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Chapter Fifteen

SKYLA

Kalani stands in the doorway of the laundromat, the color drained from her face and a tight smile stretching her lips. She gives a slight shake of her head as I draw closer, and a pit opens in the bottom of my stomach.

What the fuck is happening now?

I take a deep breath, stuffing my hands in my pockets and trying to look relaxed.

Even though the police have closed the investigation and the laundromats are about to reopen, it doesn’t mean that they’re not following us and watching our every move.

That bastard, Logan, is probably leading the charge.

Kalani pulls her hair over one shoulder as I get closer. “I was wondering when you’d get here. Hot husband keep you up all night?”

“Something like that.”

I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I care more than I’d like to admit that things haven’t been as comfortable since the confrontation in the hall about Logan. Or since the warehouse burned.

And with all these confusing feelings and this weird pull, I guess I should be thankful that he is avoiding me just as much as I am him.

The last thing I want is to fall for him, though I suspect it might already be a bit late for that.

Kalani pushes the door open and holds it while I follow her inside. When she shuts it behind us and locks it, my heart rate speeds up.

I don’t know what the hell is going on. I thought I was just showing up for a normal day at work, to prepare everything for the reopening, but apparently not.

“Is there something I should know?”

Kalani pulls out a gun and points it off into the corner.

I turn and look at the little alcove where the front windows are.

Zoe smiles and crosses one leg over the other as she leans back in the armchair. “I thought it was time we met and talked about that negotiation your family is trying to put on the table.”

I stand stiff, glancing toward the door.

Aiden is supposed to be here in about an hour to discuss the last details, but if he catches her here, all hell will break loose.

There’s no way he’s going to let Zoe live after everything her family did to ours.

And now that Noah’s dead and Gia is with Royce, Zoe is the one in charge. She’s the one that will pay for her family’s sins. She might only be Noah’s half-sister, but she is just as vicious as him.

I remove my hands from my pockets, leaving the knife in my jeans. “Why do you want to talk to me instead of my brother?”

She gives me a wry smile. “You know why.”

It’s always me over Aiden.

I don’t know what’s given people the idea that I’m the easier one to talk to. They all seem to think that coming to me will save them from his wrath. Not a single one of them realizes that I’m the one they need to be worried about.

And now here we are, another person underestimating me.

But I can use this to my advantage.

As I walk closer to her, I take a look around the laundromat.

There isn’t anyone else here.

How did Zoe know that Kalani and I were coming in today? How did she know the laundromat was reopening?

Given the way the Rinaldos have been able to intercept drug storage and shipment, I’d hazard a guess that someone high up is helping her.

Zoe doesn’t flinch as I approach.

Kalani tucks her gun into her waistband.

“Sit, Kalani. Might as well make ourselves comfortable while Zoe here is trying to shake us down.”

“This isn’t a shake down.” Zoe reaches for the mug of coffee beside her. “If it is, then it’s the most amicable one I’ve ever seen. Your associate here even brought me coffee. Very courteous.”

Kalani snorts.

I lean against the counter, crossing my arms. “If you had gone to anyone else, you would’ve been dead already.”

“I know.” Zoe smiles over the edge of the mug before taking a sip. She sets it to the side, her gaze calculated. “But you’re a cold bitch who likes to play the long game.”

“You’re not just avoiding Aiden, then?”

“As you said, he would’ve killed me the moment I walked in here. Probably would’ve made some spectacle of my body too. You’re not like that. You see the bigger picture, and you manipulate it.”

“What bigger picture should I be seeing right now?”

“One where I’m going to destroy you and your family.”

I arch an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “You wouldn’t do that. Your sister and your niece are part of the family now.”

Zoe shrugs one slender shoulder. “Gia will see sense once there’s nobody left.”

“You know that’s not her.”

Her foot bounces as she sits deeper into the chair. “We have business to talk about. I suggest you make your backup leave if you want this to be a peaceful conversation.”

Kalani’s gaze locks with mine, and she gives another small shake of her head.

Though she’s right and I shouldn’t be alone with Zoe, nothing is going to get handled if either of us has anyone in the room.

I jerk my chin to the door, and Kalani sighs but goes, the lock thudding into place after she’s gone.

Zoe claps her hands together and stands. “It’s nice to know that there’s one Lynde who isn’t distrusting and spiteful.”

“If you think that’s me, then you’re clearly talking to the wrong one.”

“I know all about Ellie and how she’s the sister that’s the most removed from the life.” Zoe circles the counter like a shark circling the water.

