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I hug her tight. I hug her and hold her and whisper how much I need her and how I won’t ever let her go. I kiss her again, and this time, a sound pulls me back.
Kady’s standing near the bathroom door with a towel wrapped around her head and her hands on her hips, grinning huge.
“You two kids finally come to your senses?”
Cora wipes her eyes and grins. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Glad to see you’re finally making it official. God, you two have been pining for each other forever, it’s like the most pathetic thing.”
“Oh, shut up,” Cora says and the sisters laugh, and I grin at them like an idiot, though in the back of my mind I’m wondering how I’m going to keep them safe.
But the how isn’t important. It’s the why.
It’s because I love Cora, and I’ll do anything to make her happy.
We pull into my neighborhood around noon the next day. It’s hot, the sun’s high in the sky, and all I want to do is shower and spend some much-needed alone time with Cora. Kady’s sitting in the back seat snoring softly, a long bead of drool running down her cheek.
“When I get you inside, I’m dragging you into my room and locking the door for a week,” I say to Cora softly and squeeze her hand. “Kady can fend for herself.”
“Maybe not a week. Let’s try a month.”
I laugh and kiss her fingers, and I come around the bend and my house comes into view.
And instantly my hackles raise. I slow the car and come to a crawl as three men on motorcycles sit out front by the curb. They’re staring at me and I’m staring back, and I recognize the man in the middle. He’s older, in his sixties, with graying hair and a thick beard. His nose is crooked and he’s wearing thick glasses, and he’s one of the most dangerous men in the state.
“Who are they?” Cora asks, shuffling down slightly like there’s about to be a firefight.
“That older gentleman is the leader of the ORB, Lance Khan. The other two are worthless goons.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to talk to him. You’re going to stay in the car.” I look over my shoulder. “Kady, wake up.”
She sucks in a breath and blinks around. “Are we there? Are we back yet?” She looks confused.
“Something’s going on. Cora’s gonna get behind the wheel and if anything goes bad, she’s going to drive you both out of here. She’ll take you to the Lonely Cat and find Eric. He’ll get you somewhere safe.”
“Nolan,” Cora says and the panic in her tone breaks my heart.
“It’s okay. Lance wouldn’t come here himself if he wanted violence. He’s not a dumb man.” But just to be safe, I check my gun and slip it into my waistband. “Seriously, Cora. If something bad happens, drive to the Cat and get to safety. Swear to me.”
“I swear.”
“Good girl.” I kiss her and push open the door.
I walk the last fifty yards and look back once just to make sure Cora’s behind the wheel.
Lance Khan and his cronies stare at me as I approach. Their hands are visible and on their handlebars, and they’re staring at me with a strange impassivity. Lance looks almost bored, like he’s been out here a while.
I stop ten feet away. “What brings you out to my neighborhood, Lance?”
“Been thinking about buying a place here and wanted to hear your opinion.” Lance’s voice is low and he speaks slowly, enunciating each word.
“Good amenities. Nice neighbors. Decent HOA fees. You’ll love it. Maybe we can play tennis together sometime.”
Lance doesn’t laugh. “We’ve gotta talk, Nolan.”
“All right. Talk.”
“Things between our organizations are getting too hot. The cops have been sniffing around my operations. There’s too much violence and it’s been very, very bad for business. I think you’ll agree with that.”
“War’s never good for business.”
“I propose a ceasefire.”
“Now why the fuck would I do that? The fact that you’re coming here asking for a ceasefire makes me think you’re weak. It makes me think that if I push hard enough, you’ll break. I can end this war and walk away a winner.”
Lance sighs and shakes his head. “You’re not seeing the big picture. New gangs have been sniffing around the place like vultures picking at carrion ever since the war began. If we keep weakening each other, we’ll have the cartels to deal with, and I doubt either of us will survive that. You’re a good leader, Nolan, but the Famiglia is a northern organization. You’re cut off down here.”
“That might be true, but the Famiglia is much stronger than anything you can muster. You’ll burn soon, even if you make me bleed on the way down.”
“That’s why we need a ceasefire. We’re better off working together than killing each other. No matter what happens, this stupid war is going to end in both of us getting destroyed. There’s no winner here.”
