Page 157 of Fighting With Light

Emerson scoffs and flips me off as Kai chuckles on the phone.

“Then send it. He can’t become governor. It won’t only be bad for us, but for many others. There’s enough blood on the streets there,” Kai says.

I move the mouse and hit send.

“This is anticlimactic, isn’t it?” Aelia says.

I grin at her and shut my laptop. “Yeah, it is. Are you packed to go to the beach house?”

“Yes, that sounds amazing.”

“Alright, I’m going to go. Cordi is putting Theo down. He’s teething and none of us are getting sleep. Hopefully, our phones blow up with the news. Love you all,” he says, and the phone goes dark.

“I’m thinking it’s probably going to take at least forty-eight hours, maybe more, to confirm all of what we sent them.”

“Here’s to hoping,” Mom mutters.

“Mom, are you okay?” I ask her. She’s been in a foul mood ever since the house was attacked.

“I’m fine, just tired, darling. I’m tired of my family constantly fighting to survive. I want this to be over.”

Emerson and I make eye contact. “Well, this should do the trick. It should keep him from becoming governor and put him in jail.”

“Maybe we can ask one of Aelia’s brothers to have someone kill him in there,” Mom says.

Aelia barks in laughter, swiftly covering her mouth.

My eyes widen on my mother and Emerson frowns.

“Uh, we can discuss it maybe later?” Aelia says.

I spin around and glare.

She just shrugs as if she wasn’t talking about contract killing in jail.

“Let’s maybe handle this first before we go planning contract hits, okay?” I suggest.

Mom sighs and kisses Aelia and me on the cheek. “Have fun in Malibu. Let me know if you need help with planning the wedding,” she says and glides out of the room.

“I’m going to stay with her for a few more days. Maybe I’ll bring her to my fight…” Emerson trails off.

I nod, a little surprised he would do that. “Let us know if we need to come back and good luck.”

He grunts and goes into the kitchen, likely to eat more chicken. He has a fight coming up and has to make weight.

“I thought I would stick out like a sore thumb in your family, but you guys aren’t that different from mine.”

I chuckle and run my hand through my hair. “Yeah, maybe, except for the drug and gun distribution.”

Aelia shrugs. “We can’t have it all, can we?”

58

Aelia

Three Months Later - November

Liam is taking mesomewhere down the shore and we’re getting closer and closer to the cliffs. He keeps looking at me over his shoulder with a silly grin on his face.