I turn with her, never taking my eyes off her. “Yet, you still came to talk to me. So, what do you want?”

Zoe hums along with the soft music playing through the speakers as she walks down one of the aisles of machines. She peeks into the office back there before turning to me with a smile.

“It seems like you think we can trust each other, don’t you?” Zoe hauls herself up to sit on top of one of the dryers, her long legs dangling. “I’d like to think we can, at least for this meeting.”

“We’ll see.” I round the counter and head closer to her, leaving several feet between us.

“Look, I know that your family thought we were going to be sitting down to negotiate. You were trying to do that with Noah for weeks before you killed him, and maybe if you hadn’t murdered my brother, things would be different now.”

“We both know it wouldn’t.”

Zoe stops swinging her legs and looks at me as if she can see straight through me. “Fair.”

Her eyes narrow, like she’s assessing her next move.

I’m sure she has two different scenarios in her mind, and at least one of them ends with me dead.

I could kill her now before she ever has a chance to kill me.

Pulling the knife from my pocket without her noticing would be impossible, but she didn’t spend her life training to be a killer.

From everything Gia has told me, Zoe was involved with the Rinaldos, but her business was in running the strip clubs.

Or maybe she was the stripper. I’m still unclear. I didn’t think it was relevant beyond the fact that Noah didn’t have much to do with her until she got older.

That could be her downfall now. She might have more experience fighting than she used to, but I could probably get to her before she ever thought about getting a hand on me.

It would be easy to slip the knife between her ribs. I’d puncture her lung. Twist the knife and drive it toward her heart after. Slit her throat. Leave her to die on the laundromat floor while I got to work staging a mugging.

The hoops stabbed through her ears have to be worth at least a grand.

I would happily stab her for that much money, and I don’t even need it.

However, it’s a devil-you-know-or-devil-you-don’t situation.

I could kill her, but I don’t know who would step up to replace her.

Jace is dead, and we don’t know who is acting as her right hand at the moment. It could be someone worse than her who would be twice as hard to take out.

After a long pause, Zoe sits up straight. “I won’t be coming to the table over negotiations, and this is me letting you know that.”

“You should reconsider.”

She snorts and shakes her head. “I’m not going to reconsider, but you should pay closer attention to the people around you.”

“You want to tell me what you mean by that?” I move closer to her, hand drifting to my pocket. “Right now, that information isn’t of much use to me. If I were you, I would consider telling me everything you know, instead of playing games.”

“No games.” Zoe smirks, the lie obvious. “Although, from what I hear, it sounds like your new husband has no clue who you really are. How long do you think you can keep hiding that side of yourself from him?”

My blood runs cold, but I don’t react. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Laughing, she gets down from the machines, stalking closer to me like she has me right where she wants me. “You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

I shrug. “I have no idea what you think you know, but I’m sorry to disappoint you. You’re not going to be able to use it against me. Joshua knows everything about me.”

The words come out as easily as the truth would.

As far as I’m concerned, he does know everything he needs to know. The rest is none of his business. Not if I want him to look at me with the same hunger, that look in his eyes that sees me , instead of disgust.

Still, what does she know and who told her?

And how much does she actually know?

Zoe rakes a hand through her hair like this is just another walk in the park for her. She tips her head to the office. “Wouldn’t it be better to discuss business there?”

I follow her, a chill running down my spine.

The blinds are pulled shut still, not a single light from the inside entering the laundromat.

Something doesn’t sit right about any of this.

She sits in my chair behind the desk. “Interesting little operation you have here.”

“Does that mean it’s the next one you’re going to come after?”

She makes a noncommittal noise in the back of her throat.

“You and I both know that Aiden is going to be out for blood. While I’m not interested in negotiations, I am interested in staying alive as long as possible.

You promise not to come after me, and I’ll leave you as the last member of your family standing. ”

The floor falls out from beneath me, and the room grows impossibly warm. The walls press in until it feels like there’s nothing else but her and me.

“I’m not going to make that deal with you.”

“Then you’re a fool.” She kicks her heels up on the desk, getting comfortable. “Here I am, giving you a warning that I’m about to light your entire world on fire and giving you a chance to survive it, and you’re telling me no?”

“I’ll kill you before you have the chance to lay a hand on my family.” I brace my hands on the desk and lean in. “You think I won’t enjoy hunting you down? Killing you and making sure that my face is the last you ever see?”

Her feet drop to the ground, and she sits up, interest shining on her face.

She smiles. “There you are, Reaper. I was wondering when we were going to meet.”