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“Lucifer fucking Raven.” He walks behind his desk and sits down.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“We all thought you were dead.”
“I probably should be.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Trying to right some wrongs.”
“And you came here?”
“Yeah. I got you into this mess, Jorge.”
“What mess? I’m doing great.”
“You mean you don’t want out?”
“Why would I?”
“Because the DEA could come in and close you down at any time.”
“I’m very careful.”
“I’m just giving you a chance to get out,” I say. “I got you into it.”
“I’m a big boy, Raven. I made my own decision all those years ago. Sure, you gave me the opportunity, but I could’ve said no. Hell, I could have called the DEA on you right then.”
He’s not wrong.
Of course, no one could’ve touched me. At that time, I was still protected by the Ashton name, and I was fast becoming King’s right-hand man, so I had his protection as well.
“Look,” I say. “I’ve had a major change of heart. I’ve got a hell of a lot of red on my ledger, and I want to mark off as much as I can.”
“I’m not interested. I like my life the way it is.”
“What if I finance a move for you? Get you the hell out of the country?”
“If I want to leave the country, I’ll finance it myself.”
“Not if the Feds seize your assets.”
Jorge rises then, stares me down. “What the fuck are you not telling me, Raven?”
“Nothing. You have nothing to fear from me. I’ll never turn you in. But a lot of other people know about you, Jorge. I’m offering you the chance to get out while you can.”
“Why? You got me into this. Why would you want me to get out? Surely you’re making a lot of—” His jaw drops. “You’re on the run, aren’t you?”
“Not really. Not anymore, anyway, though I would appreciate it you didn’t mention that you saw me.”
“I owe you a lot. Of course you have my word.”
“And you have mine. No one will hear about you from me. Are you sure I can’t tempt you?”
“No. I got a system worked out. I’m protected.”
“What about the people who work for you?”
“They’re paid handsomely to keep their mouths shut.”
“I know that. But even if they can’t get to you, they might be able to get to your people.”
“My people understand the risks when they get in. They’re all set up so that their families will be taken care of if any of them go down.”
King took good care of Jorge. Just like he took good care of me all those years.
Hell, I’d probably still be in this life if Buck Moreno hadn’t shot me.
A twinge erupts in my shoulder where the bullet struck.
In its way, that gunshot was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I was caught.
I had no choice but to make a deal. Without a deal, I’d be rotting in prison right now. Or be dead on the street, killed by King himself.
I trust very few people in this business. Jorge Herrera is one of them.
He won’t alert anyone that I’m back in town.
I wish he would take my offer. He has a wife and kids. People who depend on him. Funny how I didn’t consider any of this all those years ago when I made him the offer.
Things change. I’ve changed.
“What can I say to make you change your mind?” I ask.
“Nothing. Go on your way, Raven. No one will know you were here.”
26
KATELYN
“Please,” Reid says. “Stop apologizing. It’s okay. You need to go home and tend to your father.”
“I just feel awful. On the first day of a new job.”
“This job will still be here when you get back.”
“That’s just the thing,” I say. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone. I can’t expect you to go without a personal assistant for all that time.”
“I’ve been going without a personal assistant since I fired Terrence almost a year ago,” he says. “I’ve been making do with temps, and Alicia and others have been picking up the slack. This isn’t a big deal, Katelyn.”
“It’s a big deal to me.”
“I understand. I totally appreciate your reluctance to leave me in a lurch. But the most important thing to me and to Zee is that you heal fully. That means being there for your father as well as dealing with the rest of your life.”
“I suppose this must be a first for you,” I say. “An employee to ask for leave of absence on the first day.”
He smiles then. “I can’t say that it’s happened before, but your circumstances are definitely unique.”
I sigh. “I can’t thank you enough for this.”
“No thanks are needed. Take care of family first. I would do the same.”
I rise, smile, and shake Reid’s outstretched hand. “I’ll keep you posted.”
“Yes, please do. And if there’s anything you need. Anything your father needs. You know you can just call us.”
