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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
*Kaldon “Kal/Prez” - President*
With my sliced and bloody hand cradling the baby, I storm out. I watched Lace take Reece last night but had no clue where to or how they were coping as a result. Of course, her omnipotent Universe ironically provided for me once again; the personal phone I took from Coty gave me everything I needed to make a move. Not only is her location being tracked, but he also keeps an eye on all her messages, calls, and app usages, too.
“Been planning this for a while?” Coty asks, opening the rental’s back passenger door. “When did you get a car seat?”
The texts between Lace and Burke last night were quite helpful, providing not only tactical information to work with but also access to a car seat. I took it straight from the front of her wagon. Guess I technically have Coty to thank for that.
Instead of enabling him by answering, though, I respond with a question of my own: “You get everything?”
“As much as would fit in the trunk.”
Kio, waiting silently in the passenger seat, ducks down and looks up at me over the center console as I quickly situate Reece and buckle her in, trying hard not to get my DNA on anything in the rental. “You speak to Lace?”
Reece reaches up and touches the stubble on my face, her hands opening and closing like my chin is an udder or something. Cute. While keeping bent over her so she can continue assessing me, I respond, “Yeah, something like that. I took care of it.”
Coty will be pissed with that answer, because when I “take care” of something — or someone — it is seldom gentle or kind. The shard-riddled cuts on my hands no doubt challenge his resolve even more. He can get over himself, though; I am not required to expound on my dealings where Lace is concerned, no matter how badly he wants more details.
I was the first to bed her. It was I who struggled to let her go first — who decided to pass her off on Coty just so I could have her nearby without filling her with the toxicity I carry around. I knew, out of all my men, Coty would keep her closest. I had no way of knowing, however, just how dangerously deep his need for her would run.
Reece lets out a squeak-squeal combo and a little laugh that results in a shit ton of gurgle bubbles popping from her mouth. “Do they all drool this much?” I glance over my shoulder. Coty shrugs. “Are they all this happy?” I ask next, looking down at her again.
Coty keeps quiet, but I can practically see the second shrug from mental memory.
Hopefully her contagious happiness will stick around for a while; after what happened last night, her life will never be the same.
“You done going gaga over her so we can get this shit over with?” Coty huffs, opens the front door, and crashes into the driver seat.
“Yeah. Hurry back; the booth opens in just under an hour.”
Silence falls between the four of us. Well, three. Reece is chanting, “La, la, la, la.” The constant babbling adds an unfair lightness to the situation.
Some babies say “mama” first, some say “dada.” Not Reece. She started with “Lala.” Lace was over the moon; that big news was the first thing to pop out of her mouth when we came down for the spring rally.
Hardening my heart and features, I scowl out, “Lace stays in the dark about where Reece is.” It truly is for the best. For everyone involved.
Not that Coty is allowed to communicate with her right now anyway. He is damn lucky he gets to do this much. My hands were tied, though. Coty knows the most about the situation, so regardless of being on probation, he still gets assigned the responsibility.
He gives a slow nod, but his narrowed focus stays forward on the windshield, his hands tightening around the steering wheel. “We still on for that meeting you promised? You know, the one where you tell us what the hell you have up your sleeve this rally?”
That was the plan. “Bright and early,” I said to Coty right after he passed the trustworthy test yesterday. Trustworthy test. What a joke. Now everything has changed.
In a matter of forty-eight hours, my plan went from materializing to dissolving. Our nuclear family combusted. Yeah, important shit needs to be discussed, but if one of my men happen to be the snake, having that particular meeting with a fucking traitor listening in could be way too big of a risk.
“No,” is my simple answer.
Like it or not, a change of plans is in order. Thankfully, I do have something up my sleeve. Better yet, a key player in my back pocket to help me execute it. Lace. Call it luck, call it fate, call it a gift from the Universe. Call it what you want, but taking Reece from her, though required given the situation, doubles as the perfect leverage. Her intrinsic need for answers is her strength and weakness — both work for my benefit.
Her lack of knowledge about where Reece is, what happened to Harry, and where her mom went is what will keep Lace swimming toward the hook.
I give Reece a friendly wink, straighten, close her inside, and pat the top of the car, giving Coty and Kio my blessing to leave.
Coty is quick to turn the engine over and peel away, likely eager to return so he can at least covet Lace from a distance.
I follow his example and make my way back inside, ready to shift this new strategy into gear. After all, second by second, time dwindles. Now or never.
Knowing Lace would undoubtedly put up a fight against the men left inside to deal with her after my abrupt departure, it comes as no surprise that she is giving them a verbal undressing when I enter. “I seriously fooled myself into entertaining the idea that you cared about me. But first being thrown under the bus last night at the prelims then... then...” Lace clenches her teeth together and grinds out, “I was wrong. So wrong about you. About all of you.”
