by J. E. Parker
Ryker was Hope’s older brother. He’d also been Evan and Brantley’s best friend. And from what I’d been told, he was one of the best guys—funny and kind—to ever exist, though I couldn’t vouch for that personally. A Marine like Evan, he’d died in action before I ever met Hope.
His tragic death had nearly destroyed her and Evan both.
Brantley too.
He never talked about him and would walk off whenever Ryker’s name was mentioned. His heartbreak would’ve been obvious to a blind person.
But as bad as losing Ryker was, it wasn’t the only tragedy Charlotte and Hope had suffered.
Ten years before her only son’s death, Charlotte had also lost her husband, and Hope had lost her father to cancer. It was horrible, heartbreaking, and downright unfair.
I can’t even imagine that pain…
“I know they’ll be looking down on me from heaven,” Hope continued, “but Mama, I r-really need t-this.” Unable to bear her crying any longer, I leaned to the side and wrapped an arm around Hope’s lower back. In return, she grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.
Like Hope, Charlotte started to cry.
“Oh, Sugar Pea,” Charlotte said around a sob. “You know I w-will.”
“Crap,” Maddie hissed. “Why do y’all always have to get so dang emotional in front of me?” Tears filled her jade green eyes. “I just had a baby. I‘ve had zero sleep and I’m hormonal. And now look at what you did.” She pointed at her face with her free hand. “Now my face will get all puffy and Hendrix will demand to know why I’m crying”—she paused—“again.”
Grandmama, who looked close to choking up herself, shook her head. “I’ll tell you what I need—a drink. It’s a good thing I refilled my flask before heading over here.” She spun around; her eyes searched the room. “Where in the name of Hades did my daggum purse go this time?”
Beside me, Carissa snickered. “Check your shoulder, Grandmama. You must not have put it down when you got here.”
“Well I’ll be,” Grandmama said, looking at her purse like she’d never seen it before. “Looks like I’m losing my mind faster than I thought.”
“God help us,” Shelby muttered under her breath.
Grandmama spun around and pointed at her. “Watch it, Blondie. I know where you live and I have a key to your house.” Shelby’s eyes widened. “Don’t you mess with me, hussy.”
Before Shelby could reply, Charlotte stood and swiped at the tears from her face. “Okay”—she took a deep breath—“so we’re doing a simple ceremony at the beach, followed by a small reception at the house. Right?”
Hope nodded.
“Alright,” Charlotte continued, slipping into mother-of-the-bride mode. “Who is the maid of honor? What about bridesmaids?”
Right or wrong, I crossed my fingers as I prayed that Hope would pick me to be her maid of honor. It was a toss-up between Maddie and me, but I hoped that I would be the winner.
Please, God, I prayed. Let her pick me.
There was no hesitation on Hope’s part. “Clara is my maid of honor and everybody else is a bridesmaid”—she paused—“even Grandmama.”
I threw my hands up in the air and screamed right as Grandmama’s mouth fell open. I swear her jaw almost hit the carpet. “Me?” She asked, eyes wide. “I get to be a bridesmaid?”
Hope smiled from ear-to-ear. “Course you do, Grandmama. You didn’t think I’d leave out my favorite Old Biddy, did you?”
“Dagnabit, Hope,” she replied, whipping a hanky out of her front dress pocket. “You aren‘t going to be happy until you make me cry, are you?”
Standing, Hope closed the space between her and Grandmama. Wrapping her arms around Grandmama’s shoulders, she pulled her in for a hug. “Did you forget that you saved my life, along with Evan’s last year?” she whispered. “Without you we’d be dead. Making you a bridesmaid is the least I can do.”
Tears streamed down Grandmama’s aged face. “Blood relation or not, you and Evan are my grandbabies, Itty Bitty. Saving you wasn’t an option. It was something I had to do.”
I closed my eyes, fighting back the horrid memories that threatened to surface.
Hope shot… Hope bleeding out.
