of the fire and one of y’all scared him off.”
“So, the fire was more than a scare tactic?” Marley muses, studying me and I shrug.
“Possibly. There is no way to tell for sure but that was what went through my head as soon as I got the call. He can’t get to Izzy here, on the compound, so he needed to draw her out.”
“Shit,” Storm hisses, scrubbing a hand down his face. “If that’s the case, y’all shouldn’t leave the property by yourselves anymore.”
Izzy is going to hate it but I nod in complete agreement. She can get mad at me all she wants but nothing is going to stop me from protecting her.
“I agree.”
He nods, looking around the room at my brothers. “I’m not going to set up an official rotation or anything right now but just make sure someone is always available if Smoke needs you.”
They all nod in agreement.
“What about your other case?” Storm asks and I sigh, my mind flicking to the lack of progress that I’ve made in Hazel’s case. I haven’t been able to give it my full attention since Izzy came to stay with me but I haven’t forgotten about her and I’m still just as frustrated as I was three weeks ago.
“I’m stuck on that one and it’s more of the same - corruption bullshit in the department and lost evidence.”
Turning to look out of the window behind him, he crosses his arms over his chest. “Fucking bullshit. I’m so goddamn tired of dealing with these fuckers.”
“Me, too,” I mutter, clenching my fist as I think about the crooked men that run the police force here in Baton Rouge. “Honestly, maybe we just need to handle this ourselves.”
“Thug style?” Jumper asks, his face lighting up as he sits forward and smiles. I scoff and Storm turns back to the table, flicking an annoyed glance at Jumper.
“Who do you want to go after?”
I shrug. “The rapist. I figure if we can’t send him to prison, then we could at least make him regret ever touching Hazel. The problem would be his daddy’s Chief of Police friend.”
“We’d need to be careful, for sure,” Fuzz adds, nodding. “Masks, gloves, no cuts…”
“Thug style!” Jumper says again and I can’t help but laugh at the enthusiasm in his eyes. He looks like a damn kid on Christmas as he bounces in his seat and Storm scoffs.
“Yeah, sure, Jump.” He turns to me. “Take a little more time to see if you can find anything that could be used to get her justice and if not, we’ll talk about what we need to do to get her vengeance.”
“Anything else?” Chance asks, gazing around the room and everyone shakes their head. When no one speaks up, Storm picks up the gavel and bangs it against the table, dismissing us. I stand and turn toward the door, eager to get back to where I left Izzy in the family area with Ali, Carly, and Tate. Streak gets to the door first and pulls it open, blocking me as the guys file out of the room and I clench my teeth as the irritation from before worms its way through me. God, I just want to get my hands on my woman and these fuckers are in my way.
Once the room empties out, Storm approaches me and arch
es a brow. “How is Izzy really doing?”
“Shit,” I mutter, shrugging. “I don’t know. She hasn’t been herself but I think she’s trying, you know?”
He nods. “Ali is worried about her.”
“Is that why she called you out of the room earlier?” Normally, the wives aren’t permitted to participate in church and Ali would never dream of interrupting unless it was something important and few things mean more to her than her best friends. He nods.
“Yeah.” When he glances over at me, I swear to fucking God, I see the lightbulb go off in his eyes and he grins at me.
“What?”
His grin grows. “Come on. I’ve got an idea to solve both of our problems.”
“Here’s the thing,” I say, eyeing him warily. “That weird ass smile on your face makes me want to say no.”
“Shut the fuck up and just do what I tell you. I’ve been married a hell of a lot longer than you have and I know what I’m talking about.”
I hold up my bare left hand. “Not married.”
“Like it fucking matters. I know the look and if you play your cards right, you will be soon enough.”
Well, shit.
Not like I can argue with that.
Izzy is fucking perfect and I am determined to make her mine as soon as possible. She’s going to fight me every single step of the way because she’s Izzy and it would go against her very nature to just be agreeable so I’ll take all the help I can get, even if it means I have to admit to this asshole that I do, in fact, need his assistance.
“Fine. What’s the plan?”
He smiles again as we walk out of the war room. “Sabotage.”
Chapter Twenty
Isabelle
My precious Isabelle,
You may still be too young to understand this but when your time is coming, when death is closing in on you, it’s something you can feel, deep down in your bones. Ever since Papa passed, I’ve felt it and I know my time on this earth is short. Yesterday, it occurred to me that once I’m gone, there will be no one left to tell you the story of Papa and me. I know how much you love hearing it and I couldn’t stand the idea that you’d have to go the rest of your life without it so I wrote it down for you here. It is my dream for you, sweet girl, that you will find a man who loves you, cherishes you, and devotes his life to you the way that Papa did for me. There is no greater joy in the world than reaching the end of your life and looking back with a smile on all the things you accomplished, the family you built, and the legacy you leave behind. You are my legacy, granddaughter, and I couldn’t be prouder of the young lady you are and the woman I know you’ll become. There is a fire in you - one I recognize since I saw it so often in the mirror - and it tells me that you are strong. You won’t be pushed around and you won’t back down from a fight. It’s this knowledge that allows my heart to be free from sorrow as I think about my passing because I know no matter what life throws at you, you will conquer it.
And if I may, allow me to pass on one last little piece of grandmotherly advice before I go - do not let this world steal your light, Isabelle. People are stupid. I’m not going to mince words or try to be kind because as I’ve said, I’m dying and I don’t care anymore. People are stupid and that’s a fact. It’s also true that you are going to experience pain at the hands of these people but don’t let it dim that fire inside you. You get to decide who you want to be and what you want out of this life. Don’t live in fear and remember, even the happiest story has its trials and tribulations. Without heartbreak, there is no love, and without pain, there is no joy.
