“I’m yours,” I correct, brushing my mouth to the hinge of her jaw.Claiming her here feels right; the cost tags along anyway.I can keep blood off her hands.I don’t know if I can keep it out of her eyes.I will carry the weight of the most terrible things that live in this world out of her sight; but I doubt I can keep it out of our life.The moment will come when the knife is in my grip, and she either leans closer or leans away.If she ever watches what I do to men who deserve it, she may never forgive the part of me that likes how quiet they get.
And if we’re counting sins, mine scale different.Maybe she sees the dead.Maybe she doesn’t.Maybe she’s lying.If she is, why?To own a piece of me I’d already given?If she isn’t lying, then she handed me something precious, and I split it open.Either way, my worst day will always be heavier than her worst lie.So I make a quiet choice with my hand under her dress and a room full of men watching me not blink.If she ends me one day, then she ends me.I’ll take the risk, because lying or not she’s my creed.I carry the blade, and she’s the only thing sharp enough to slide between my ribs.
The Accord fills the room in shades of morally gray menace.Dominic, Vex, and Havoc take their seats first.Marco next.The door sounds again and Kostya, Nikola, and Dmitry come in on cold wind.Adrian’s cane clicks as he finds his seat.Caleb doesn’t sit until he does.Mavik paces the perimeter with a tablet.
“Who’s losing to whom?”Atlas asks, walking in last.
“Vex is donating,” I say.
Vex salutes with a chip.“It’s tax-deductible.”
We run through hands fast.I let Dominic drag me once, then take two clean off Nikola, who only plays because Kostya raised him to respect the ritual.
Cards slap and chips sing.I stack mine in odd heights.Three.Five.Seven.Nine.Because she’s watching.
“Focus,” Nikola says, grinning.
“I am,” I answer, and cut the deck.
Three more hands in, Adrian tips his chin.“We’ve got a lurker,” he says to the air, not to anyone in particular.
“Not inside,” Mavik replies from nowhere.“Outside ping.Camera four.”
Caleb has the feed on his phone before anyone asks.He angles it so Lindy sees what I see.A van idling two blocks off, doors shut.I drum my knuckles on the felt.Three, Five, Seven.Lindy’s breathing shifts to match.“We stay inside,” I tell the table.“This stays a game.”Then, to Mavik, “Park a drone.”
“It’s up,” he says.Of course it is.
Leven clears his throat, and the room lowers a notch.“Business,” he says.
Nikola slides a single chip to center.“International leg moved a shipment through Canada yesterday.”
“Where do they go next?”Kostya asks.
“Private landing strip from what we can tell,” Marco replies.“All over once they get on that plane.”
“We get someone on the goddamn plane then,” Leven says.“I’m tired of finding them too late.”
“I’ll go Uncle,” Atlas says and then looks at Adrian and Marco.“Gimme times.”
“You still chasing that kid?”Dominic asks.
“Her and all the others,” Atlas says.“If I find her, great, but even if I don’t there’s always more.”
Lindy’s hand finds my thigh and squeezes.“Don’t worry, darling,” I tell her without looking away from the table.“I’m always the scariest man in the room.”
Evie materializes, and the shit-grin on her face has me second guessing bringing Lindy here.Evie is pure sin in lipstick, the craziest of us all.There’s absolutely no fear in her.Evie never just enters a room; she detonates it.If you don’t look, she throws something shiny until you’re forced to.
Leven’s already up.“Evie,” he hugs her, keeping his palm on her shoulder.“What are you doing here, sweetheart?”
“I’m not staying, Dad,” she says, ducking out of his hold.“I’m just delivering.”She slips a manila envelope into Leven’s coat, then flicks a flash drive to Caleb.He snags it midair and hands it to Adrian.
“What is it,” Adrian asks, plugging it into his tablet.
“An idiot who thought a burner and a dumb fake mustache could beat me,” Evie laughs.“Can you believe that?Anyway, it’s shipping crate numbers.”
“It couldn’t wait?”Leven asks.
“Check the ones I highlighted.I wouldn’t be here if it could wait.I think they’re storing kids in those.There’s no air in a fucking shipping container, Dad.”
