Page 73 of Merciless Obsession

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“How many times do I have to say you don’t decide to go off on your own without letting me know!” Nazai complained, pacing back and forth in front of me.

He, River, and Cashlynn were waiting at The Barn when we arrived. River helped get Titan out of the car and restrained him while Nazai bitched at me. Titan was still unconscious, his head sagging forward.

“I’m not a newbie; this isn’t anything I couldn’t handle,” I told him.

Nazai stopped and glared at me. “That’s not the point, Ezra. When you do shit like this on a whim, mistakes are made. You don’t know if there was someone waiting at his house, if he had cameras, did you check and make sure no one saw you? It was all too hasty. That’s why we usually scope out our targets first.” He stepped closer and slapped my shoulder. “Come on Ez, you’re smarter than this. You’ve always been impulsive, but this is dicey, even for you.” His eyes left me and shifted to where Ziora was. I could see the words forming in his head before he spoke them.

“Don’t,” I warned him. “It’s not on her. I made my choice on my own.”

Slowly, Nazai slid his gaze back to me. “You’ve got too much to lose, Ez. We all do. One mistake and all this shit, everything padre and abuelo built, will crumble. You get that, don’t you?”

“I know that. The opportunity was there though, so I took it.” Nazai still didn’t look happy. Had this been Dad he would be ripping me a new one until he was red in the face. That wasn’t how Nazai operated. He said what he had to say, but hardly yelled or argued. He always said it took too much energy. Even when he was pissed off, he kept a level head.

“All I need is a computer and I can get into the cameras to make sure we’re covered,” Ziora cut in.

“I already have Emmet on it,” Nazai said. He kept his eyes trained on me a second longer before facing her. “Tell me why this guy is so important.”

“Nazai,” I started.

“No, Ez. If she’s gonna be in this then I need to make sure she’s up for everything. We can’t act on emotions; that’s how people get killed. There’s no reason for any of us to target this guy so the reason leads back to her. Tell me why?”

A lot of time Nazai fought authority. He often bumped heads with my dad because the two were so headstrong. Nazai wanted to be his own person and not the guy my dad wanted him to be. That’s why he started a club instead of studying law. It was always his birthright to take over the business, but in his own way. With all that, I saw nothing but my dad right now as he spoke. He might try to rebel but he was more like our father than he thought.

Ziora kept her eyes trained on Nazai. If she was nervous, she didn’t let it show. She began repeating the same story she told me at The Den, her tone steady and confident. Nazai never budged as she spoke. He listened to her without interrupting, again, looking like our dad. My big brother was a natural born leader. As much as I wanted to be like my dad and bypass his legacy, I knew Nazai was really the one most like him.

“And you’re sure the girl was underage?” he questioned once she was finished. “Your friend is reliable.”

Ziora nodded. “I trust Inaya. She has a good eye and this isn’t the first time she’s brought me back information that turned out to be true.”

Nazai’s mouth hardened as he turned his attention to Titan. River stood next to him awaiting orders. Nazai nodded and River acted. He stepped in front of Titan, cocked his fist back, and sent it across his face, causing him to grunt.

“Wakey, wakey, asshole.” Nazai stepped forward.

Titan was still groggy. I didn’t give him the whole sedative because I wanted it to only last long enough to get him here. He blinked sluggishly a couple times as he came to.

“What. What?” He struggled to get out.

Cashlynn stepped forward and slapped his face a couple times. “Hey, wake up. We don’t have all damn night,” she spat.

“Wildfire!” Nazai hissed.

“Well, he’s taking too long and I’m not trying to be here all night.”

“I told you to stay at home anyway.”

She waved him off. “I’m tired of you trying to keep me out of the action. I’m pregnant, not handicapped or dead. Stop trying to handle me with baby gloves!”

It was written all over my brother’s face. He was fighting hard to keep his cool. Cashlynn was the only one who could push his buttons like this.

“Cashlynn.”

“Oh shit, sis. He sounds serious,” I joked. If he was using her real name, he was serious.

“Shut up!” She cut her eyes at me.

I tittered. Never a dull moment with these two.