“Wren got most of it back.”
“Yeah. Two thirds. I heard. Still a gap, though. So, fall in line.”
I stare at the man I call my friend. “You saying I shouldfall in linebecause I’m treasurer? Because that cash was lost on my watch?”
“Fuck you.” Wraith purses his lips. “Not sure what’s crawled up your ass that you seem to want to deliberately misunderstand everything I’m saying. So let me try and sum it up for you. The only job we have is to keep Wren safe. And the most effective way to do that is to keep them in one fucking place. Keeping them safe is our reputation. That we can do that for our national president. And if you just find the usual mellow man you are inside somewhere, you’ll know that this is a big fucking deal for Grudge, given it’s his first real job from national. He isn’t gonna want to let King down. Second, we have money still missing, so the fifty-grand-a-month payment to look out for Wren will fill a really significant void. Hell, we could even end up cash positive. So, it’s best for everyone that we continue to get that money for as long as we can and do nothing that makes King think Wren would be safer anywhere else. Am I making fucking sense now?”
That was a really long spiel for the man who usually uses weapons to punctuate his sentences.
And if I pause for a second and think about what he’s saying, I get it. “Understood. But Wren’s got anxiety or panic attacks or something. They can’t cope being shut up inside like that. That has to count for fucking something.”
Wraith lifts off the wall and turns to face me. “Wren should just be lucky we’re keeping them alive. And that’s where your job ends. Right?”
I don’t say anything.
Wraith grabs my shoulder. “Right?”
I shake his hand off me. It should be an easy question to answer. I’m usually happy to toe the line.
“You remember when Raven moved into the apartment above the hardware store?”
Wraith tugs a hand through his hair. “You better have a good reason for bringing my old lady into it.”
“You looked out for her, long before the two of you hooked up. Something inside you just told you it was the right thing to do. You couldn’t bear to see her and her kid living in that shithole of an apartment. You put on new locks to keep ‘em safe. And when she was sick, you went out and got them food.”
Wraith smiles as if remembering good times. “Yeah. I did. But if I’m honest with myself, it’s because I had feelings for her before I ever admitted it. I spent most of that time hating myself for falling for her, even while I did all those things anyway.”
Maybe that’s what’s happening to me.
Maybe I’m not being honest enough with myself.
“Is that what’s happening?” Wraith asks. There’s a hint of surprise in his tone. “Because that can’t happen here. There’s a hands-off clause.”
Something stops me from answering truthfully. I shake my head, denying the fragile feelings that are forming. “It’s a human-goodness thing. When you needed furniture for Raven, I helped load ‘em up. When she needed protection, I had her back. When we needed to make sure all this happened unseen while letting Fen recover from the emotional wounds of his father, we did it. We managed to find a way to give them a life while they recovered but were protected. I’m gonna fight for Wren’s right to have the same.”
“Is this becoming personal for you?” Wraith asks.
I shake my head again but then sigh. “Don’t ask me that.”
“Then keep your fucking head, or I’ll be moving Wren in with Jackal and Shade.”
I grab the edges of Wraith’s cut and shove him back against the wall. “You fucking won’t.”
I have no idea where Atom comes from, but one minute I’m staring down my vice president, and the next, my best friend has me hauled back against the wall.
“You, go,” Atom says to Wraith while his forearm pins me by the neck.
“Remember what I said,” Wraith says, straightening his collar, before heading down the hall.
“Easy, brother,” Atom says, releasing me. “Punching the vice president is a real bad idea. Might be the worst idea you had today, which is saying a lot.”
I let my shoulders and head drop. “In my defense, he was a dick.”
“You worried about Wren?” he asks.
“Honestly, I don’t have the energy to go through all that again.” I tip my head in the direction of the hallway Wraith just disappeared down.
“Then give me the summary.”
