Page 41 of The Fates We Tame

“Trust me, Sparrow,” I say as Niro hands me one of his weapons out of her sight.

“You need to duck too,” Niro says, shoving me down behind the truck. “I’ll handle the talking.”

He slams the tailgate of the truck up just as the car pulls up three spaces away from us. I see the tires from my hiding place. I don’t know who I’m praying to, but I pray anyway that they have no reason to walk around this direction.

Cat and Niro are proudly wearing their cuts as they tug the cover over the back of the truck. Catalina has to step around me, but she never looks down at me. When she’s done, she pulls the weapon from her holster and points it at the ground so Sophia’s brothers can’t see it.

The weapon Niro thrust at me feels solid in my hand. I know I’ve held one before and often. My ink tells me I’ve killed more than one man. For the club or during my military service, I’m not certain.

And I realize this must be one of those procedural memory things because I remember every single step in firing this baby.

Shiny black dress shoes hit the asphalt. “You’re in the wrong state, brothers,” the person says, and I immediately recognize the voice as Luca.

“My old lady’s mom is in here,” Niro says. “You really going to pull some turf war over a rehab unit visit? Poor bitch is tied up in knots over her mom as it is, you pricks.”

I lie down, making it easier to shoot someone’s legs out if I need to.

They’ve come for Sophia. I know it.

We’re going to have a five-minute advantage, at best, if they go straight to her room. Someone would have to let them in.

“We see you Outlaws do anything other than come here, visit, then leave, there’ll be consequences.”

I’m certain that’s Leo.

“Okay, well, unless you want to get your dicks out so we can compare lengths, I suggest the two of you fuck off where you were going because we’ve got somewhere we need to be,” Niro says, and I roll my eyes. Although, a whisper of a memory trickles through me, of him saying something in the clubhouse that got King angry but made everyone laugh.

Maybe it’ll come to me before Niro gets us all killed with his mouth.

“Fuck you,” Luca says.

“I’d rather fuck her, but happy to top you anytime, sweetheart.”

I cover my mouth to hide the snort. Catalina looks down at me for a second, then looks back to the Sicilians.

“Leave it, Luca,” I hear Leo say.

Their footsteps fade away in the gravel.

“Wait,” Catalina says quietly. She puts her hand out to stop me and squints in the direction of the center’s entrance. “Now. Quick.”

Niro drops the tailgate, and I climb inside before he shuts it with a slam.

I hear Niro’s engine roar to life, and then the truck rumbles beneath us. It’s dark, with only small freckles of light making it through the cover.

I’m glad Niro put a mattress in the back, but I’m not going to ask where he got it from because…well…it’s Niro.

“I guess I just learned I’m claustrophobic,” Sophia says to me over the rumble of the engine and the traffic on the street.

“We’ll be out of here in five minutes, I promise. Just take a deep breath, Sparrow.”

“Are you sure this is safe?” Sophia asks.

There’s worry in her voice, and I slide my hand along the mattress to find hers. “It’s only for a few minutes. Once we’re clear of here, they’ll pull over, and we’ll get out.”

Her fingers tighten around mine, and I rub the back of her hand with my thumb.

This could be overkill. I hear the security guard saying a few words to Niro.