Love you always,
Lita
Wiping the stray tear from my cheek, I turn to the next page and my heart clenches as my gaze travels over the familiar opening of how Papa and Lita met and fell in love so many years ago. Their story wasn’t easy but they persevered. They fought against all of the odds, both of them refusing to back down until they had the life they wanted and I’ve always admired their love. Even now, I can remember the way Papa looked at her like she was his life, his heart, and the sole reason he drew each and every breath. Setting the letter down on the bedspread, I touch the page and smile. She was right when she wrote me this letter - I would have been heartbroken if I had never gotten to hear this story again and while it’s not quite the same, I swear I can almost hear her voice as I read over her words. It’s like a warm blanket wrapping around me, bathing me in the comfort I’ve desperately needed this past week.
Dark memories flood my mind and I close my eyes, squeezing them tight. I’ve tried so hard to remind myself that everything I lost was just stuff, replaceable, but remembering the way my home looked when I stood in front of it a week ago is painful. Yeah, it’s just stuff but it was my stuff. I’d spent so long making every little detail of that house perfect and it was my refuge, the place I felt the most peace. It’s still hard to believe that it’s just gone. Tears sting my eyes again and I open them, gritting my teeth as I try to force away the ache. I glance up and jerk in surprise. Diego is standing in the doorway to his bedroom, watching me as he leans his broad shoulder against the door frame.
“Hey.”
I force my expression to relax. “Hi. What’s up?”
“Not much,” he answers, a hint of a smile teasing his lips as he watches me. I narrow my eyes as I fold up my grandmother’s letter and set it on the bedside table. He has his hands behind his back and he’s clearly holding something but I can’t see what it is with his big body blocking the way. “You feeling better?”
After all of the guys spilled out of the war room earlier, Diego came and found me in the living room with Ali, Carly, and Ali’s kids. I’ve been in such a funk this past week but hanging out with them made me feel a little better so I was irritated when he insisted that we should head home. Once we got back to his place, he walked inside with me, then said he had errands to run and that I should stay at the house which only pissed me off more. It’s probably why after he left, I decided to just crawl into bed and let myself wallow in the pain I’ve been trying to push away for the past seven days.
“I guess,” I mutter, eyeing him warily. There is a gleam in his eyes that makes me suspicious as hell but I don’t think I really have the energy to go toe-to-toe with him right now. “Get your errands done?”
He nods, a smile stretching across his face. “I did and I have a surprise for you.”
I arch a brow. “What?”
The smile on his face grows but there is a hint of nervousness peeking through as he pulls a gift bag out from behind his back. I watch him, unable to take my gaze off of him as he walks across the room and sets the bag down in front of me before sitting across from me on the mattress.
“What’s this for?”
“To cheer you up,” he answers, shrugging his shoulders like it’s no big deal and my heart hammers as I stare at the bag. He went out and bought me a present just to make me feel better? No other man has ever done something like this for me, which is absolutely ridiculous but that didn’t make it any less true. I suppose when all you do is fuck men and then write them off before they can get too close to you, they don’t really have an opportunity to go out and buy you presents. Looking up, I meet his eyes and a sensation slams into me, unfamiliar and completely unwelcome. I can’t seem to stop it though. There is a fist around my heart, squeezing, as my mind races over the time and planning that he put into this just to make me feel better after the past week.
“I… you…” I shake my head at him, unable to form coherent words. There is a part of me that wants to throw my arms around him and thank him for the incredibly sweet gesture but the other part wants to shove the bag back in his direction and tell him it’s too much. This is clearly crossing a line here, right? Just because presents go way beyond the casual hook-up nature of our relationship and the fact that it’s affecting me this much can only be a sign that we’re getting too close.
But he’s the father of my child.
So, naturall
y, and despite the fact that we’re screwing like a couple of horny teenagers, our relationship already goes beyond casual. Is this appropriate? Do other guys buy their baby mamas gifts just to cheer them up after they’ve had a hellish week? I want to say no but I have no experience in the matter so I don’t have a clue if that’s true or not.
“Isabelle,” he whispers, shaking his head as he scoots closer to me and grabs my hand. “It’s a gift, not a bomb. Don’t overthink this.”
I nod, my mind still scrambled. “Right.”
Don’t overthink it.
I could do that… right?
Sucking in a breath, I grab the handles of the gift bag and pull it closer - my belly doing little flips and my heart racing as I open it and peek inside. There is a small box sitting on top of some tissue paper that looks suspiciously like it contains jewelry. With a shaky hand, I reach into the bag and pull out the long, thin box. I meet his eyes again as I take a deep breath and place my thumbs on either side of the seam on the long side of the box, prying it open.
“Oh,” I gasp as I stare down at the necklace nestled in the box. There is a cluster of diamonds in the middle, forming a perfect circle as they glitter under the light. Around the middle is another ring of diamonds, also in a perfect circle, and the entire pendant is no bigger than a quarter but it feels like a damn boulder in my hand. “This is… You can’t….”
He shoots me a look. “Stop. Like I said, I just wanted to get you something to cheer you up and I got the baby’s due date engraved on the side.”
Gently grabbing the pendant, I turn it to the side so I can see our baby’s due date etched into the metal just like he said and tears well up in my eyes. “Diego… this is…”
He scoots across the bed, closing the distance between us, and using his thumb to wipe a tear as it streaks down my cheek. I grab his hand and meet his eyes. Leaning in, he presses a kiss to my cheek, lingering there for a moment and I close my eyes, soaking it up. His lips are warm against my skin and a deep feeling of contentment washes over me as more tears fall. God, something about the way he touches me is just so right that I can’t fight against it or push it away. Not that I even want to in this moment. He is exactly what I need to forget this shitstorm of a week.
