“You did all that?”
“With two of my men. It’s easier doing recon when you’re alone. I had no backing from the Mauricio family. That’s what they found out when they made a few phone calls. To them, I’m acting alone. Now, I can’t tell you what they’re thinking since the bomb. Emma was either the target, or she was too damn close to it. I haven’t reached out yet to test their reaction.”
“Speaking of that, why are you still here? I meant what I said last night. I thought you’d be long gone.”
“Emma has a long-lost sister who’s reappeared—”
“The timing is suspect.”
“—and she wants a few days to get to know her. And yes, I find the timing very convenient.”
“Have you looked into her?”
I grimaced. “Not as much as I would like, no. But I will now. If there’s a connection, I’ll find it. She really is Emma’s sister, so if they found her, that means they went searching for her and they’ve been planning this move for years.”
“True. Finding a long-lost sister would’ve taken some time.” His head tilted to the side. “Unless they just got lucky.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Right now, I’m treating her as if she is a long-lost sister and not another weapon against Emma. It would be nice to have some firm intel on whether they’re moving against me through her or not.”
“I know, and I’m working on that. I have to run these tests on the elders. I need to know who I can trust. If I go into a battle with an army that’s disloyal, we’re all dead.”
My impatience burned in me. I wanted to know now. I wanted to make my move. This was how I used to feel all the time. I was a caged panther, and I wanted out of the cage to protect what’s mine. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
“If you take too much time, there won’t be any Mauricio family to test,” I warned. “The Bartels have gotten away with enough already.”
“You’re telling me?” he shot back. “They came for me. They killed two of my friends, and they’re the reason I even came back. Trust me, Carter. I am more than aware of how long this is taking. I’ll move against them as soon as I know who’s actually behind me and who’s against me.”
I understood that. It was a good battle strategy, but I didn’t play politics well. I led my own army, and in times when I couldn’t, I used to kill on my own. “It’s taking too long, Cole.” That was the truth no matter who was behind him. “If you need to cut them out of the action, cut them out. You need to make your move soon.”
“What would you do?”
I fell silent. I hadn’t expected that question. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Carter.” He smiled, shaking his head. “You’ve worked your way into a powerful position with both families. I know you’re the lone wolf. You do your own thing, but you’re the smartest guy I know. You think seven steps ahead of everyone else. If you were me, what would your first move be?”
“My first move would be to find out if that bomb was meant for Emma or not.”
“And after that? What if it weren’t, and it was a bomb sent against your family. What’s the next step?”
“You need to gather information. Find out all the key players and the alliances between them. Know them better than they know themselves.”
“And if that was currently being put together? What’s the step after that?”
“Find out all their businesses. Everything. Even the houses where they take their mistresses.”
“Already being done. After that?”
I shook my head, grinning. “Why are you picking my brain? You’re making all the right moves.”
“Because I’m missing something, and I don’t know what it is. But I think you do. I think there’s a difference—one small step—that I’m blind to.”
I knew what he was getting at, but it was simple. He made it sound complicated. It wasn’t. It was just a quality I had that Cole didn’t.
I shook my head. “Cole, you can plan all you like. You can set up all the targets and hope you’ll hit them when you shoot, but there’s a point where you can’t plan anymore. I plan. I set up safeguards, yes. That’s what I was doing at home, but eventually you just have to strike the match.”
“What do you mean?”
“The difference between you and me: I’d go in there and kill them all myself. And no matter how much I’ve trained you, that’s a quality you don’t have. You’re smart. So am I. You plan. So do I. But while you wait to make sure the whole team will back you up, I’m already in there and doing it no matter who’s with me and who isn’t.”
He wasn’t going to make the first move. His method of testing the elders would take too long. This war, if it spilled over to me, was going to be my own. I wasn’t going to wait for Mauricio family approval. I would do the same thing that had happened after AJ. If they came for mine, I’d go for theirs—all of theirs.
“So I should stop wasting time? That’s what you’re saying?”
Suddenly I heard Cole’s measured words. He was watching what he said and being very careful about it. It all clicked, and I wanted to hit him. “You’re an asshole.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, but I could tell he knew I’d figured it out.
“I’m your weapon, aren’t I? You’re waiting for me to get fed up so I go and do your work for you. That’s your genius plan?”
A bright smile stretched over his face. “It was until you figured it out.”
“You’re a dick.”
His eyebrows raised, but I didn’t yell. I didn’t curse. I didn’t lunge at him. I was pissed, but he was doing what was right for the family. He was utilizing the best weapon in their arsenal, and that was me.
“I’m not doing a thing unless I know they intend to hurt Emma.”
He nodded. “I can respect that.” He watched me, still waiting for anger.
“You can’t control me,” I told him.
“I know that.”
“Good.” Then I moved. My fist was up and hitting him square in the jaw before he saw me coming. As his body dropped to the ground, I knew he was unconscious, and I turned to leave. I had been a weapon for the family before, and if Cole wanted to go that route, fine by me. But if I was going to be used as that weapon, he’d have to deal with the damage I inflicted.
