The amusement fled from his face. He grew somber. “Are you okay?”
I swallowed a burst of emotion, hearing the tenderness from him. “I’ll be fine. I want to know what happened, but I’ll be fine for now.”
“Okay.” Carefully so he wouldn’t hurt me, he pressed his lips to my forehead. The entire thing was so tender, so gentle, that I felt like crying again.
“I have to go,” he said. “It started last night. I have to make sure everything will be okay, for us.”
War.
He didn’t say the word, but that’s what it was. I knew what a bomb in Cole’s nightclub meant.
Carter slipped from the bed, going through the door I’d wondered about into the bathroom. I watched him, taking in his trim waist and the way the muscles in his back moved, gliding seamlessly under his skin. He was beautiful to look at, from behind as well as from the front. And he was all mine.
But I was terrified.
The war had started.
When I walked into the Mauricios’ house, the conversations grew silent. I knew Cole had moved his base of operations here, taking the library as his office. Ignoring looks from the men and a few of the women, I headed straight there. Cole had told me to stay out when we spoke last night. He was the leader, but that was the thing—if I wasn’t in the family any longer, he wasn’t my leader.
Shavon met me outside the closed doors. A serene smile on her face, Cole’s cousin looked sultry and dangerous all at the same time. “Carter, Carter, Carter.”
I narrowed my eyes. I’d been coming to this same house, smoothing over Cole’s initiation, almost every day for the last month and today she met me like I was a long-lost stranger? “Don’t press me, Shavon.”
A smooth chuckle came from her. She cocked her head to the side, studying me. Her smile never slipped from her face. “Press you? Why? You’re more family than he is.”
I got it then. She wasn’t doing Cole’s bidding. She was going against him. I shook my head. “I’m not interested in that.”
As I moved around her, she stepped with me and blocked me. “Come on, Carter. Can you hear me out?” Her hand rested on her slim hip. Moving closer to me, she trailed a finger down my chest. “You used to have all the time in the world for me. Remember those days?”
Pre-Emma and never again. “Back up, Shavon. I’m not in the back-stabbing business.” My eyes flashed a warning, and this time, I physically held her in place so I could go around with no problems. I ignored her swift intake of breath and walked inside, thrusting both doors open. Not waiting for them to close, I announced, “Just so you know…” Cole looked up from the desk, as did the three other men in front of him. “Your cousin is plotting your demise.”
“Carter!” Shavon gasped from behind.
The doors slammed shut, and I didn’t need to look to know she was scurrying out of the house.
Cole grinned, standing up from his chair. “Did you just take care of a problem for me?”
“Knowing Shavon, she’ll be on the plane for Florida in the next thirty minutes, and she’ll be there for the next six months.”
“Well, then.” Cole’s gaze slid to one of the men and lingered there. “I hope your daughter doesn’t play with knives, Leo.”
Shavon’s father chuckled, shaking his head. “My daughter, well, what can you do about her? She does what she does.”
Cole narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say a word.
I did. “If your daughter is moving against the family’s leader, I’ll be paying her a visit one day.” I let that hang in the air. I’d been their Cold Killer before.
“Well then.” Cole cleared his throat. He gestured to the man on the far right. “Carter, this is Police Chief Smith. He’s been bringing us up to date about the bombing at the club.”
The police? He was on the payroll?
Cole nodded, seeing my unspoken questions, and I leaned against the wall. Folding my arms over my chest, I tucked my head down. I was content to wait, but I wanted to hear everything this man had to say.
He gave me a nervous look. Holding a baseball cap in his lap, his hands fidgeted with the strap, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Cole said, “Ignore him, Jack. Carter’s woman was at the club. No, he’s not with us, but he wants to know everything so he doesn’t worry about her any more than he needs to.”
“Oh.” He kept looking at me. He didn’t look appeased.
I didn’t care. Sending Cole a slight nod, I signaled for him to continue their meeting. “So, Jack. You were saying the results were…”
“Uh.” He sent another skirting glance to me before swinging back to Cole. “Yes. We think the backpack had been left there when the club wasn’t open. It was in a back locker, and when we checked to see what employee used it, there was no one. It was an empty locker.”
“Prints?”
He shook his head, but glanced at me once more. I stared him down. This cop was dirty. I shouldn’t look down on him, but I did. I’d killed. I had blood on my hands, but I was loyal to those I loved. If I had taken an oath to serve and protect, I would’ve followed that allegiance to my death, no matter what. But this man, he was here, sweating and wiping his hands on his legs. He was betraying his family for a paycheck. A lot of people told us things, did things for us, because we paid the best and the Mauricio name was honorable. But this man wasn’t worthy. He got a paycheck because of his job. That was it.
“You’re not in the family.” A voice in my head reminded me. “If you’re in, you’re in. Stop saying you’re out when your actions show you’re in.”
“Without video surveillance of your club, we won’t be able to find out who put the bag there. If we had that—” He swallowed again. “We could rule out a lot of scenarios.”
He wanted eyes inside. He was lying.
Cole rounded the desk. His eyes met mine for a second and flashed their own warning. He wanted me to back off. I got it, but I’d do what I wanted. And even though there was no visible reaction from me, Cole got that message, too. A slight grin flickered over his features before he turned to face the police chief, his face wiped clean of all emotion.
A mask stared down at the man, who clutched his cap in a death grip. His knuckles were turning white.
