“No.” I’m out. “My job is done. Cole will take over tomorrow.”
“You’re the go-between. No one trusts him. They trust you.”
“I’m out, Gene.” My voice rose. This wasn’t a point of discussion. “Everyone knows this.”
“And if they attack you?”
“Well...” My voice lowered, and I’m sure my eyes grew cold. “Then things will change. But unless that happens, I’m out. For her.”
He nodded. “I know, I know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “People are antsy, that’s all. They’re concerned. What if he’s a bad leader? What if he makes the wrong decisions and gets all of us killed? We all have family—”
“No one understands the value of family more than Cole.” Did I need to remind him? “His father was one week. His mother the next. Each of his three brothers. Then his eldest sister. His two little sisters. One after another, Gene. It would do the elders good to remember that their own brother was murdered.”
“I know.” His voice was laden with regret. “I do. I loved William. He was my brother, too.”
“And Cole’s your nephew.”
“I know.” His shoulders rolled back as he continued to nod to himself. “I know. I forget. There are others in the family who are…” He hesitated. “They’re forgetting, like I am. He’s our blood.”
I was the outsider, yet they treated me as if I were Cole. “He’s your blood.” Not me.
Sensing the unspoken sentiment, Gene shook his head. “Don’t think that. You’re just as much blood as him, more even. This family would follow you anywhere, and we have, but you’re giving someone a lot of power, someone who’s been outside the family for five years.”
“I know, but I trained Cole before I left him. It’s time for him to return to the fold.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Is this really why you wanted to meet tonight?”
“Yeah. Well, I talked with Anthony. He’s concerned there’s another traitor in the family. I know we caught the other one, but how’d they find Cole?”
“No.” I was the only one who knew where Cole had been. “It wasn’t from the family. They found him another way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I didn’t want to think about another traitor. I’d almost lost Emma because of the last one. “But if there is one, he’ll die.” I would kill him myself.
Gene grew silent. He turned to look around us again; the wariness had never left him. “This life, Carter, it gets to you.”
I knew, maybe more than he thought. I understood. “I’ve been watching Cole.”
“You have?”
I nodded. “He’s ready.”
“I trust you.” Not him, I knew he added silently.
I patted Gene on the shoulder. “You’ll trust him, too.”
If not—I didn’t want to think of the consequences. Cole was supposed to lead the family. The elders would remember this, eventually.
“Can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
It was the next evening, and Theresa had decided our wine night needed to take place at a nightclub. Noah had intervened, vetoing the club idea, so we were at a five-star restaurant instead.
My guards had walked us to the door, and we were seated immediately in a back corner. Not only did we have privacy, our view was spectacular, looking out over an indoor waterfall. Based on the friendliness of the staff and the fact that they hadn’t batted an eye when Thomas walked in first, I suspected that Carter owned this restaurant. But I didn’t want to tell Theresa that. My answer would come at the end of the night when I saw whether we got a bill or not.
“What elephant?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t know why it was starting to bother me, but I wanted to know where the guards were when they took their cover. I was safe—that wasn’t the concern—but their invisible presence unnerved me. But I couldn’t see any of them, so I refocused on Theresa.
She was saying, “…you and Amanda.”
Okay, what? “Say again.”
“You and Amanda.” She leaned forward, her eyes sparking with interest. “Did you two have a fight? She was weird the next day after you guys cleaned the oven and had your night, and then you suddenly decide to go to New York. Come on, Emma, like I didn’t notice how tense you were in the limo, wondering if she was coming. I saw how you kept looking at the door.” She shook her head. “And you were so relieved when she wasn’t there.”
I frowned. “I thought the elephant was you and Noah.”
“Me and Noah?” She’d been leaning forward, but she recoiled now like she’d been smacked. “What are you talking about?”
“He asked you to live with him.”
She sucked in her breath. “How do you know that?” Real panic flashed in her eyes.
“Amanda overheard. She told me about it that night.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Wait, is this what that’s about—the you and Amanda thing? You talked about me, and that’s why Amanda was weird? Did she say anything bad?”
I shook my head. “Just that he’d asked you to move in and you freaked.” Like she was doing now. As I talked, her face grew redder and redder. “What’s going on? You look ready to flee.”
“Oh my god.” Letting out a rush of breath, she bent forward and covered her face with both hands. “Oh my god.”
This wasn’t normal. Carter told me to move in, and I jumped at the chance. The circumstances were different, but I didn’t understand the almost-paralyzing effect the offer looked to be having on her.
“Theresa, he loves you. What’s the problem?”
I waited. Nothing.
When her hands finally fell away, I saw tears brimming. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. One tear fell, which she ignored it as it trailed down her cheek. She was thinking about something else.
“Theresa.” I reached over and grabbed her hand. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I can’t lose him,” she whispered. She looked away, but I still heard the words. She moved her head back and forth before glancing to me. “I lose everybody, Emma. Everyone. I was engaged once. Did I tell you about him?”
