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Honestly… I wasn’t sure how much good it would do someone like her, knowing she very much preferred a solitary sort of offense. The necessity of a partner—of her trusting someone—that wasn’t really her vibe.
The clubhouse was quieter than normal because we’d been semi-lifted from restriction. I didn’t love the idea, but it wasn’t my call, and I knew being stuck in one place had everybody antsy and restless.
Bottoms Uphad been closed. Too much of an obvious liability Manuel Rojas could exploit. But with him out of the way, and the whole Trinidad situation buttoned-up to Ivan’s liking, the only real concern was Renard.
And honestly… the idea of him,The Garden… it was still too abstract, too “out there” to make anybody understand the real danger.
And it wasn’t like shooting up a bar was really their style; things with them tended to be much more lowkey, out of the news, things like that. He wouldn’t want to call unnecessary attention with some mass-casualty thing.
Like The Fall?
Shit.
I… actually hadn’t even considered that.
But, he’d made that look like something else, someoneelse, a luxury he no longer had.
ThePredators’eyes were wide open now.
And so, the calculated decision had been made to reopen the bar, just forPredatorsthough, and with the understanding that it wasn’t a decision with no risks. They weren’t reckless enough to open it for the general public.
So, it was almost like simply moving the same party to a different venue; trying to get some normalcy back by giving people a change in scenery. There was plenty of security of course, spread out well enough that if any trouble was coming, the bar would know about it well before anybody could make it down that long entry road.
Ifanyone was making it down that entry road.
Blue wasn’t at the bar though.
I spotted him in the common room at the pool table, playing on his own.
It seemed like he was practicing, working on developing some skill set. When I passed, he was just staring at the table with the stick in his hand, not actually moving. But then I realized… this was probably a thinking, brainstorming mechanism for him. Not actual gameplay.
It was part of the reason I didn’t say shit to him—I just kept walking on.
“Get your ass back in here,” I heard as I passed through, and I doubled back to the doorway with a frown.
“Who the fuck you talking to?” I asked.
“You must have forgot this was my shit,” he countered. “Jesse Garrett may have been both of our father, but he only left one of us in charge.”
I chuckled. “Wow. You feel good about yourself? You happy you said that?” I asked and he shrugged.
“It ain’t even about that.”
“Then whatisit about?” I asked. “You know… I get it, you feel like what, I lied to you? I didn’t keep the shit as transparent as I could have?I’ll give you that. But out of all of this bullshit,that’sthe only thing I’ll own. Not whatever else this other shit is that you’re trying to pin on me, whatever it is you’rereallyreacting to.”
“And what is it you think I’m reacting to?” he asked.
I shrugged. “Fuck if I know! My best guess is, you’re pissed your father did something that doesn’t line up with your hero image, and I’m the reminder. But again,I don’t know. I sure wish you’d figure it the hell out so you can get over it though.”
“So I can get over it?!” He grunted. “Nigga, I sat in your face and told you, you were one offivepeople I trusted. You heard me say that and you questioned the shit, as if you didn’t knowexactlywhy your ass shouldn’t be in that number.”
“I’m yourblood brother,” I countered. “Youtell me why I shouldn’t be in that number,” I demanded. “What had I done for you by that point that made that shit make sense?Nothing.Nothing except be your father’s son. So I don’t think you’re mad because I didn’t say anything, I think you’re mad ’cause you didn’t want to let anybody else in your circle anyway. And when putting me there was a mystery you could justify it, but now that you have the real reason right in front of your face, you don’t know what to do with that,” I barked. “Which, you know what?Is fine. I don’t know what to do with it either. I don’t know how to act about this shiteither. But what Idoknow is that I haven’t done shit that deserves your lil’ pissy attitude toward me, and that shit? Is dead. Right now.”
“Oh you’retelling me?” he asked, tossing his pool stick on the table.
“I am.” I shrugged, not backing down when he got in my face. “You can believe what you want, but the fact of the matter is theonlything you can knock me for, is not telling you we were brothers. From the moment I got this ink, you can’t question the loyalty,” I told him, jabbing his shoulder for emphasis. “Anything you’ve asked of me, if I said I was going to do it, I did. No hesitation. So you want to act like a victim in this shit? You do that. You can feel how you feel about what everybody has done. But you’re not going to keep trying to make me pay for shitIdidn’t do.”
“What do you want from me, huh?” he asked, looking genuinely confused. “What you want? An invite to Sunday dinner or something, nigga?” I tossed up my hands.
