Page 17

Chapter Three

Cyprus

“Are you sure aboutthis?” I asked, looking at Birch through the mirror. Pulling my hair back, I tied it in a ponytail and adjusted my shirt. “I don't usually do this type of thing. This is all you and your dad.”

Wrapping his arms around my waist, he kissed my neck and stared at my reflection. “You're a part of this too, you should be there.”

Pursing my lips, I thought about what he was asking of me. Nick and Birch wanted me there for the exchange. That wasn't how things typically went. In the past, I always stayed back, keeping watch over the bar or the house.

I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

“I don't know.” Dropping my arms to my sides, I asked, “What about Frankie or Vincent? Why don't you have them go along?”

Scrunching his face, he shook his head. “Not today, we don't want them, we want you.”

Turning, I leaned back against the sink and gripped the granite. “What if I screw it up somehow?”

“From what Dad told me about what you did yesterday, I'm pretty sure you can handle yourself.” Smirking, his thumb traced my throat, eyes glistening in the bright lights set above our heads.

“He told you everything?”

Nodding, Birch kissed my forehead. “I think you're ready for this. I wasn't sure before, but after that, I'm not worried anymore. You're strong, Cyprus, you're one of us. There's no doubt in my mind about that. You were made for this life, it's like it's built into your DNA.”

It did come a little too easily. I can't argue with him on that.

But does that mean I'm really ready? Do I want to see how dark this world can be?

I had been able to evade the black hate that coated this world like a satin sheath. Burying my head in the sand, I was able to ignore all the blood that spilled because of what we did.

I knew it existed, I knew that it was a means to an end for those that went against Nick and the family, but I never really allowed those thoughts to take shape until now.

It was one thing to be aware of it all, to hear stories and know what someone was capable of; but to witness it, that was a totally different thing.

You either did what you said you would, or that was it, you didn't get to see tomorrow. It was black and white, there was no middle ground.

But the middle ground was where I sat. Blindly I fixed documents and altered numbers, adjusting everything so Nick came out the other end clean. And on either side of where I stood was a violent presence just waiting for me to join in.

For years I thought I wanted to be one of them, I wanted to be who they were because they had done so much for me. I wanted to make Nick proud, show him that he had done a great job of creating the person I was.

But I had never seen them kill anyone. I heard about it several times, the details painted by Birch so vividly that I never felt the need to see it. I chose to not let the gravity of what he was saying scare me away.

Now, I wasn't so sure that this was what I wanted with my life at all. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see the innocent girl I once had. All I could see was the cold shadows working their way down my shoulders, pulling me under.

I'm here, I'm one of them.

Not seeing doesn't change my position in this. If we got arrested tomorrow, I'd be just as guilty as if I had pulled the trigger myself.

Doubting myself was the worst thing I could do. This family needed me as much as I needed them.

“Alright, I'll go.” Birch attempted to kiss my lips, but I held up my hand to block him. “But if I don't like how it's going, I'm out.”

“Of course, Babe, I won't make you do something you don't want to.” Running his fingers through my ponytail, he let the strands slip freely over his skin. “But I think it's good for you to see it. One day it's going to be us running this shit, and it's hard to trust other people. I trust you, I trust you with everything I have.”

Smiling, my cheeks blushed. “You really are good at sweet talking me, you know that?” Hugging his ribs, I rested my head on his firm chest. “When do we leave?”

I could hear his heart beating, and that sound, it did things to me. Birch had always told me that his heart beat for me, that I was the blood flowing through his veins and the air filling his lungs.

Listening to him live, hearing that life as it played music against his ribs, it made everything else vanish. My muscles relaxed, the tension a faded cramp that would soon be gone.