“You’re the go-between. No one trusts him. They trust you.”
“I’m out, Gene.” My voice rose. This wasn’t a point of discussion. “Everyone knows this.”
“And if they attack you?”
“Well...” My voice lowered, and I’m sure my eyes grew cold. “Then things will change. But unless that happens, I’m out. For her.”
He nodded. “I know, I know.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “People are antsy, that’s all. They’re concerned. What if he’s a bad leader? What if he makes the wrong decisions and gets all of us killed? We all have family—”
“No one understands the value of family more than Cole.” Did I need to remind him? “His father was one week. His mother the next. Each of his three brothers. Then his eldest sister. His two little sisters. One after another, Gene. It would do the elders good to remember that their own brother was murdered.”
“I know.” His voice was laden with regret. “I do. I loved William. He was my brother, too.”
“And Cole’s your nephew.”
“I know.” His shoulders rolled back as he continued to nod to himself. “I know. I forget. There are others in the family who are…” He hesitated. “They’re forgetting, like I am. He’s our blood.”
I was the outsider, yet they treated me as if I were Cole. “He’s your blood.” Not me.
Sensing the unspoken sentiment, Gene shook his head. “Don’t think that. You’re just as much blood as him, more even. This family would follow you anywhere, and we have, but you’re giving someone a lot of power, someone who’s been outside the family for five years.”
“I know, but I trained Cole before I left him. It’s time for him to return to the fold.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
“Is this really why you wanted to meet tonight?”
“Yeah. Well, I talked with Anthony. He’s concerned there’s another traitor in the family. I know we caught the other one, but how’d they find Cole?”
“No.” I was the only one who knew where Cole had been. “It wasn’t from the family. They found him another way.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I didn’t want to think about another traitor. I’d almost lost Emma because of the last one. “But if there is one, he’ll die.” I would kill him myself.
Gene grew silent. He turned to look around us again; the wariness had never left him. “This life, Carter, it gets to you.”
I knew, maybe more than he thought. I understood. “I’ve been watching Cole.”
“You have?”
I nodded. “He’s ready.”
“I trust you.” Not him, I knew he added silently.
I patted Gene on the shoulder. “You’ll trust him, too.”
If not—I didn’t want to think of the consequences. Cole was supposed to lead the family. The elders would remember this, eventually.
“Can we talk about the elephant in the room?”
It was the next evening, and Theresa had decided our wine night needed to take place at a nightclub. Noah had intervened, vetoing the club idea, so we were at a five-star restaurant instead.
My guards had walked us to the door, and we were seated immediately in a back corner. Not only did we have privacy, our view was spectacular, looking out over an indoor waterfall. Based on the friendliness of the staff and the fact that they hadn’t batted an eye when Thomas walked in first, I suspected that Carter owned this restaurant. But I didn’t want to tell Theresa that. My answer would come at the end of the night when I saw whether we got a bill or not.
“What elephant?” I asked, looking around. I didn’t know why it was starting to bother me, but I wanted to know where the guards were when they took their cover. I was safe—that wasn’t the concern—but their invisible presence unnerved me. But I couldn’t see any of them, so I refocused on Theresa.
She was saying, “…you and Amanda.”
Okay, what? “Say again.”
“You and Amanda.” She leaned forward, her eyes sparking with interest. “Did you two have a fight? She was weird the next day after you guys cleaned the oven and had your night, and then you suddenly decide to go to New York. Come on, Emma, like I didn’t notice how tense you were in the limo, wondering if she was coming. I saw how you kept looking at the door.” She shook her head. “And you were so relieved when she wasn’t there.”
I frowned. “I thought the elephant was you and Noah.”
“Me and Noah?” She’d been leaning forward, but she recoiled now like she’d been smacked. “What are you talking about?”
“He asked you to live with him.”
She sucked in her breath. “How do you know that?” Real panic flashed in her eyes.
“Amanda overheard. She told me about it that night.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “Wait, is this what that’s about—the you and Amanda thing? You talked about me, and that’s why Amanda was weird? Did she say anything bad?”
I shook my head. “Just that he’d asked you to move in and you freaked.” Like she was doing now. As I talked, her face grew redder and redder. “What’s going on? You look ready to flee.”
“Oh my god.” Letting out a rush of breath, she bent forward and covered her face with both hands. “Oh my god.”
This wasn’t normal. Carter told me to move in, and I jumped at the chance. The circumstances were different, but I didn’t understand the almost-paralyzing effect the offer looked to be having on her.
“Theresa, he loves you. What’s the problem?”
I waited. Nothing.
When her hands finally fell away, I saw tears brimming. She sniffled and wiped at her eyes. One tear fell, which she ignored it as it trailed down her cheek. She was thinking about something else.
“Theresa.” I reached over and grabbed her hand. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“I can’t lose him,” she whispered. She looked away, but I still heard the words. She moved her head back and forth before glancing to me. “I lose everybody, Emma. Everyone. I was engaged once. Did I tell you about him?”
