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Chapter Nine

SKYLA

Joshua is getting suspicious. I could see it in his eyes when he watched me over coffee this morning.

I came too close to giving away my secrets yesterday. My walls were down. My words came out without thinking.

He almost got too close to the truth.

That’s the last time I’ll allow that to happen.

As I tap my pen against the stack of checks in front of me, the itch to disappear grows stronger. It wouldn’t be the first time I’ve had to disappear for a little while over the years.

Joshua would never allow me to leave.

Kalani strides into my office and sits down across from me. “So, are you going to tell me about your hot husband, or are we going to sit here and pretend that he didn’t have the entire office turning heads yesterday?”

Rolling my eyes, I turn my attention back to the paycheck I have to finish signing. “I don’t know what there is to tell.”

“How about the fact that you have a hot husband in the first place, and you didn’t think to talk to me about it at all? I would like to talk about that because I know that you’re not going to tell me anything unless I sit here and pry.”

Kalani drops down into the seat across the desk, crossing one leg over the other and arching one of her perfectly plucked eyebrows.

I sigh and shove the checks to the side, debating how much to tell her. I don’t want to lie to her about everything, but I don’t have much of a choice either.

“We eloped. I didn’t want a big wedding and neither did he, so we took off and got married.”

She purses her lips. “Please tell me that you haven’t been married for like a year and I’m just now finding out.”

“I haven’t been. It’s still a new marriage. I didn’t even move in with him until yesterday, and I’m still keeping my house.”

There. A tiny bit of the truth.

Kalani laughs and presses a hand to her chest. “Only you would make a man wait that long to move in with him and then still keep your house on the side. When are you going to let this poor man off the hook?”

I tap the end of my pen against the desk. “I don’t know. It feels easier to keep one foot out the door. After Logan, I don’t want to give someone every part of me only to have it thrown back in my face again.”

“You have to loosen up sometime. With the way he had you smiling yesterday, I think this husband is going to be good for you. I wish you would’ve told me about him before now, though.”

“Well, you can spend some more time getting to know him at the reception. I don’t know the date of it yet, but I do know that there’s going to be one.”

Kalani’s smile stretches wide. “I knew you weren’t going to hold out on the twins.”

I give her a flat look, pulling the stack of checks back in front of me. “They called you?”

“Well, they wanted to know what the chances were of you saying yes. I thought it would be a good idea after I got over the shock of you having a husband.” Kalani leans forward and takes the plastic succulent from the corner of my desk, looking at the design on the pot.

“You should get a real one. They’re impossible to kill. ”

“I’m not going to do that. I don’t have time to care for a plant.” I gesture to the stack in front of me. “Did you have something that we needed to talk about, or did you just come in here to chat?”

Kalani puts the plant back on the desk. “Fredrick isn’t sure that he’s going to be able to finish moving the money this week. He thinks it’s going to take a little longer to get the full amount through.”

“I need it done by Friday. That money is needed elsewhere, which means he needs to hurry up and do it.”

She sighs. “We might be able to get that moved. And I think there’s potential to move more, but it’s risky.”

I put the pen down again and take a deep breath, pressing my fingers to my temples. “What do you think is so risky about it right now? We’ve been moving millions of dollars for the last four years, and there hasn’t been a problem yet.”

“Some of the ones not involved are starting to get curious. I’ve had them moved to another project, but I don’t want them to come poking around, and I doubt that you do, too. The DEA already tried to bust the laundromat.”

“We don’t have to worry about them. Joshua has them in his pocket.”

Kalani laughs as my phone starts to ring. “I knew you would marry well.”

I grab my phone and swipe my thumb across the screen. “Hello?”

“There’s been an attack,” Royce says, his tone gruff. “I’m at the warehouse now, but it’s not good. Zoe and the Rinaldos struck. Killed a lot of people. Torched the cocaine.”

“For fuck’s sake.” I drop my head to the desk, wishing that the impact would be enough to put me out of my misery. “Tell me that you’ve already called Aiden, and I don’t have to be the one to break the news to him.”

Royce chuckles. “Why would I be the one to tell him? He’s been even more of a bastard since the new year, and you’re about the only one he listens to anymore. And you’re the one who still keeps a clear head about this kind of shit.”

“Is the cleaning crew on the way?”

“Yeah. But it sounds like there was another minor attack at the same time. They’re doing cleanup there first, and then they’re on their way here.”

I lift my head and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Then call in the second team.”

“They’re not as good with disposing of the bodies.”

“We don’t need them to dispose of the bodies. We’re going to use those bodies to send a message.”

Royce looks up as Kalani and I get out of the car at the torched remains of the supply house.

“Took you long enough to get here.”

I scoff. “You have got to be kidding. You’re the one that’s too much of a pussy to call Aiden, but I’m the one who gets shit on for getting stuck in traffic?”

He sighs and nods to the house and the bodies strewn around the lawn. “The ones to the right are Rinaldo’s men. They attacked while the watch went to the washroom.”

“I’d like to know why the hell the watch didn’t get a replacement before he decided he couldn’t spend another moment without his dick in his hand.”

