Bay gives me that face that tells me tostart it.An argument, something I’m about to jump her for.
I am pissed she attempted to run De Leon down with my fucking car. The paint job alone is worth more than his life, but I digress. It’s almost poetic, in a sense, that she did that for me.
That she wouldkillfor me.
I know I’m a lot of things to her; we’re practically each other’s lives, but I didn’t imagine she’d pop her girlfriend.
“You alright?” She nods and lifts her chin, waiting for the ball to drop, I’m sure. “You look like shit.”
And I mean she looks exhausted. Ozzy tells me she’s not eating. I can tell she’s lost some weight and it bothers me.
With me beinggone, she needs something else to occupy her time. Something to look forward to.
“And you look like you didn’t dodge enough bullets.” I grumble out a scoff because touché. “Start talking. Tell me why the fuck I was told you were dead, Levi.”
How much time do you have?
Because I don’t have much at all.
“I need to give you the summarized version,” I profess. “Because I don’t have much time, Astor.”
“Why?” she presses. “What’s happening?”
“What Hot Rod and Juice put into place. I didn’t order news of my fake death, nor was I conscious when they passed the information along. I was knocked out because…well, I’m not sure which time.”
“What happened?”
“I…I died twice on that table. I don’t know if they thought I wasn’t going to make it or…I don’t know. Rod and I are on the outs, and Juice won’t speak to me about it because I’m not happy. I’m not thrilled how shit went down. They’re not pleased with my ass either because I was ripping out IVs. I…I had to see you, Astor.”
She reaches for my hand and laces her fingers tightly around mine. “I died every moment, all over again, every day you weren’t with me. I…” Tears well up in her eyes. “How bad is it?”
“Well, I shouldn’t have been out of bed the other day. Had to get restitched. Bullet clipped an artery in my heart. I had a few in the gut, one to the thigh. One missed my liver…I lost a lot of blood, and the medical team wasn’t fully ready when I went down the first time.”
I see her slowly inhale before she says, “Before you…died the first time?”
I nod. “I lost a lot of blood. And I was already crashing before they got me there.” Her brows knit, and I know she’s trying her best to keep it together. “I’m not going to go down byhiscommand. And I wasn’t going to leave you without saying goodbye. I can’t survive without you. I need you to know that. But I also need you to know, I can’t be around. I’m the wild card now. You can’t tell anyone about me.”
She bobs her head. “Okay, but for how long?”
“Until De Leon’s throat is wrapped around my fingers. Then I’ll come back out and play.” She exhales slowly. “And…I need you to come up as Queen of South Shore.”
“No.” The response is mindless from her throat and unsurprising. “No, that’s—that’s not my thing.”
“Well, wouldn’t it look suspicious if no one stepped up to take my place?”
“Have Hot Rod or Juice do it.”
“You’re the rightful heir,” I claim flatly. “You’re Roger’s daughter.”
“Adopted daughter.Kidnappeddaughter?—”
“Bay—”
“Ican’t,” she emphasizes, nervously fidgeting with her fingers. “I wouldn’t know the first thing about it. Besides, I’d be the worst person for the position. Have you seen me lately? I’m a complete wreck. I can’t lead a bunch of guys who don’t show their faces and?—”
“Rod and Juice will be there. And it would help if you had the protection right now, as well as Mae and Ellie.” My eyes steel on her to show her how serious I am. “I need this.”
Bay immediately glowers at me. “How long are we going to use your injuries as a way to get me to do stuff? I’m already over it.”