“With two of my men. It’s easier doing recon when you’re alone. I had no backing from the Mauricio family. That’s what they found out when they made a few phone calls. To them, I’m acting alone. Now, I can’t tell you what they’re thinking since the bomb. Emma was either the target, or she was too damn close to it. I haven’t reached out yet to test their reaction.”
“Speaking of that, why are you still here? I meant what I said last night. I thought you’d be long gone.”
“Emma has a long-lost sister who’s reappeared—”
“The timing is suspect.”
“—and she wants a few days to get to know her. And yes, I find the timing very convenient.”
“Have you looked into her?”
I grimaced. “Not as much as I would like, no. But I will now. If there’s a connection, I’ll find it. She really is Emma’s sister, so if they found her, that means they went searching for her and they’ve been planning this move for years.”
“True. Finding a long-lost sister would’ve taken some time.” His head tilted to the side. “Unless they just got lucky.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “Right now, I’m treating her as if she is a long-lost sister and not another weapon against Emma. It would be nice to have some firm intel on whether they’re moving against me through her or not.”
“I know, and I’m working on that. I have to run these tests on the elders. I need to know who I can trust. If I go into a battle with an army that’s disloyal, we’re all dead.”
My impatience burned in me. I wanted to know now. I wanted to make my move. This was how I used to feel all the time. I was a caged panther, and I wanted out of the cage to protect what’s mine. But I couldn’t. Not yet.
“If you take too much time, there won’t be any Mauricio family to test,” I warned. “The Bartels have gotten away with enough already.”
“You’re telling me?” he shot back. “They came for me. They killed two of my friends, and they’re the reason I even came back. Trust me, Carter. I am more than aware of how long this is taking. I’ll move against them as soon as I know who’s actually behind me and who’s against me.”
I understood that. It was a good battle strategy, but I didn’t play politics well. I led my own army, and in times when I couldn’t, I used to kill on my own. “It’s taking too long, Cole.” That was the truth no matter who was behind him. “If you need to cut them out of the action, cut them out. You need to make your move soon.”
“What would you do?”
I fell silent. I hadn’t expected that question. “What do you mean?”
“Come on, Carter.” He smiled, shaking his head. “You’ve worked your way into a powerful position with both families. I know you’re the lone wolf. You do your own thing, but you’re the smartest guy I know. You think seven steps ahead of everyone else. If you were me, what would your first move be?”
“My first move would be to find out if that bomb was meant for Emma or not.”
“And after that? What if it weren’t, and it was a bomb sent against your family. What’s the next step?”
“You need to gather information. Find out all the key players and the alliances between them. Know them better than they know themselves.”
“And if that was currently being put together? What’s the step after that?”
“Find out all their businesses. Everything. Even the houses where they take their mistresses.”
“Already being done. After that?”
I shook my head, grinning. “Why are you picking my brain? You’re making all the right moves.”
“Because I’m missing something, and I don’t know what it is. But I think you do. I think there’s a difference—one small step—that I’m blind to.”
I knew what he was getting at, but it was simple. He made it sound complicated. It wasn’t. It was just a quality I had that Cole didn’t.
I shook my head. “Cole, you can plan all you like. You can set up all the targets and hope you’ll hit them when you shoot, but there’s a point where you can’t plan anymore. I plan. I set up safeguards, yes. That’s what I was doing at home, but eventually you just have to strike the match.”
“What do you mean?”
“The difference between you and me: I’d go in there and kill them all myself. And no matter how much I’ve trained you, that’s a quality you don’t have. You’re smart. So am I. You plan. So do I. But while you wait to make sure the whole team will back you up, I’m already in there and doing it no matter who’s with me and who isn’t.”
He wasn’t going to make the first move. His method of testing the elders would take too long. This war, if it spilled over to me, was going to be my own. I wasn’t going to wait for Mauricio family approval. I would do the same thing that had happened after AJ. If they came for mine, I’d go for theirs—all of theirs.
“So I should stop wasting time? That’s what you’re saying?”
Suddenly I heard Cole’s measured words. He was watching what he said and being very careful about it. It all clicked, and I wanted to hit him. “You’re an asshole.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, but I could tell he knew I’d figured it out.
“I’m your weapon, aren’t I? You’re waiting for me to get fed up so I go and do your work for you. That’s your genius plan?”
A bright smile stretched over his face. “It was until you figured it out.”
“You’re a dick.”
His eyebrows raised, but I didn’t yell. I didn’t curse. I didn’t lunge at him. I was pissed, but he was doing what was right for the family. He was utilizing the best weapon in their arsenal, and that was me.
“I’m not doing a thing unless I know they intend to hurt Emma.”
He nodded. “I can respect that.” He watched me, still waiting for anger.
“You can’t control me,” I told him.
“I know that.”
“Good.” Then I moved. My fist was up and hitting him square in the jaw before he saw me coming. As his body dropped to the ground, I knew he was unconscious, and I turned to leave. I had been a weapon for the family before, and if Cole wanted to go that route, fine by me. But if I was going to be used as that weapon, he’d have to deal with the damage I inflicted.
