by Eden Summers
“Why didn’t she come to get me?” Stella asks.
“We weren’t sure…” Benji grunts, the sound born from pain.
Nissa shoots me a glance, frowning in question as the hair on the back of my nape rises.
“She’s waiting in the hotel.” Benji’s words are forced. Labored. “You’ll see her soon.”
I peer at him over my shoulder, his eyes opening to meet mine. Even in the dim light, the grip of agony lancing his features is clear. “What happened to you?”
“It’s a scratch.” He winces. “I’ll be fine.”
“Are you hurt?” Stella raises her frantic gaze to her father, sitting up straight. “Daddy, you’re wet.” She pulls her arm away from his waist to inspect her sleeve. “Uncle Cole…” The terror in her voice cuts through me. “He’s bleeding.”
“What’s going on?” Nissa glances from me to the road and back again.
“Slow down.” I reach for the roof, flicking on the interior light, then hold in a curse.
A sheen of liquid is cast over the lower left side of his suit jacket, the shirt beneath drenched in blood, his face now a sickening shade of grey.
“Pull over.” I release my belt as the car brakes. I’m shoving open my door and jumping out before we come to a stop. I skirt the hood, anger and dread thrumming through me.
Anissa is right behind me, cutting the engine to climb out, the beam of Hunt’s approaching headlights blinding me as I pull open Benji’s door.
“I’m okay,” he rasps. “You need to get Stella back to her mother.”
My niece sobs, her hands covered in dark crimson as she clutches her father’s fingers. “What’s happening?” she pleads. “Is he dying?”
“He’ll be fine.” I flick back Benji’s jacket and raise the sodden material of his shirt, exposing something far more sinister than a scratch.
He’s got two fucking bullet wounds to the abdomen, the holes purging blood.
Nissa draws in a breath behind me. “He needs a hospital.”
It’s too late for that.
We’re in the middle of nowhere. We’d never make it in time, and the condemned look in Benji’s eyes says he knows it.
“Cole.” Nissa grabs my arm. “You need to get back in the car.”
“No.” Benji winces and leans down to kiss Stella’s forehead. “This is payment for my mistakes. Please just let me be with my daughter.”
Jesus. Fuck. Bile stirs in my gut as my pulse thunders. The trauma only increases when Hunt’s car pulls up beside us, the windows lowered.
Benji was always meant to pay for his mistakes with his life. But not like this. Not in front of his daughter. Not in a way that would devastate my niece beyond repair.
Hell, I might’ve even weakened and let him run, as long as he ghosted for the rest of his snake-ish existence. He could’ve started a new life far away from here. Now that option has been taken away from us all.
“What’s going on?” Luca asks from the back seat.
I meet his gaze, relaying the seriousness of the situation without saying a word.
He frowns, scrambling to unclasp his belt, then flings open his door. Hunt and Sarah follow.
“Uncle Cole, do something,” Stella pleads. “Help him.”
Her agony pierces me deep, destroying the hardened parts of me as Luca bumps Anissa out of the way to reach my side.
“There’s nothing to be done.” Benji cups Stella’s face in shaky hands, her wide eyes filled with despair as her father strokes her cheeks with his thumbs. “You’re going to be okay. I promise. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll always be with you.”
“No,” she sobs. “You’re hurt. You need help.”
“I love you, baby girl.”
“No, Daddy. Please.” Her voice trembles. “Tell Uncle Cole to take you to the hospital.”
Luca freezes beside me, staring down at his brother, taking a split second of contemplation before he shucks his jacket in a rush and lunges into the car. “We need to stem the bleeding.” He grabs Stella’s hands. “Hold this, sweetheart. Push as hard as you can.”
She wails, the tears beginning to fall as Luca glances over his shoulder at me. “Get back in the car. We need to leave. Now.”
I don’t move. Don’t answer.
Nothing I say will help the information sink in until he’s ready to understand it.
“Did you hear me?” He straightens and swings around to face me. “Get in the fucking car, Torian.”
