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Micah followed him even though he was clearly in a bad mood and kept bringing it up.
“Hey, did you hear what I just said?” Micah said, frustrated, with his arm outstretched towards the door they had just come through. “He worked for Vincent Rhodes. Do you know who that is? He could be one of our biggest competitors, or he could be the guy you almost killed years ago after—”
Kade sighed and cut off his friend’s ramble.
“You don’t need to remind me how I feel about him. I haven’t forgotten.”
He took off his jacket and threw it on a chair, not caring to hang it up. He walked around the room, took off his shoes, and sat on the edge of his bed, facing Micah, who was waiting for an explanation.
His eyes, which were blank, met his friend’s green eyes, which seemed to be looking right through him.
“This is business, Micah. If they were good enough to work for him, I’m not going to turn away perfectly good couriers just because I don’t like the man.”
Even though Kade hated Vincent Rhodes, he couldn’t deny that the man was good at what he did. He didn’t see the harm in following their lead if he trusted them to deliver his goods. But he could only speak for himself because Micah looked upset.
“Kade, do you hear yourself? The people you want to do business with could still be working for the devil. If they were so good at what they did—good enough to work for Rhodes—why are they here? People who cross him end up dead and those who work for him stay working for him. No one leaves Rhodes unless they’re looking for certain death. You’re either in, or you’re out; there’s no in-between. These kids should be dead, and you should have been the one to do it.”
Kade sat quietly, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. He believed everything Micah said. He didn’t get to where he was by being dumb, blind, or anything else that could be called that. He was actually being smart. There was a good chance that the men he was going to do business with were working with Rhodes, but he was going to use that to his advantage. He would need to learn more about how the Rhodes business works in order to officially break away from Rhodes and claim the title of America’s top drug lord.
Kade said, “I have a plan.” He didn’t bother to tell his friend the details.
Micah pursed his lips at what he said because he didn’t believe his best friend could have come up with a “plan” so quickly.
“Okay. Fine. Sure. I guess you know what you’re doing.” Micah looked at him nervously before saying, “Just make sure you’re not in over your head with this. I’ve been with you from the start and I know how much he means to you and how much THIS means to you. So be smart.”
Kade nodded curtly, which Micah took as a sign that he should leave him alone to think.
************
“Isla! Isla!” Toby yelled as he jumped on her bed.
The 7-year-old orphan crept into her room, wanting to wake up the girl who was sleeping.
Isla mumbled and rolled around in her little bed. The girl was always grumpy in the morning, and she was even more grumpy if she was really hungry. The child smiled knowingly because they were used to Isla’s behaviour.
“Clarice made chocolate chip waffles for you, Mi! I know they’re your favourite, so I ran all the way here to let you have the first bite. I even helped pour the batter!”
Isla cooed at the happy child and pulled him close to her chest in a loving way. She was wide awake at the thought of food and showered the sweet boy with compliments between kisses.
“Thanks a lot, Toby. I’m sure the waffles will taste even better today because you helped make them.”
Toby turned red when he saw how much attention he was getting. He broke free from Isla’s hug and ran down the stairs, giggling all the way.
Isla shook her head at the cute display and lay in bed for another 10 minutes before getting up and going downstairs in her pajamas. She wore knee-high socks that were grey and an extra-long, long-sleeved shirt that was a pale baby pink.
She said hello to the kids who were sitting around the big table in the dining room.
“Good morning, everyone,” she said softly as she walked to her seat at the table.
As the little girl walked over to the group, voices echoed what she had said.
Toby was bouncing in the seat next to Isla’s, excited for her to try his favourite thing. Sadly for him, everyone in the house had already eaten their share of waffles for breakfast, so Isla wasn’t the first to try his food like he had hoped. But he quickly forgot about it when she showed up next to him.
“Here, try some,” Toby said with excitement.
“Okay, Toby, I’ll get my share. Don’t worry,” Isla said with a light laugh as she tried to calm the child who was waiting.
Even though her mannerisms were very different, she was used to the bubbly people around her. Isla didn’t mind that others quickly grabbed the best-looking waffle and ate it right away. She took the leftovers instead, knowing that they all tasted the same.
Isla praised the child who was waiting for her after she tasted the waffles. She smiled as she saw the boy get shy from all the attention.
She saw faces that were much younger than hers as she ate, the oldest being about 13 or 14. Her shoulders drooped a little. She was used to seeing this, but she was still sad because she hadn’t met anyone her own age yet.
Not him
She couldn’t help but blush when she thought about the strange man who had walked her home almost a week ago. The way he teased her, how brave he was, and the look of intensity in his eyes when he looked down at her…
She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She got to know his blue eyes, which were as beautiful as a crystal but as hard as a rock. She wanted to run her fingers through his deep brown hair, which looked soft to the touch. She had seen him do this with her. Lastly, she was very interested in his tattoos. She had never seen anything like that before, maybe on TV in her living room, but not in person. No way. She wanted to run her delicate fingers over his marked skin and study the patterns closely as she did so. She bit her lip and lost herself in thought— lost herself in him.
“Isla,” Clarice said.
The girl, who was dazed, hummed in agreement and looked her carer in the eye.
“I need you to go back to town today and get some clothes for Toby. The couple who is supposed to adopt him gave me money to buy some things he will need because they are busy making other plans for his arrival.”
Isla nodded eagerly and chewed on a piece of the chocolate waffle she had just bitten into. She was surprised by this because she usually had someone with her on all of her trips to the small town up until that week. She thought that her successful business was enough to show that she was independent.
“I also think it’s time for you to start looking for a job,” she said carefully.
Isla stopped eating. “What?” she said in a whisper.