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“You’re leaving.”
“I have something I need to take care of. When I’m done, we can talk.”
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Whatever you want here. Just don’t leave.”
“Seriously….”
Carter released a heavy exhale. He placed his hand on her neck and guided it up the side of her face, cupping her cheek. “I need you to trust me, Kenni. Just for a little while.”
His thumb gently moved over her bottom lip when Carter really wanted to kiss her. Now wasn’t the time. He had no intentions of McKenna being forced back into his life. The goal was to show up when he no longer had the distractions and threats of his past. It didn’t fucking matter. She was here now and this time for good. Carter left McKenna to get dressed so he could head out. The sooner he handled his business, the sooner he could get back to investing time in reminding McKenna that she was his.
Now all he had to figure out was how to make her accept that killing would always and forever be a part of his life and, by default, hers. To ensure he could keep McKenna safe, Carter had to partner with a family of devils that prolonged his connection to a past he planned on walking away from, but no longer could.
As soon as Carter stepped out his front door, he crossed the hallway to Brooks’ place. Once inside, Brooks waved him over to the kitchen table where he had a layout of photos. “I took these today.” He pointed to the first set and a second. “These were taken last night.”
Carter studied the pictures and lifted one, showing Jessup glancing over his shoulder as he entered a hotel lobby. “I’m surprised he’s dumb enough to stay in the city.”
“He’s out of options. Word is out there now. He has very few options about where he can go. Might as well hide in plain sight.”
The longer Carter stared at the photo, the more his blood heated. This muthafucker had threatened McKenna. Went as far as putting money in the hands of a man with no morals who didn’t care about anything but the payout.
Carter had sins to account for and would challenge any man who thought himself worthy enough to make him pay up. That was how things worked in their world, that was how Carter functioned. If a man had indiscretions, Carter would not think twice about delivering consequences for the right price. What he would never in his fucking life do was harm others for that man’s sins. Especially not his wife or children. There were lines that shouldn’t be crossed and those were his.
Women and children were never an option for redemption or justice.
“When are you doing it?”
“Tonight.” He tossed the photo on the table and walked to the kitchen where he poured a drink. “I need this done. I can’t risk him running again. It’s been too fucking long.”
“He has nowhere else to run, C.”
“Doesn’t mean he won’t try.” Carter clutched the glass tighter in his hand.
“What about the thing with Kohen?”
“What about it?”
“If you need me to…”
Take some of the responsibility.
“No. You make your own decisions. This is one I have to own.”
“Having an in with the Corvidaes isn’t a bad look. That’s all I’m saying,”
He was right. As an organization, their reach was a benefit.
“I’ve always been honest about how this works. Whatever connections you secure have to be something you decide. Don’t make them based on me.”
“I’m not a fucking child. If you trust me with the responsibility of doing the job, you have to trust that I’m intelligent enough to think through the decisions I make about the job. You don’t need to worry about me.” Brooks’ jaw ticked and he added, “But considering Kohen’s organization is not about you. I’m thinking about my future. I don’t know what that’s gonna look like. If I decide I want more than this, I have to make sure the right precautions are in place.”
Carter nodded in understanding. His only reason for working with Kohen was because of McKenna. “I respect that.”
“Your plan was to be out the game. You just dove deeper into it.” Brooks studied his friend and mentor while Carter carefully considered his thoughts.
“I was always on the fence about what I wanted. This is what I do, it’s what I’m good at. I don’t know that I would have ever been able to completely sever ties from this life, but now that I have her…”