I remain in place, hating his suffering, but unwilling to humor his attempts to save an unsalvageable life.
Hunt comes up behind him, placing strong hands on his shoulders. “You know he’s not going to make it back to the city, bro.”
“Don’t fucking give up on him.” Luca glares at me in accusation. “Get in the fucking car.”
I step back, lowering my voice so Stella can’t hear. “You have a decision to make—fight the inevitable and tarnish his final moments, or leave him in peace to be with his daughter.”
“No.” His face crumples as he violently swings his shoulders, dislodging Hunt’s hold. “Get the fuck off me.”
“Luca, please.” Sarah inches toward him, her hands held up in surrender, her eyes glistening with building tears. “I know you’re hurting. But Stella needs you to be strong. They both do.”
“No.” He makes toward the car again and Hunt grabs him, hauling him backward, battling the thrashing and jerking. “No.”
“Stop fighting it.” Benji croaks from inside the Escalade. “I need you to be strong.”
Luca slumps. Surrenders. Stumbles, almost falling to his knees.
I clench my jaw as he suffers before me, the grief already stealing his breath.
“I’ll get Tobias out of the car,” Anissa whispers. “He shouldn’t be left in there.”
She hustles to the other side of the vehicle to help my brother out, then guides him across the road, leading him into the solitude of darkness, murmuring words of comfort.
I love her more than I ever have in this moment.
Her level head. Her compassion.
“I can’t just stand here.” Luca shoves his fingers into his hair, choking on breath. “What the fuck do I do?”
“Give them space.” Hunt walks him toward Anissa and Tobias. “It’s out of our hands now.”
“I’ll stay with Stella.” Sarah creeps closer to the open door, inching herself inside to offer comfort.
I don’t feel my feet as I follow Luca’s reluctant steps. I don’t feel anything.
I’m numb to the world. Hollowed by this vicious poetic justice. But the crunch of my shoes against the asphalt isn’t enough to drown out Benji’s voice.
“Tell your momma I love her, okay?”
“No,” Stella pleads. “Daddy, no.”
Giving her these moments alone with him might be a mistake. The trauma could be too deep to surface from. But I can’t strip her of these last memories.
I would’ve killed to be by my mother’s side when she died. To make the promise that her legacy would live on. To hold her one last time.
“Daddy?” My niece’s cry cuts through the night, her pain scarring me as Luca forges back toward the car.
“Nothing can be done.” Hunt grabs him. “Let him go.”
“No.” Luca reignites his fight, striking a punch to Hunt’s ribs, scrambling to break free. “No.” His demands turn into guttural pleas. “Don’t you fucking die on me, brother.”
“I love you, baby girl.” There’s no strength left in Benji’s quiet voice. No life. “Never forget how special you are.”
Anissa comes to my side, Tobias peering up at me with anguish.
The silence that follows is deafening.
The five of us stand at the edge of the road, the grim reaper at our backs, the ghosts of our sins fast approaching.
Sarah’s cries drift softly from the car. Luca’s breathing becomes harder. I reach for Nissa, dragging her against me, Tobias following along with h
er to stand at my feet, his head resting into my stomach.
I squeeze his arm, not giving a shit about the pain in my palm or my blood staining his clothes. “I’ve got you.”
My promise is all I have to give.
I can’t fix this mess. I can’t stop the misery.
All I can do is vow retribution and make sure the punishment goes above and beyond the crime.
“No,” Stella’s wail carries through the night. “No, Daddy, please don’t go.”
33
Anissa
The funeral was low-key. Close family. No outsiders.
Stella cried rivers, the wetness on her cheeks dripping down to leave damp patches at the top of her floral dress while Layla remained quiet at her side, her face an emotionless mask.
Luca took a different approach. His anger shrouded the room, his glare baring down on the coffin as it lowered into the ground. With every breath, he silently promised vengeance and all of us agree that time will come. Maybe not in the coming days. But eventually. Once we’ve pulled ourselves together.