Thankfully, Grandmama steered the conversation in a different direction, saving me from a meltdown in the middle of the living room. “Speaking of,” she said, looking at Carissa. “Has that little maggot from the hospital, Jimmy O’Shea bothered you anymore, Carissa?”
Gulping, Carissa shook her head. “Nope. Haven’t seen him.”
“Wait,” Shelby interjected. “Are you talking about the college kid who they suspected of raping those girls in Toluca?”
Everyone’s gaze swung to Shelby.
“You know something we don’t, Blondie?” Grandmama asked, her hands back on her hips. “If so, spit it out.”
Shelby’s face darkened. “Well, if that is the same guy you’re referring to then you don’t have to worry about him bothering C anymore because he’s dead.”
The words she spoke hung in the air.
“What?” Carissa asked, surprised. “What do you mean he’s dead?”
Shelby’s eyes widened. “He’s dead. As in, his heart doesn’t beat anymore.”
“How?” I asked.
Shelby stood and slid her hands into the back pockets of her shorts. “Anthony got a call two nights ago. A patrolman radioed in a homicide after finding a dead body in the ditch out by Highway 9.
Oh my God.
When Anthony got there, he found Jimmy. Somebody tortured him before putting a bullet in the back of his head.”
Hope, Ashley, and Heidi each gasped.
I cringed.
“I’m talking stab wounds, burns, multiple lacerations, fractures, missing fingers, broken teeth,” Shelby continued. “Like, he’d really been tortured.”
“Who in the world would do something like that?” Charlotte asked, horrified.
Shelby shrugged. “Anthony says they know who did it. Problem is, they’ll never be able to prove it.”
“Who did it?” Carissa asked, beating me to the question.
Shelby glanced out the patio door before returning her gaze to us. “Have you ever heard of the Fallen Kings? They are a crime syndicate out of Charleston.”
My heart pounded against my ribcage as a memory jumped to the front of my mind.
You lost the chance to explain when you touched this beautiful woman without her permission…
… And well, you know how the Kings feel about that.
“Ari,” I whispered her name aloud without realizing I’d done it.
Holy crap.
She’s part of them… The Kings…
Did she kill Jimmy?
“Clara,” Anthony, of all damn people, barked, startling me. Lost in my head, I hadn’t heard him nor Brantley—who stood beside him—come in the back door.
I froze.
Like, seriously froze.
“Uh,” I replied, unsure of what to say.
Arms crossed over his chest, Anthony tilted his head to the side and shot a scrutinizing look my way. “Did you say Ari?”
Silence.
Pure dang silence.
“As in Arianna Ivanova?”
My eyes flared. “Uh, yeah,” I said, knowing I wouldn’t be able to stay silent forever.
Anthony’s jaw ticked. “How do you know her?”
“I don’t,” I replied honestly. “Not really. I met her once, but that’s all.”
“Keep talking,” Anthony snapped, earning a glare from Brantley.
“Watch it, Moretti,” Brantley said, stepping forward and putting himself between Anthony and I. “Nobody talks to my bella dama like that. Especially not another goddamn man in our house.”
The air filled with tension, making it hard to breathe.
Anthony blew out an audible breath. “Sorry, Clara,” he said. “I didn’t mean to snap at you, sweetheart. Ari is just…” His voice trailed off for a moment. “How di
d you meet her?”
I wrapped my arms around my belly. “She showed up outside my apartment when Dickie, my landlord was giving me a hard time, and she, uh, put a stop to it.”
And I mean, she’d really put a stop it.
Ever since Ari confronted Dickie, he wouldn’t so much as look at me if we crossed paths. He kept his head down, and his eyes glued to the dang floor.
“How did she put a stop to it?” Brantley asked.
“She kicked the crap out of him. I told you this, remember?” I replied. “After she handled Dickie, she told me that if he or anyone else gave me a hard time to drop her name and they’d leave me alone.”
“They would’ve,” Anthony replied, his voice deeper than normal. “Want to know why?”
Did I want to know? Not really.
Anthony told me anyway.
“It’s because she’s a killer, Clara.”
“What?” I squeaked in surprise.
