“Officer Jackson had Loretta arrested for going to Nashville overnight without permission. Which was a parole violation,” he finally tells me, his green eyes going dead.
“What the hell? Get the lawyers on it,” I bite out, making a note to call the chief and find out what the hell is going on with this Officer Jackson fucker.
“He fucking is. What I don’t understand is how he was able to get away with this. There should be safeguards in place,” he snaps, glaring at me.
“There are safeguards for the family. Vito, at this point, she isn’t part of the family. We need to take the steps to make sure this doesn’t happen again, and she is seen as part of the family going forward.” I try to calm the man vibrating with so much anger he could and would spill blood.
“Goddamn it, I’ve fucked this up,” he mumbles, wiping a hand down his face.
“You can and will fix it,” I tell him because I know he will. “Now that we’ve talked about that, what happened with the Reeves?”
I try to steer the conversation to business, hoping that will cool him down—only to find out that no, it is worse than I thought it could’ve been.
“If Kingston is a smart man, he would do well to turn that brother of his into fertilizer,” Vito states flatly.
Leaning back in my chair, I place my ankle on my knee. “Vito, if you had it your way, ninety-eight percent of the world’s population would be fertilizer.”
“You are not wrong about that. This asshole, though, is one like no other.” Vito relaxes back into the couch. “I can tell you without a doubt that Kingston has cleaned up his messes, and if something isn’t done about him, he will hurt people.”
My mind races with every word he says. I know Tinsley is running from something. Could she be hiding instead of running? The nightmare from nearly two weeks ago comes to the forefront of my mind. The way she shook in her sleep, whimpering and even crying. A need to protect her burns in my chest, and I have to fight the need to go find her. To put my eyes on her to reassure myself that she is okay. I fight the urge with every ounce of training and mind over matter.
“We might need to do a little more digging into the Reeves family,” I state, rubbing my chin. “Were you and Kingston able to finalize a plan?”
“Of course we did. I would not leave without making sure those assholes are doing exactly what we want and need them to do. After some negotiations and a few reminders that we weren’t afraid to ruin everything, Kingston remembered he’s only the boss of his little part of the world.” Vito shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“Never doubted you would get it done. I’m glad it was all verbal negotiations, and it didn’t escalate any further.” I nod, because I knew he’d get the job done and make sure that we—the Kardoni family—come out on top.
Vito gives me a sinister grin. “That fuckhead of a brother was there, so to say it stayed strictly verbal is an overexaggeration. What matters is we came to an agreement, and no one died.”
I can’t do anything but shake my head at the man. “As long as the deal got done, that is all that matters to me.”
“If you have nothing else.” He stands. “I’ve got some fuckers to deal with and a shipment to prepare before the end of the day.”
“I’ve got nothing as of now.” I wave him off, lost in thought and needing some answers.
Vito leaves my office, closing the door behind him as he goes. I sit there finishing my drink, allowing everything I know about the Reeves family to play through my mind. My father and Kingston’s were friendly and had some lucrative deals and agreements that kept everyone happy. That is, until the Reeves family finally got their princess and then closed ranks. Since then, they’re very selective about who gets close and what people know. This got worse after the death of Kingston and Tinsley’s parents. The family closed off so completely that it was rumored for many years that Tinsley had died with them.
A thought hits me, and for the first time I wonder if I’ve been blinded by a pretty face. I pull my phone from my pocket, calling Bryce so he can start digging further into Tinsley and her family. Something in all of this isn’t adding up. The sound of a crash onto the floor has me on my feet and moving before my brain has completely thought it through.
I hit the hallway rushing towards the backyard where I saw Grandpa and Tinsley last. I make it through the back door onto the patio, and look around wildly for them. When I don't see them right away, I turn to go back inside, then Tinsley's stressed but calming voice calls from the front.
“It’s okay, Silas. Truly, do not worry,” she’s saying.
Rushing back through the house, I throw the front door open to find Grandpa sitting on the front porch looking around wildly and Tinsley sitting on the ground surrounded by glass and blood. I take the steps two at a time down to her. She looks up at me with shock written all over her face.
“Andre, what are you doing?” she gasps as I bend and then pick her up.
Turning, I walk up the steps to set her down beside Grandpa so I can inspect her injuries. “Are you hurting anywhere?”
“A few scrapes and bruises, it appears right this second. You need to check on Silas. I tried to keep him from taking too much of a fall, but my hands were full of our drinks,” she whispers, trying to shake me off and move to check on Grandpa.
“Would you sit still until the doctor gets here to make sure there isn’t more going on?” I growl, frustrated at her lack of self-awareness.
Tinsley turns back, glaring at me. “I am fine. You pay me to take care of your grandfather, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I am a nurse and have done a self-check and can tell you that …” She trails off gasping in pain, clutching her stomach as she turns white.
My heart stutters in my chest as I reach to catch her from falling over. “Tinsley, Tesoro, what is it? What can I do?”
She looks up at me, tears streaming down her face. “This can’t be happening. Why do I always lose the people closest to me?”