Joshua appears around the side of the charred house. “Are you talking about me again? That’s sweet.”

I scowl and cross my arms. “What the hell are you doing here? This isn’t any of your business.”

Royce tucks his hands in his pockets, nodding to the cop car that passes. “I called him. I thought if we lost nearly five million dollars in supplies, the man who supplies us with the cocaine should probably know we’re going to need more.”

“Still don’t understand why he’s here.”

Joshua shrugs as the cleaning crew pulls into the driveway and pours out of the van. “Believe it or not, I don’t spend a lot of time watching the bodies get cleaned up. I thought it might be fun to see.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to rein in my temper. “Joshua, I don’t have time for whatever the hell this is.”

He circles closer to me like a shark, not caring about the dried blood he walks through.

“Make no mistake, Skyla, I like this little game of back and forth we have. I like the arrangement we have. That doesn’t mean that I’m the kind of man who is going to sit back and take your shit.

Which means you’re going to make time to deal with whatever the hell this is because I’m going to be the one providing you with more cocaine at half the cost.”

I grind my teeth, glaring up at him, though I have to admit there’s a part of me that likes the way he stands up to me. It’s not something I’m used to.

Aiden backs down after enough needling, and Royce rarely sees an argument that’s worth his energy. Anyone I’ve dated has thought it was easier to give me what I want instead of fighting back.

And now here he is, standing in front of me and sending a shiver down my spine.

I don’t have time to deal with him, though. Instead, I turn to Royce. “Have the crew deliver the bodies to Zoe’s mother’s house.”

Kalani clears her throat, stepping between me and Joshua. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Staring at her, I wait for an explanation on why she’s questioning me.

“Gia is your family, and that’s her mother too.” Kalani’s voice is low so only Royce and Joshua can hear us. “You could hurt her by doing this.”

Royce shrugs. “Gia wouldn’t care. I can text her right now and ask.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “No. We’re not going to text her and ask.

People we care about are dead. We’re not going to let that just slip through the cracks.

We’re going to send the bodies of Rinaldo’s men to Zoe’s mother, and that’s the end of the story.

Gia was born into this life. She knows what the score is. ”

Royce nods and spins to go deliver the message to the others.

Kalani sighs and pulls out her phone, likely to warn Gia of what’s going to happen.

Joshua looks at me. “I didn’t know you were so cold.”

“Frigid bitch is what the soldiers call me.” I give him a sarcastic smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to call my older brother and tell him what happened here, and he’s likely going to go on the warpath, which isn’t going to go well for anyone involved.”

Pacing away from him, I pull out my phone and dial Aiden’s number.

It seems to ring forever as I wait.

I stride back and forth, trying not to look at the bodies that I recognize, their lifeless eyes staring up at me.

I’m having someone arrange for proper funerals. Lump sums of money will have to be sent to their families and then trusts set up to continue to care for the children.

Pain erupts in my temples just thinking about it.

“What is it?” Aiden barks down the line at me. “I’m in the middle of something, and I don’t have time to shoot the shit right now.”

“When the hell do I ever call you to just shoot the shit, asshole?” I bite the inside of my cheek, hiding the tears that prick the corners of my eyes.

“There’s been an attack on the supply house in Queens.

It’s been torched. Some of the structure is still standing but the coke was burned, and everyone is dead. ”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. People are dead. The drugs are gone.”

Something breaks in the background. “Fuck.”

“I’m here, and I’m dealing with it, but there’s going to be more to come. Zoe is finally making her move, and it looks like she’s trying to prove herself before someone else tries to take the crown from her.”

He ends the call without so much as another word.

I resist the urge to throw the phone across the yard.

Though I don’t know what’s been going on with Aiden lately, Royce is right. He’s becoming more impossible to deal with than ever.

Joshua appears in front of me. “That sounded like it went well.”

I slide the phone into the back pocket of my shorts. “It didn’t. Thanks for helping. Is there anything else you need?”

“You need to calm down.” Joshua takes a large step back as if he’s anticipating the punch to the throat I’m seriously considering.

“I mean that in a practical way and not a women should be less emotional kind of way. Be as emotional as you want, for all I care, but being wound like this right now isn’t going to help anyone. ”

“But seriously, what are you even doing here?” I shoulder past him in search of Royce.

“I told you. I heard the supply I gave you burned. Wanted to see it for myself before giving you more at half the cost. Which is very kind of me, might I add.”

I whirl around to face him. “You really think that my family would try to scam you? We may be criminals, but we’re honest with our business partners.”

“And maybe I thought you could use someone who could see through your bullshit.” Joshua steps closer to me, looking down and stopping me in my tracks. “I can see how much this upsets you.”

“Of course, it does. I knew these people, and now I’m going to have to be the one going around to their families to tell them that the people they love are dead. It’s draining.”

“Why don’t you meet with the Rinaldos and arrange for a peace treaty?”

My eyes are on the verge of popping out of my head.

I shake my head. “You’re stepping into the middle of a war you know nothing about.”