Anthony moved around Brantley, giving me a clear view of him. “Ari may look like she stepped off the cover of a men’s magazine, but she’s one of the top five deadliest people I’ve encountered. And her boyfriend, Capone? He’s in the top three.”
Capone… Crap! I knew that name too.
“Judging by the look on your face, I’m guessing she name dropped Capone in front of you.”
I nodded.
“Who else did she mention?”
“Uh”—I wracked my brain—“Donnie and Nicholas, I think?”
“Nikolai?”
“Yes. Him.”
“What about Casper? She mention him?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Wait a fucking minute,” Brantley interjected. “Is this something we need to worry about? Are these assholes going to come after Clara because of what she saw this Ari chick do?”
“No,” Anthony replied, confidently. “If they were going to come after her, she’d be dead already. Ari alone is more lethal than all of us combined. Add in the rest of the Kings and…” Eyes flashing with an emotion I couldn’t read, his voice trailed off.
“So, what, this Ari girl is part of some hoodlum gang called the Kings?” Grandmama asked, her voice louder than it had been all day.
Anthony shook his head. “Ari isn’t just a part of the Kings. She’s the printsessa. Her father, Arturo is the Pakhan, or boss, while her boyfriend, Capone, is an Avtoritet, or enforcer.”
“Were they the o-ones?” I stuttered, my heart in my throat. “Who killed J-Jimmy?”
Anthony nodded. “Judging by the crown carved into the only patch of skin that remained on his chest, I’d say that’s a fair assumption.”
“Ari did that?”
“No,” Anthony replied. “Torturing a man that way”—he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth—“that’s the Reaper’s calling card.”
“The Reaper?” Carissa asked, paling.
Again, Anthony nodded. “Nikolai is the Reaper.”
Oh Jesus, I thought, feeling my stomach roll.
“Why’d they kill him?” Charlotte asked, her voice shaky.
Anthony’s answer was immediate. “Because he stalked, raped, and beat three women.” Silence. “The Kings are a lot of things—drug runners, thieves, hitmen—but they don’t deal in human trafficking or prostitution. As for Jimmy, I’m guessing Ari got wind of what he’d done and she ordered a hit on him.”
Right or wrong, if Anthony’s theory was true, part of me respected Ari.
Someone should put all rapists down like the diseased dogs they are.
Silence fell over the room.
Until…
“Clara, bella dama, look at me.” My gaze met Brantley’s. “You do not go back to your apartment alone. Understand?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Eyes locked on mine, Brantley closed the space between us, prowling toward me. Upon reaching me he palmed the back of my neck with one hand while resting the other on my hip. Pulling me closer, he dipped his face toward mine. “You go nowhere,” he commanded, “without me.”
Despite the fear and nervousness that rolled in the pit of my belly, Brantley’s protectiveness made my skin tingle. Again, I nodded. “I won’t. Promise.”
Jaw set into a hard line, he tipped his head to the side and pressed a soft kiss to the apple of my cheek.
“Aww,” Hope said. “Look at B being all sweet.”
Hadn’t Shelby said the same thing about Hendrix?
“Looks like we’ll be planning a second wedding before long,” Shelby added. “Or else a baby shower.”
Brantley’s face softened; a smile graced his lips.
“Speaking of getting hitched,” Grandmama said, drawing everyone’s attention. “Now that Clara knows this Ari hoodlum maybe we could get her to handle Mr. Good Looking’s ex-wife.”
Maddie sucked in a breath.
“Grandmama, have you lost your cotton pickin’ mind?” Charlotte asked, before pointing over at Anthony. “You have a homicide detective standing less than ten feet in front of you. I don’t think it’s a good idea to be discussing taking out a hit on somebody when he’s in the same room. Do you?”
“What?” Grandmama sounded offended. After being filled in on everything that Chastity had done in the past in combination with the phone call Brantley received earlier that morning, she was ready to make Chastity’s head roll. “I’m not saying she has to kill her, though you wouldn’t see me cry at her daggum funeral. Maybe she can just scare her.”
