by BL Mute
“Sebastian?” I raise a brow. “We killed his right-hand man, Charlie. There is no way he will want to help us. And we don’t even know where he is. All we found was a name.”
“I’m sure the chief can help us. Now that we know who to look for, he shouldn’t be hard to find.”
“You think? What about Cameron, then?” I laugh.
She shakes her head. “That’s different. He knows we’re looking for him, so he’s hiding. I doubt this Sebastian dude is hiding.”
“No. I don’t like that. He killed your dad, Charlie.”
“No.” She levels her eyes with mine. “David and Cameron killed my dad.”
“That doesn’t change the fact I don’t like it.”
“Think of it like this: Emil will never expect us to get help from the enemy. We’ll have the element of surprise, and shit will go down smoother than last time…” She trails off but doesn’t try and finish. I know she’s thinking about him again.
“Fine. Say we do get him to help us. Men like him don’t help from the kindness in their heart, they want something in return. What are we supposed to give him that he doesn’t already have?”
The waitress comes back looking meek and sets Charlie’s food in front of her before rushing away. She takes a bite and chews it before swallowing. “Give him Emil’s territory. We won’t need it. We’re fine without it, and we don’t have a use for it, so give it to him. Use that as incentive.”
I mull over what she’s saying, and honestly, it isn’t a half-bad plan. “Fine. We’ll give it a go, but the first time I say it’s done, then it’s done. I’m not risking any more lives.”
“Okay,” she replies, taking another bite of her food, trying to act nonchalant, but I can see the slight tremble in her hand.
I grip her knee again. “I’m serious, Charlotte. No one else dies.”
She sets her fork on the plate, letting it clatter against the glass. “Promise?”
“I fucking swear.”
Every time I see Charlie, it gets harder to leave which is exactly why I stayed last night. After everything at the restaurant, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her. And in a way, I was hoping maybe she would ask for me. She would say she wanted me. Instead, all I got was a crick in my neck and all of my exposed skin stuck to the leather couch every time I would get comfortable. Which resulted in almost no sleep. I much rather would have been in bed with her.
I try and snap my mind out of the dark place and focus on the task at hand. All day Carl, Julius, Charlie, and I have done nothing but lounge around the house, trying to work the kinks out of our plan.
“We need to meet with Sloan and give him a rundown. Maybe see if he’s even willing to help,” I remark.
“He’ll help us. There is no question about that,” Charlie answers from the other side of the counter.
“She’s right. He’s always willing to help us with whatever we need. And when we tell him why, it will do nothing but give him more of a reason to say yes. He wants Charlie and Hale safe just as much as us,” Carl adds.
“I still think we need more for Sebastian to even help us, if we can even find him,” Julius chimes in.
“We can figure all of that out later. Right now, let’s just focus on meeting with Sloan and seeing if we can even nail down more information on the guy.” I toss a glance toward everyone.
They all nod in agreement.
I slip my phone from my pocket and dial Sloan’s number. When the call connects, I start talking. “Chief. Can you meet?”
His reply comes out with tones of concern and confusion. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” I reassure him. “I just need your help with something.”
I can hear the relief wash over him. “Okay. I’m at the station now but leaving soon. You want to come here or the mansion?”
Maybe because I spent so much time in Teddy’s home, I don’t see it as anything other than that—a home—so his words catch me off guard. “I’ll meet you at the house,” I reply after a second.
“Okay, I’ll be there in thirty.”
I disconnect the call without a goodbye, then turn to Carl. “Let’s roll now. He’s meeting us at the house.” Carl nods and walks away, grabbing his coat.
“I’m coming too,” Charlie pipes up.
I shake my head. “No, you’re not. We still don’t know if anyone is watching it. I’m not risking anything with this shit, so you’re staying.”
She opens her mouth to argue, but she knows this is a battle she won’t win. I made a promise to protect her not only to myself, but to her too, and I intend on keeping it.
She walks away sulking before I can say anything else.
I let out a breath, then turn to Julius. “Stay with her and make sure she doesn’t try to leave once we’re gone.”
He salutes me, then plops onto the couch as Carl and I walk out the door.
Pulling into the drive is different than it has been before. Since shit has been so sketchy lately with Cameron on the loose and Emil possibly on the warpath, Jules and I have even avoided staying here. We still keep a guard posted 24/7 and have Sloan keep an eye on things when he’s free, but something about being here just doesn’t sit right with me. Hopefully, that will change once we handle all of this shit.
Sloan’s patrol car is already parked in the front, right at the bottom of the steps when we kill the car. Stepping out, a thick air surrounds me. Maybe it’s the thought of things ending the same way they did a few months ago, or maybe it’s the relief I feel just from the thought of this shit being over.
Carl and I walk up the steps and push open the door. “Sloan,” I greet him when I see him standing in the foyer.
“Lucas, Carl.” He dips his head. “What’s going on?”
I love how he always cuts straight to the point. “We have a plan to end all of this once and for all. A plan that revolves around our terms and won’t get anyone hurt. Well, only the ones who deserve it.”