None of us have been the same since Sacramento.
Not Hunt and Decker, who were left in charge of driving Benji’s body home and paying off medical officials to hide his cause of death. Not Layla, who blames herself for what happened to her husband. Not Stella, who is plagued by ongoing nightmares. Or Cole, who acts as if he’s immune to their suffering even when I know it’s killing him to remain emotionless.
Not even me, because I can’t ditch the rage that’s made its home under my skin. It keeps me up at night, the anger making me toss and turn until Cole wraps his arms around me, his proximity the only thing capable of lulling me to sleep.
“How’s he holding up?” Hunter comes to stand beside me in the kitchen, mimicking my position leaned against the counter, his focus straight ahead on Cole and the others in the living room. “Does he need anything?”
“He’s doing okay.” I shrug. “I think everyone is dealing the best they can.”
“Yeah.” He pauses a moment before turning to me. “I’m going to have to deal some more bad news, though.”
I stiffen and tilt my head to look at him. “What is it?”
“I’m getting Sarah out of here for a while.” He meets my gaze with indifference. There’s still no love lost between us, but since returning to Portland, the animosity has taken a back seat. “We’re eloping. With all the shit that’s gone down, she needs something good in her life. It’s time to make her mine.”
“That’s far from bad news.”
“Maybe.” He shrugs. “I know Torian needs me here. But she needs me more.”
“I don’t think you have to worry. Cole would appreciate what you’re doing. You should tell him.”
His brows pull tight. “Nah. I’ll leave that to you. You’ll know when the timing is right better than I will.”
My brow quirks before I can stop it. He wants me to do something for him… because I’d be a better option?
“Don’t look at me like that. We won’t be gone long. A week. Or two. If that’s suitable.”
“You’re asking me?” I fight not to give him a side-eye of disbelief. Who the hell is this man and what did he do with the dumpster fire of a thug I previously knew?
“Yeah.” His frown deepens. “Is that a problem?”
“No. I think you should take all the time you need.” I swallow over the awkward lump in my throat. “I’ll let him know. When do you plan on leaving?”
“Now. I’m not going to say goodbye. But I want you to make sure you don’t make a move on Costa until I get back.”
“I can’t promise that. Cole deserves closure, and I won’t stand in his way.”
He scoffs, a saccharine grin quirking the corner of his lips. “Look at you being a heartless bitch all in the name of revenge.”
“And look at you, giving up the opportunity for vengeance because you’re pussy whipped.”
He snickers, sly and half-hearted. “Touché.” He walks from the kitchen, giving a subtle jerk of his head to Sarah who strides forward to take his hand.
They disappear down the hall, nobody else noticing their departure as the murmured conversations continue around the room. Cole chats with Decker and Keira. Luca and Penny snuggle on the opposite sofa. Tobias and Stella play a subdued board game on the dining table, while Layla stands at the glass doors, alone, blankly staring into the backyard.
I want to go to her, offering my millionth condolence. Instead, I stack dirty plates in the dishwasher and busy myself wiping the counter.
I’m not a part of the inner circle yet and I get it. No matter how many promises Cole makes or the devoted level of his attention, the others aren’t used to having me here.
It’s going to take time to build on the smidge of trust I’ve earned.
“Anissa?” Penny walks into the kitchen, her hands clasped in front of her.
“Hey.” I smile. “How are you?”
“Good.” She sucks in a fortifying breath and lowers her voice. “I realize this is a day of mourning and I’m truly hurting for Luca’s loss, but I didn’t know Benji so the devastation is kept at a distance, if that makes sense.”
“I understand.”
Her eyes drift to her partner still on the sofa, the adoration in her expression clear. “My life is incredibly different now. I’m starting to finally find my feet. He’s such a good man. Even with everything he’s going through, he always puts me first.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
She nods. “I knew you would be. That’s why I wanted to thank you for all you’ve done. Both in Greece and back here in Portland. You changed my life, and I’ll be forever grateful.”
My heart pangs at her sincerity. “You don’t need to thank me.”