“For heaven’s sake—” Maddie started.
“Shelby!” Hendrix hollered, interrupting his wife from the opened patio door where he stood. “Come get Lucca. The little monster just pulled his pants down and peed in the damn pool.”
The tension filling the air evaporated.
Laughter erupted.
“Lucca Moretti,” Shelby hollered as she moved toward the door with Anthony and a giggling Ashley following right behind her. “You know better than to pee in the pool.” She paused. “If you’ve gotta go so dang bad then pee in the bushes. Haven’t I taught you anything?”
I shook my head. “I’m surrounded by crazy people.”
Brantley’s thumb scraped across the corner of my jaw. “Yeah, you are,” he replied. “Better get used to it though, bella dama, because you’re stuck with us.” The smile on his face grew. “Always.”
Brantley
Unease churned in my gut.
Sitting on the sofa, I scrolled through the call log on my phone, followed by every text message I’d received over the last few days. Brows furrowed, I tapped my fingers along the side of my thigh as apprehension set in.
It had been a week since I’d last spoken to Chastity. Since then, I hadn’t received a single call nor text from her. While that should’ve seemed like good news, it wasn’t. It meant that she was lying low. Most likely plotting. Just what she was plotting though, I didn’t have a damn clue.
“Hey, Brantley,” Liam said from across the room, grabbing my attention. “Do you think we could go to a football game this fall?”
Sliding my phone back into my pocket, I gave him my full attention. “What kind of football game? High school or NFL?”
His eyes widened. “You’d take me to an NFL game?”
“Yeah, buddy, I would in a heartbeat.” I replied. “Atlanta and Charlotte are both within driving distance. Panthers or Falcons, your pick.”
“Can we go to whichever one is playing the Broncos? I wanna see if Peyton Manning shows up. I know he doesn’t play anymore, but my teacher said he still goes to the games.”
I nodded. “I’ll make it happen. Though, we’ll have to take Uncle Evan with us. Christ knows he’d throw a tantrum the size of Texas if we left him behind.”
Liam smiled, making my heart clench.
Like his mother, he’d come a long way since he, Declan, and I all talked in the backyard. Like, a hell of a long way.
“You’ll take Dec too, right?”
Again, I nodded. “Wouldn�
�t leave without him.”
“Alright!” Jumping up off the couch, Liam ran for the kitchen where Clara was cooking supper. “Mama, Brantley is taking us to a football game!”
Clara’s entire face lit up. “Can I go?”
Liam froze, scrunching up his nose. “If you want to.”
“Of course I want to. Can’t let you boys have all the fun, now can I?” Smiling, she nodded toward the stairs. “Go upstairs and get your brother and Bella for me, baby. Supper is done.”
Without another word, Liam took off running for the stairs.
Walking into the kitchen, I rounded the island and came to a standstill behind my girl. Wrapping my arms around her, I pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. My lips lingered. “I missed you after you left work, bella dama.”
Exhaling, Clara leaned back against me. “Missed you more. But at least you had Ashley there to keep you company.”
I smiled against her creamy skin. “I did. She told me a joke today. Surprised the hell out of me. Hell, I can’t even remember what it was about but I laughed until I thought I’d puke.” I chuckled. “She’s come a long way.”
“She has. I think she—”
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Clara snapped her mouth shut at the sound of someone pounding their fist against the front door.
“Stay here, Firecracker,” I said, dropping my arms from her waist. “I’ll get—”
“Clara!” Ashley screamed, her voice panicked. “Clara!”
Dropping the wooden spoon she’d been holding to the ground, my girl took off toward the front door. Moving faster than I’d ever seen her before, she made it to the front of the house in record time.
Heart in my throat, I followed right behind her.
Horrible images, ones I tried to block out flashed through my mind.
Did something happen to Anthony while on duty?
Is Lucca hurt?
Is Grandmama okay?
“Clara!” Ashley screamed again as she continued to pound on the door.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
With a quick flick of her wrist, Clara unlocked the front door and pulled it open.