“We’re getting closer, Bella,” he said, the laughter fading. “Closer to an actual future. I can almost taste it.”
There was still the issue of Wilson being out there, but Angelo was right, we were much closer.
A few hours later there was a knock on the door, and I woke the dozing Billie. “The doctor is here,” I whispered as she blinked and rubbed her eyes.
“Did you sleep?” she asked me.
I hadn’t taken my eyes off her, just like a fucking creeper.
“Got a little,” I lied.
Angelo stood when I did, palming his gun, and both of us moved toward the door. “Do you trust this person?” he whispered to me.
I gritted my teeth. “As much as you can trust anyone in our world. More so, it’s that she owes me a big favor, and she’ll want this debt paid. That’s why she got here so quickly.” Leah Haliver would have taken a damn helicopter to get here and settle old debts. I wanted it gone too, if I was being honest. It was lucky that I still had this outstanding favor, in all honesty, since my usual contact for all things medical, Morgana, was out of the country.
Checking the peephole first, I saw a familiar olive-skinned face, dark hair pulled back into a severe bun, and a neutral expression. I took a second longer to ensure there were no other threats present before I opened the door. My gun remained in hand, but she didn’t even blink, just strode inside, pushing her sunglasses up on her head.
“Bed?” she said in lieu of a greeting.
Leah Haliver was a child prodigy, having finished high school at the age of fourteen, before going on to start medical school at sixteen. By the time she was thirty, she’d paid off all her medical debt and other family debt by patching up my family whenever they got hurt—not only paid it all off but was now rich and coveted by all underworld groups.
Turned out she enjoyed the cartel life and now stayed full time with whatever group could pay the most. She’d moved to this side of the world a couple of years ago, and I’d saved her life in a shootout, to which I’d been given a favor to cash in one time.
There was no greater reason than Billie.
“She fell down a flight of stairs and hit her head,” I said as we walked. “She has injuries to her ribs, the back of her head, and possibly some muscle tearing in her calf.” She’d winced when I assessed there earlier.
“Does she want you guys to leave while I check her over?” Leah asked.
We were close enough for Billie to hear. “Not a chance,” she said.
Leah nodded, taking it all in her stride. Over the next twenty minutes, she thoroughly examined Billie, before declaring that everything was minor or superficial. When she was done washing her hands and packing up, I walked her to her car, leaving Angelo to watch over Billie.
“I’m surprised you would cash in such a major favor for such a minor injury,” Leah said in her blunt way. “Is there another reason?”
She dropped her medical bag in the backseat, and I waited until she was facing me to answer. “My life lies on that bed in there,” I said simply. “Any injury to her is major.”
Leah’s hard features softened just a fraction as she nodded, those piercing blue eyes of hers delving deep inside me, as her too-smart-for-comfort brain saw a bunch of shit I’d rather she didn’t know. But I trusted that it would, for the most part, stay with her.
“I also want any final ties to my old life done,” I continued. “I don’t want the family coming after me or interfering in my life any longer. You can assure them the debt is wiped, and I am out of the system for good.”
This time she did smile. “The Kahulu Cartel is heading back to Hawaii,” she said simply. “They’ve decided it’s too hot here now with the IRS investigations and new players taking over the Siena mafia scene without due process. It seems that their plan to diversify into the Midwest is going to be put on hold for a long time. They’re not going to bother you, Maker. You’re the least of their concerns.”
She opened her door and got in. I didn’t thank her, because she’d be offended. This was not a favor. We’d also probably never see each other again, and I was more than okay with that.
Her information turned out to be way more valuable than any debt she’d owed me, and I realized that one more piece of our puzzle was dealt with.
Which just left one to go.
Wilson.
thirty-six
BILLIE
Giovanni was dead. His hierarchy had been dismantled, and the Siena mafia was scrambling. There was no time to take a breath and assess the situation; Angelo and Vee needed to act quickly to secure their leadership before any lower-ranking members acted on their delusions of grandeur.
Much to all our reluctance, Angelo had to leave us and return to Siena before the news broke of his father’s happy accident. Grayson insisted that I sleep the rest of the night, but by morning, we were faced with a decision. Rhett couldn’t leave Townsend. Not yet, anyway. Not until he’d worked out a plan for the whole cursed community to rehabilitate and de-program their cult brains, all the while ensuring someone as evil as Jeremiah didn’t take over.
