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“Judge Matheson’s son is in trouble again,” Ace explained. “If someone doesn’t show up with a hundred grand in the next hour, the guys he owes are going to start cutting off limbs. That dumb son of a bitch never learns.”
“Want me to take care of it?” Wolfe asked, although I could tell that he didn’t want to leave.
Ace could tell too. Because he was such a great guy, he shook his head and held out a hand for keys. “No, it’s cool. I’ll handle it. Stay here with Mave and catch up. I’ll gladly take your car though.”
“Of course you will.” Wolfe pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to his best friend with a grateful nod. “Be careful. Take backup. Give Larry a call. His crew is on call tonight.”
“Will do. Catch you later.” Ace started to leave the kitchen, then turned back to plant a kiss on my temple. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”
Moments later the front door closed behind him, leaving Wolfe and me alone together. We finished eating and moved to the living room where we sat on the loveseat, working out the plans for the following night.
“I can send a crew to Archer’s restaurant on thirty-fourth avenue to cause a commotion,” Wolfe mused, thumbs flying as he texted some of his people. “I’ll need manpower to help with the delivery theft. It would be helpful if Maddox supplied some people to back us up, but I really don’t want to ask him to do that.”
The bad blood between the Hale brothers saddened me like nothing else. I put a hand on Wolfe’s arm and rubbed gently, wishing I could offer words of comfort. Instead, I opted for a blunt, head-on approach.
“I think you two need to cut the shit and get over yourselves,” I said. “Both of you, but especially Maddox. This nonsense has gone on long enough. You guys would own this city by now if you hadn’t parted ways.”
Wolfe sighed, setting his phone down on the coffee table and picking up his drink. “I wish it was that simple. After Maddox pulled that stunt that almost got you killed, I could barely stand to look at his face without wanting to punch it. It was safer for me to leave. Besides, we’d never have taken this city without you.”
I scoffed and made a face. “Somehow I doubt that’s true.”
“You really have no idea how essential you were to the four of us, do you?” Brows knit together, Wolfe gaped at me like I’d said something insane. “How essential you still are. You were the glue that held us together.”
His sincerity moved me. I took his hand, holding tight as I searched for the right words. “I’ll be honest, Wolfe. I’m still struggling to forgive Maddox. I think we all have unresolved trauma from that night, but I’m here now. I’m still your glue, but I can’t do the talking for you guys. You have to work this out yourselves.”
Wolfe finished his drink and put the empty glass on the table. “I just don’t see it happening. It’s been a long time, Maven.”
It wounded me to hear him say that. He sounded so damn bleak. Although I’d recently spent time with Maddox, so I knew that Wolfe was right. It wouldn’t be easy to get the two of them to work this out.
“Well, I sure hope you two can put your differences aside long enough to make this move against Archer. Whether you’re part of the Hale Syndicate or not, it’s past time for Archer to be taken down.”
“And what about you?” he asked, reaching to tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “Are you part of the Hale Syndicate?”
My gaze dropped to the tattoo on my forearm, hidden by the long sleeve of my top. “I wish I knew the answer to that. Right now, I’m just me, doing what I think this city needs. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish the five of us were acting as a team again.”
Shadows stole over Wolfe’s face, giving me a peek at the pain he’d carried all this time. “Yeah, me too.”
I went in for a hug, pleasantly surprised when Wolfe added a kiss to the mix. He kissed me softly at first, a tenderness that took me back to another time and place. Before everything went to shit. I held his face, kissing him back with little slips of my tongue between his lips.
As the kiss deepened into something hot and steamy, my phone rang, interrupting the moment. Knowing it could be important, I reluctantly broke off the kiss. A glance at the screen made me nervous.
“It’s Maddox.” Grabbing the device from the coffee table, I took a deep breath and answered the call. “Hey, Mads. How did everything go?”
“All good, babe. Nothing to worry about. Where did you three end up? I’m coming to get you.” His words came fast and slightly breathless, like he was still high on adrenaline.
I glanced at Wolfe who watched me with a strict poker face. He’d never stop me from leaving, but I knew he didn’t want me to. I didn’t want to either.
“I’m with Wolfe at his house. I’m going to stay here tonight. We’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?” I braced for his response, ready to tell him to stick it up his ass if he had a problem.
The pause on the other end was followed by a dark chuckle. “I guess that shouldn’t surprise me. I’m sure he can’t wait to fuck you.”
Ignoring his shitty remark, I said, “We found info on the phone I swiped about a big drug delivery coming in tomorrow night. We’re organizing a grab. Are you and Ruthless in?”
“Yeah… sure.” The call ended abruptly.
I stared at the phone, pissed off that I never got the chance to tell Maddox to go fuck himself. Well, I could still text. “That jerkass hung up. He said he’d be part of tomorrow though.”
“He’s mad that you’re staying here.” Wolfe nodded knowingly. “It’s been really damn tough without you, Butterfly, but I think it’s been hardest on Mads. He’s become the worst version of himself.”