He crosses his arms and widens his stance, not bothering to hide the look of skepticism all over his face. “Oh? And what’s that?”
“We need to find Sebastian. A location, contact number, something other than his name.”
He squints his eyes. “And why would you need that?”
I turn to Carl, and he nods, telling me to go ahead and explain. Like I need his permission. It was more of a “Are you sure you want to do this?” but whatever.
“If we can get him on our side to help bring down Emil, we can finally end this. Make this fucked-up town better for the baby and shit.”
“Emil? Why? There has been nothing but radio silence from him, so why poke the bear?”
“It’s not poking,” Carl interjects. “It’s attacking before the bear wakes up. We all know damn well it’s just a matter of time before shit hits the fan.”
“You really think the man who organized the murder of my best friend—of Charlie’s dad—is going to be willing to help you?” he asks with a new tone to his voice.
“He will, with a good incentive,” I say.
“And what’s the incentive?”
“Emil’s territory. He can use it for whatever he wants. He can have the illegal shit, including his escort service.”
Sloan rubs a hand down his face. “The whole reason Teddy made a deal with Blake was to push the cartel away, not bring them closer.”
For a moment I have to think of who Blake was. We’ve always referred to him as Charlie’s dad or the chief before Sloan. I had almost forgotten he had a name.
“I get that, but Teddy isn’t here anymore. We need to do what we can to make sure shit is safe for this baby and for Charlie.” I say the words I know will make him agree. “This will be on our terms. We can keep the drugs out of here, only let him run the escorts on this side of town, so Teddy’s promise will be kept, and we can walk around without looking over our shoulder.”
Sloan shakes his head. “Trusting the enemy is stupid and reckless, but if you’
re hell-bent on it, I’ll do my best to help. Don’t say I didn’t warn you though when shit doesn’t go the way you want it.”
“That’s all I want, Chief. You get me what I need, and I’ll handle the rest.”
He huffs. “If I were you, I’d find something more he may want too. Something to sweeten the pot, because as of now, what you have doesn’t seem like enough.”
“I said I’ll handle it,” I snap.
He holds up his hands and backs toward the door. “I’ll dig tomorrow and see what I can find.”
I give him a firm nod as he exits.
When the door clicks closed, Carl speaks up again. “Honestly? He isn’t wrong. The more ammo we have to give him, the better.”
“I know,” I agree.
Charlie gets to me in ways no one else ever has. All it would take is her batting her eyelashes in my direction and I’d burn an entire city down if she asked. This isn’t even something I wanted to do, but if we’re doing it, we’re doing it my way. I scrub a hand down my face.
Love is supposed to make you feel alive, but I don’t even know what that feels like anymore. Death and I are the best of fucking friends. It surrounds me, and sometimes I even invite it in with my own hands. But with Charlie, I see the light in all the fucked-up darkness. I have a reason to push forward and keep going.
She is my saving grace and demise combined.
After Carl and I leave the house, we head back to the cabin. The entire drive I just zone out and try and think of something other than the shit show that is bound to happen.
When we pull up, I exit and close the door quietly, and Carl does the same. Walking inside, we find Julius in the same spot on the couch playing on his phone. “How is she?” I ask.
“Fine. Pissed you left her, but fine.”
I nod and walk to her bedroom door slowly. Since it’s so late, I’m hoping she’s asleep. I know she’s mad I wouldn’t let her go, but it was in her best interest. She’ll get over it by morning.
When I press my ear against the door, I’m met with silence. I turn the knob and push it open, thankful the hinges don’t creak, then step inside and close it behind me. I trust Julius, but for some reason, I just feel the need to see her for myself. To really make sure she’s okay.
She’s lying on her back with only a thin sheet covering her lower body and a tank top over her top. The mesh curtains behind her bed let in the moonlight, giving contrast to her face so I can make out her features. Her chest rises and falls slowly, and her arms are positioned over her head gracefully. Her lips wear a pout, but not one of annoyance. It’s more bliss. Comfort.
I step into her personal space and study her face closer. Most of her hair lies in soft waves on her pillow, but a few strands cover her forehead and trail down to her chin. I lightly brush them away, then run the pad of my thumb over her soft lips.
Suddenly, I’m reminded of the first time my lips met hers. The memories come crashing back as I go through the moments in my mind.
At that very moment when her hand reached up to hit me, I stopped it. Not for the fact of being scared of the pain that would come with her slap—the pain excites me—but because I knew if she hit me, I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
I thought about warning her, telling her this would lead nowhere good, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I waited for a moment, staring into her eyes, seeing what her next move would be. Seeing if she was feeling all of the things I had been feeling and denying.
She stood on her toes and pushed her body into me, then crashed her lips to mine. The complete euphoria I felt in that moment was unexplainable. It was foreign and new, but I knew I wanted more. I took all she would give and didn’t apologize. I flicked my tongue over hers and moaned into her mouth at her mere taste. A taste so fucking sweet and so fucking deadly, and then it hit me.