“Yes, I do.” She unclasps her hands to place a palm over her heart. “I’m so unbelievably grateful for every morning that I wake up with Luca. He’s…” She releases a heavy breath. “He’s my happiness. He’s everything. And I never would’ve met him if all our paths didn’t converge.”
My eyes tingle. “You need to stop before you make me cry.”
She laughs. “I wouldn’t want that. Not in a room full of these guys. I know you need to stay tough, and I’ve definitely got your back.”
I keep the humor in my voice despite the reminder of the potential snake pit I now live in. “You make it sound like I shouldn’t walk around without a bodyguard.”
“No, not at all. I don’t think anyone would be stupid enough to even risk offending you with the level of devotion Cole has shown toward his queen.” She snickers. “But in all honesty, Sarah and I think incredibly highly of you. Apparently, Hunter does, too.”
“Hunter?” I scoff.
“No, seriously, he does. Sarah said he spent most of the drive home from Sacramento berating my brother on how he now needs to treat you with respect. He instigated some sort of no tolerance policy on giving you a hard time.”
Hunter wouldn’t have instigated it. Those directives would’ve come from Cole. But I appreciate knowing the big, bad wolf is willing to throw his weight around for me.
“I bet Decker didn’t take the news kindly.” I act blasé, pretending I’m not impatiently waiting for a response. “I did some pretty shitty things to him when we first met.”
“Don’t worry. I heard that, too. But you did them because you were trying to take down Luther, which, in my book, gave you grounds to do absolutely anything in the name of success.” She shrugs. “Sebastian will come around soon enough. I’m sure, deep down, he appreciates what you did.”
“Deep, deep, deep down.” Maybe buried under layer upon hardened layer of macho aggression and thick hostility.
She smiles again. “You’re meant to be here. Just like I am. Despite how different this is from the future we envisaged for ourselves.”
I don’t voice my agreement. I keep my thoughts to myself in the hopes of preventing the tightening in my throat from exposing how emotional I a
m about being here.
It feels right to spend time under Cole’s roof. In his bed. Held in his arms.
Even with their world hitting rock bottom and the depth of misery suffocating us, this place has become my new home.
Each day I learn more and more about the way Cole lives. His agenda. His thought process. And for every one of those days, my understanding of him grows.
I’ve been exposed to the corruption that I’ve always been blind to. I’m discovering the false reality I once existed in, which makes the way these people live not only justifiable but logical.
“You soften his ragged edges.” Penny inches forward, grasping my wrist for a light squeeze. “He’s a harsh man, but so uniquely honest and clear-cut that it’s hard not to appreciate him. I’m glad the two of you found each other.”
My eyes burn hotter, the heat filtering to my cheeks. “Thank you.”
“Hey.” Cole’s shout steals my attention, his pointed frown fixing on me. “What are you two talking about that’s made you upset?”
“Oh, boy,” Penny mutters under her breath. “Please don’t let him kill me.”
I chuckle and sniff back the emotion tingling in my nose. “We’re just chatting.”
“Well, come chat over here. No woman of mine is going to look unsettled unless I’m the one unsettling her.” He pats his lap with a wink.
I roll my eyes, my heart fluttering as I walk toward him. Then I tingle with warmth as he grabs my arm and drags me to sit on his thighs.
“You okay?” he murmurs against my neck, his delicate lips in contrast to the possessive hand on my hip. “Need me to destroy someone for bothering you?”
I glide my fingers over his, entwining our hands. “You’re not funny.”
“Sure I am.” He kisses my nape, increasing the flutters and tingles. “Decker just admitted I’m hilarious.”
“What’s that?” Decker interrupts. “Are you talking about me?”
“Yes.” His hold tightens on my hip. “I was just about to tell Nis how we were discussing leaving the past in the past.”
Decker’s eyes harden. The tight set of his jaw does, too.
It’s now obvious what past they’re referring to—my history with Decker. Specifically the sex and manipulation to make him my informant.