I swallowed a burst of emotion, hearing the tenderness from him. “I’ll be fine. I want to know what happened, but I’ll be fine for now.”
“Okay.” Carefully so he wouldn’t hurt me, he pressed his lips to my forehead. The entire thing was so tender, so gentle, that I felt like crying again.
“I have to go,” he said. “It started last night. I have to make sure everything will be okay, for us.”
War.
He didn’t say the word, but that’s what it was. I knew what a bomb in Cole’s nightclub meant.
Carter slipped from the bed, going through the door I’d wondered about into the bathroom. I watched him, taking in his trim waist and the way the muscles in his back moved, gliding seamlessly under his skin. He was beautiful to look at, from behind as well as from the front. And he was all mine.
But I was terrified.
The war had started.
When I walked into the Mauricios’ house, the conversations grew silent. I knew Cole had moved his base of operations here, taking the library as his office. Ignoring looks from the men and a few of the women, I headed straight there. Cole had told me to stay out when we spoke last night. He was the leader, but that was the thing—if I wasn’t in the family any longer, he wasn’t my leader.
Shavon met me outside the closed doors. A serene smile on her face, Cole’s cousin looked sultry and dangerous all at the same time. “Carter, Carter, Carter.”
I narrowed my eyes. I’d been coming to this same house, smoothing over Cole’s initiation, almost every day for the last month and today she met me like I was a long-lost stranger? “Don’t press me, Shavon.”
A smooth chuckle came from her. She cocked her head to the side, studying me. Her smile never slipped from her face. “Press you? Why? You’re more family than he is.”
I got it then. She wasn’t doing Cole’s bidding. She was going against him. I shook my head. “I’m not interested in that.”
As I moved around her, she stepped with me and blocked me. “Come on, Carter. Can you hear me out?” Her hand rested on her slim hip. Moving closer to me, she trailed a finger down my chest. “You used to have all the time in the world for me. Remember those days?”
Pre-Emma and never again. “Back up, Shavon. I’m not in the back-stabbing business.” My eyes flashed a warning, and this time, I physically held her in place so I could go around with no problems. I ignored her swift intake of breath and walked inside, thrusting both doors open. Not waiting for them to close, I announced, “Just so you know…” Cole looked up from the desk, as did the three other men in front of him. “Your cousin is plotting your demise.”
“Carter!” Shavon gasped from behind.
The doors slammed shut, and I didn’t need to look to know she was scurrying out of the house.
Cole grinned, standing up from his chair. “Did you just take care of a problem for me?”
“Knowing Shavon, she’ll be on the plane for Florida in the next thirty minutes, and she’ll be there for the next six months.”
“Well, then.” Cole’s gaze slid to one of the men and lingered there. “I hope your daughter doesn’t play with knives, Leo.”
Shavon’s father chuckled, shaking his head. “My daughter, well, what can you do about her? She does what she does.”
Cole narrowed his eyes, but didn’t say a word.
I did. “If your daughter is moving against the family’s leader, I’ll be paying her a visit one day.” I let that hang in the air. I’d been their Cold Killer before.
“Well then.” Cole cleared his throat. He gestured to the man on the far right. “Carter, this is Police Chief Smith. He’s been bringing us up to date about the bombing at the club.”
The police? He was on the payroll?
Cole nodded, seeing my unspoken questions, and I leaned against the wall. Folding my arms over my chest, I tucked my head down. I was content to wait, but I wanted to hear everything this man had to say.
He gave me a nervous look. Holding a baseball cap in his lap, his hands fidgeted with the strap, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down.
Cole said, “Ignore him, Jack. Carter’s woman was at the club. No, he’s not with us, but he wants to know everything so he doesn’t worry about her any more than he needs to.”
“Oh.” He kept looking at me. He didn’t look appeased.
I didn’t care. Sending Cole a slight nod, I signaled for him to continue their meeting. “So, Jack. You were saying the results were…”
“Uh.” He sent another skirting glance to me before swinging back to Cole. “Yes. We think the backpack had been left there when the club wasn’t open. It was in a back locker, and when we checked to see what employee used it, there was no one. It was an empty locker.”
“Prints?”
He shook his head, but glanced at me once more. I stared him down. This cop was dirty. I shouldn’t look down on him, but I did. I’d killed. I had blood on my hands, but I was loyal to those I loved. If I had taken an oath to serve and protect, I would’ve followed that allegiance to my death, no matter what. But this man, he was here, sweating and wiping his hands on his legs. He was betraying his family for a paycheck. A lot of people told us things, did things for us, because we paid the best and the Mauricio name was honorable. But this man wasn’t worthy. He got a paycheck because of his job. That was it.
“You’re not in the family.” A voice in my head reminded me. “If you’re in, you’re in. Stop saying you’re out when your actions show you’re in.”
“Without video surveillance of your club, we won’t be able to find out who put the bag there. If we had that—” He swallowed again. “We could rule out a lot of scenarios.”
He wanted eyes inside. He was lying.
Cole rounded the desk. His eyes met mine for a second and flashed their own warning. He wanted me to back off. I got it, but I’d do what I wanted. And even though there was no visible reaction from me, Cole got that message, too. A slight grin flickered over his features before he turned to face the police chief, his face wiped clean of all emotion.
A mask stared down at the man, who clutched his cap in a death grip. His knuckles were turning white.