Teddy was still alive. Sure, she didn’t know, but I did. I made myself stop because I knew what would happen if he found out, but knowing what he did then… If I would have known then, I would have taken even more from her. I would have let her give me her body and show her exactly what I had dreamed of doing for so fucking long.
I shake the thoughts away as she turns away from my touch, still in a complete sleepy bliss. “Your father knew what he was doing when he gave you the name Monkshood. So fucking beautiful, but so fucking deadly. You will be my downfall, Flower,” I whisper before leaving the room.
“All good?” Carl asks as I close the door.
I nod. “Let’s go see if we can find more on Emil to use. Jules, you’re coming too,” I say, looking to him.
He nods and stands from the couch. Thankfully neither him nor Carl question why I was in her room longer than I should have been. It’s not like it’s any of their business anyway.
I make sure the door is locked behind us before I walk to the car. Carl takes the driver’s seat, so I take the passenger, and Julius climbs into the back. “So where exactly are we going?” Carl asks, starting the car.
“The casino. It’s the one place I know will have something. We’ll stake it out for a bit and see what we can come up with.”
He nods and pulls out of the long driveway, then heads toward the southside of town.
The entire drive is silent which is nice. I don’t have the energy to try and talk about pointless shit. When we finally pull into the casino’s parking lot, Carl parks the car to the right side of the entrance. We’re behind enough cars that we won’t be seen sitting and watching, but still have enough visibility to watch the entrance.
Just like every other time I’ve been here, most of the patrons are men. They’re all different ages and ethnicities but all come for the same thing. The girls. But now after seeing the one lone file Emil left in his shed, I can’t help but to try and pinpoint the real perverts. The ones who come to take shit they don’t ask for. To hurt these women and girls.
The thought alone makes me sick.
“Keep a close eye on the entrance, Carl, and I’ll watch the side over here.” I point to the long stretch of building in front of us. “Jules, just watch everything.”
Julius has always been a watcher. I feel all of his silence over the years has almost given him a paranormal ability. When you shut the fuck up and just watch and listen, you’re bound to see things others miss, and Julius is the best at that. He can read body language, pick out the crazy ones in a crowd, and know when someone is up to something.
He nods, then steps out of the car. I roll down my window as he leans against the back door. “Don’t be seen, Jules. I don’t want any shit tonight.”
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a pack of cigarettes and lighter before sparking one up. “It’s less suspicious with me out here smoking than all of us piled into the car.”
I scrunch my face. “You don’t even smoke.”
He inhales a long drag, then blows it out. “Tonight, I do.”
I roll my eyes, then move them back to the side of the building.
For what seems like hours, we just sit and watch the same scene over and over. Men go in, then about thirty minutes later they exit the same way. Alone.
I pull my phone from my pocket and hit the button to light up the screen. It’s two thirty-seven, and I have no messages or calls from Charlie. She must still be asleep.
“Hey.” Julius taps my window that is only half-up. “Check it out.” He points to the entrance.
Emil is exiting with a man I haven’t seen before. He’s a little scrawny, short compared to everyone else around him, and wears a smug look on his face.
“Who the fuck is that?”
Julius shrugs as Carl speaks. “No clue. Maybe Desi’s replacement?”
“Could be. Let’s go.” I open my door and step out.
“Whoa, go where?” Julius asks, placing his hands on my chest to stop me.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to fuck with Emil. I want to go inside and sneak into the basement. If he’s keeping an entire sex trafficking ring right here,
under everyone’s noses, there is no telling what else he has in there. We could find exactly what we need to get Sebastian on board.”
“I have a different idea for that,” Julius says.
I tilt my head and urge him to go on with my eyes.
“What if we gave it all up.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The guns. What if we gave it all up? Now that Teddy is gone, we can run this shit however we want. It’s already in our names. We can keep the club and the casino, if we can get Emil out of the picture, then give all the guns, rackets, and escort shit to Sebastian.”
“Are you fucking insane?” I laugh.
“No, I’m being logical. You know what happens in this world. Everyone eventually dies long before their time. Charlie deserves better than that. The baby deserves better than that.”
I scoff. “You don’t just walk away from this world.”
He levels his eyes with mine. “You know damn well we could. We got away from Dad, so why is this any different? He was fucking terrible, worse than Emil, Teddy, and Sebastian combined, and you know it. But we fucking survived, and we got out.”
The only memory I have of my dad is him lying in a pool of his own blood. Julius and I both got fed up after Mom died. First, when she was alive, we had to witness him rape her and beat her. When she was gone, all of his anger was turned on us. I guess you could say we snapped because we killed the motherfucker and never looked back.
My dad made me a monster, and I can’t really say I hate him for it. He’s the reason I don’t put up with anyone’s shit anymore. He made me hard in a way.
I shake my head. “That’s different, Julius. We fucking killed him. That’s the only reason we were able to leave.”
“And? Tell me how that’s any different than what we are doing here. What the fuck are we planning right now?”
When I stay silent, he continues. “She’s pregnant with a Hale. A namesake to us. Why not give it better?”
