Page 99 of Caught in the Crossfire

The more he picked on Wynn, the more Wynn retreated into himself. It had to stop.

Ryu mimed pulling a zipper across his lips. I rolled my eyes. He pulled out a bottle of wine from the rack and held it up for Obi’s approval. Obi glanced at the label, then nodded before Ryu grabbed the corkscrew.

“I’ve been keeping my camera sweeps of the city online,” Ciel said as he sat down at the kitchen table with a plate full of ragu and tagliatelle. “With Orik Vokshi dead, they might get sloppy, orthey might change how they transport product. Maybe we can catch another trail.”

Ciel had also pointedly avoided looking at Wynn since the two of them bumped into each other in the hallway after I called for the meeting. He had to be pissed at Wynn for lying, but this seemed like something else.

“That’s excellent, Ciel,” I said, pressing a quick kiss against his cheek. I leaned close to his ear and whispered so only he could hear, “Love you.”

His cheeks went bright pink, and my heart swelled.

The rest of the guys settled around the table with their own plates. The recipe was my mother’s, and I spent the morning teaching Obi how to make it along with homemade pasta. My mamma and I used to make it with Max’s mom on Sunday afternoons, and we’d make massive pots of it to feed my father’s men. I loved how my mother and Max’s mother were the beating heart of our Family. After they died, Family meals became a thing of business, not community. I never thought our mothers would like that very much.

Mamma would be happy I was teaching her recipe to my new family.

“After we have leads, we can track them down and wipe them out,” I said as I took a bite. I withheld my mumble of approval. The sauce turned out perfect. “We need to prioritize this, especially if Max and the Camorra are doing the same. We can get in front of them both.”

“Since Vokshi is a dead end—” Ryu paused, snorting. I kicked his shin under the table. “—maybe we could talk to the other girls we rescued from your ship?”

My fork froze halfway to my mouth. Cas gave me a look. Slowly, I lowered the utensil. “I don’t know if that would be a good idea.”

“Why not?” asked Ciel. “They might tell us more about wherethey were held or when they were taken. The information would help.”

My heart rate escalated, and my hands clasped in my lap. “I’d rather not dredge up old memories they wouldn’t want to revisit.”

Obi tilted his head to the side. “That they wouldn’t want to revisit? Or you?”

The box in my chest rattled. I tightened the chains around it and shoved it down with a firm push. With a steady inhale, I got my emotions back in check. I’d controlled it so far. I could control it until this was over.

“Them,” I responded confidently while picking up my water and taking a drink. After I set the glass down, my thumb dug into the gemstones of my engagement ring.

The look on Cas’s face said he didn’t believe me. Neither did Ryu, and neither did Ciel. Wynn still stared at his plate.

“But I see your point. I’ll consider it and see if we can fit it into the schedule,” I lied. “Wynn, do you want to go with me?”

His eyes flicked up. Silently, I pleaded with him to agree. I doubted he’d want to go, and we could avoid it together.

“Sure,” he said after a beat. He straightened, clearly picking up my hidden message. “I can see what Willow thinks. If she gives the go ahead, then fine. If she doesn’t think it’s a good idea, then we won’t.”

“Good idea,” I added. We both nodded, settling the matter.

It would not be happening.

“Any other activity on their transport processes?” Obi asked.

“No other suspicious behavior at the ports,” Ciel responded. “The two ships we were tracking to Miami diverted to South America. We could go after them, but in the meantime, I’ve set up an algorithm to alert us again if anything comes our way.”

Obi took a bite of his food, then leaned over to kiss my head. “Delicious,ifunanya’m.”

I blushed, smiling down at my plate. “Thanks, but you made it.”

“What about the buyers?” Cas asked. “Trafficking can’t exist without buyers. Do we know anything about them?”

Ciel shook his head while Obi took another bite with a pensive look on his face. It looked like the gears were turning in his head, like he was cataloguing through his contacts.

“None of my contacts have said anything,” Wynn said. “But their operation isn’t small. Someone has to know something.”

Behind my eyelids, I remembered the flashes of camera lights. Murmurings of a website. My shirt tearing.