My jaw tightens. “That was different.”
“Was it?” she asks gently.
I shake my head once. “He was so good, better than I could ever be. He was smarter than all of us.”
My voice drops. “But fentanyl doesn’t care how smart you are or who your family is, either. It just takes what it takes.”
Delphine doesn’t respond right away. She never does when it comes to him.
“I just remember thinking,” I add, keeping my voice low, “if nobody steps in, it doesn’t matter how powerful our families are. People still lose.”
She studies me. “And you still think that.”
“Apparently, that’s the problem.”
“So, where did things land with Laurent this morning?” she asks.
Delphine is the only one of my friends who can getaway with calling my father by his first name. To everyone else, he’s Mr. Boundreaux.
I sigh. “He told me to fix it. Today.”
“And fixing it means?”
“I call Iggy and meet him again. This time, though, I give him the payment and walk away.” I glance at her. “No thinking, no instincts. Just do what I’m told.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“You know the answer to that.” I shove my hands into my pockets. “It’s easier for now, though. At least on the surface.”
She gives me a look. “Sommelier. Just saying.”
I smile despite myself. That’s a pipe dream, and we both know it. But I guess dreams are good.
A trumpet wails somewhere down the block unapologetically. The city moves around us, alive and messy and loud in a way that comforts me. I love this city.
“I’ll call him,” I say finally. “Get it over with.”
Delphine nods. “Just don’t lose yourself trying to be who he wants.”
We reach the edge of the square, the crowd thickening as the day stretches forward. I pull her into a quick hug before stepping back.
“Text me when you’re done,” she says. “Or if you need backup.”
I laugh at the thought. Delphine as backup. “I will.”
As I head toward the street, the music and chatter fade behind me. The envelope sits heavy in my bag, a simple task waiting to be completed.
I tell myself it’s just a delivery.
But the tightness in my chest says otherwise.
I find a bench at the edge of the park and pull out my phone to text Iggy.
Meet me at the cemetery.
Within seconds, my phone vibrates with his response.
I’ve been waiting for your call. I can be there in 15.
