“I’ll stand,” Levi replies but jerks his head. “But I’m sure you need to rest.”
Lorenzo scoffs off a chuckle. “You have no idea. Getting shot isn’t what it used to be.”
Avena frowns, but Lorenzo turns his attention to Ellie and Mae with a friendly smile. “It’s good to see you girls again. I had the cook make up those cranberry bars you liked and some chicken pasta. The one with the spicy—” Mae takes off like a bat out of hell out of the room, clearly remembering where the kitchen is.
Meanwhile, Lorenzo glances over at me with a shrug. “I was going to say if it was okay after that sentence.”
“It’s fine,” I deadpan, looking over to Ellie. “Go ahead, babe.”
“I’ll go with you,” Luisa chimes in, wrapping her arm around my sister’s shoulders. “I have some new makeup and clothes I wanna show you when we’re done.”
I watch them saunter out, muttering amongst themselves as I begin to feel overwhelmed.
This is everything I wanted my sisters to have.
Comfort, a safety net, and people who wanted to do things for them. Something to fall back on just to have.
“Can I get you a drink, Bay?” Carina asks me with her sweet, idealist hostess voice. “I make a mean sweet and sour.”
Be nice. Be nice. Be nice.
“Thanks,” I grind out as equally sweet as I can. “I’d love one.”
She smiles at me—of course she does—and waltzes away. Meanwhile, I’m caught between wanting to get the hell out of here and being a responsible adult with getting all this Titan shit over with so my sisters are safe.
“I gathered you all today for our next steps,” Lorenzo announces to the room, slowly sitting in a chair Avena grabs for him. It’s stiff, so he can get out of it easier, and he strums his fingers along the top of his cane. A temporary one, I hope. “Wallace, since you’re dead to the world, I’d like to keep it that way.”
“Was already the plan,” Levi replies. “However, I fail to see why I’m here in the first place and possibly being seen.”
“Ramsey and Bay with that Titan seat,” he deadpans, not bothering to look at me but continuing to keep his gaze on Levi.
“It’s not going to happen.”
“It will if he scoops up six of your men. We both know you only need twelve witnesses. It doesn’t have to be a grand affair like it was for Cairo.” I search for him, noticing he’s still not here. He set up this meeting, and he hasn’t shown up. “He’s going to kill her, and we both know it.”
Geezus.
My face skews with the lack of confidence Lorenzo Black just bestowed on me, but I don’t come back with anything.
It’s pointless to argue with a Black.
“And you’d suggest what?” Levi presses evenly. “She stays here with you?”
“It’d be ideal. But we both know that’s never going to happen.”
“Not when I don’t have full access to her at all times.”
Lorenzo nods. “You’re more than welcome to sneak in here whenever you wish.”
“Not without being seen,” Levi replies. “Or do your men suck that bad?”
“Come find out and see.” He fixes my best friend with a solemn look, expressing he’s not thrilled at the clapback, but doesn’t engage in any more than that. “Penn Northcott has been silent since Emilio’s death which worries me. I haven’t been able to get through to him, and that’s not normal.”
Levi shrugs. “He in lockdown?”
“I don’t know. No one will tell me shit-all and that’s not normal either. The guards I’ve dealt with aren’t available, and it seems like someone is blocking my access to him.”
“Ramsey,” Torin chimes in, still sitting with Reeve by the fireplace. “He’s trying to kill him.”
