My father’s enemies won’t share my sentiment. If they realize Hailey’s involved, she’ll become the target of every shady fucker Rhett ever dealt with.
The only people I can count on are in this room. We’re all friends here, not a bunch of criminals in a hierarchy; we’re a close-knit group where trust matters more than who ranks where.
My place as the right hand didn’t come until four years ago when my predecessor, Spades, bowed out after becoming a father. It’s unusual for made men to wavebye bye, but Dante made an exception for Spades. He let him off duty and helped him relocate to sunny Greece.
I earned my spot not just because Dante trusts me with his life, but also because I’m one of three people he trusts with his wife’s life. I took three bullets for Layla five years ago, shielding her with my body when a street gang raidedDelta, thinking taking out the queen would force the king to abdicate.
Layla was downstairs, dancing, when the shooting started. Without thinking, I jumped over the balcony railing, barelykeeping my legs from breaking on impact. I pulled her behind me when her bodyguards dropped dead.
It took Dante less than ten seconds to reach us. Ten seconds during which I killed four and took three bullets.
Hailey traced her fingers over the scars—the first person I let do that—I doubt she realized they were bullet wounds or she probably wouldn’t let me touch her.
“Talk to me, Carter,” Dante says, breaking through the cluster of my thoughts. “You’re tense.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Not at all, but this isn’t your usual kind of tense.”
I accept a drink from Rookie, taking a long, measured sip. “I went down there with so much hatred toward Hailey...” I crack my neck, easing the tension Dante’s kindly pointed out. “I never considered hurting a woman before Rhett said she was responsible for Aalyiah’s death.”
“Is she, though?” He cocks an eyebrow while everyone else remains silent.
“Exactly.” I smirk, enjoying how well he knows me and how similarly we think. “The more I learn, the more certain I am that Hailey’s as much a victim as Aalyiah, if not more.”
“You have a soft spot for her,” he states. “Don’t let it grow out of proportion.”
This is where I expect Broadway to throw in his three cents:too late, Boss, he’s already done for, but he doesn’t say a word, eyes boring into mine. I think he’s a little afraid of Dante’s reaction.
“Keep a level head,” Dante continues. “She’s a tool, Carter. Means to an end...” He tilts his head, looking me over. “But...”
There it is. I don’t have to tell him because he knows. He sees it in my actions and the tone of my voice. He knows because he’s lived through this.
“Should that stop being true, I expect you’ll be smart about it. If anyone realizes there’s a way to leverage you, the evidence won’t be the only reason people come for Hailey...” He stares straight into my eyes before he adds, “And right now, she’s easier to grab than Layla or any other woman in our circle.”
35
Hailey
The air’s thick with the earthy scent of moss and pine. Twigs snap under our boots as Chloe, Amari, Levi, and I stop a few yards away from the derelict party building.
Chloe decided this is where we should start our search, and none of us argued since this whole endeavor is pointless.
There’s no way we’ll find Jensen, even if heislost. I still think he’s partying in town, or went home, but Chloe’s been sniffling since she came to get me, so I’m keeping my tongue in check.
I pull out a stick of white chalk I stole from the theater—Rhys is the only professor who still uses a blackboard. Handing one to Amari, I step forward, drawing a bigXon a nearby tree.
“Okay, explain,” Chloe mutters, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “We’ll be walking in a straight line, so what’s the point in marking the trees?”
“There’s no such thing as walking in a straight line through the woods,” Amari pipes in. “We’ll be curving round fallen branches, holes, and trees. Leaving a trail is smart.”
“Yeah, the forest is huge, sis. You wouldn’t want to get lost here, would you?”
“No, of course not,” she mutters. “Do your thing.”
“Once you run out of chalk, stop and turn back,” I tell Amari. “Mark the trees every fifteen to twenty yards.”
She nods, and ten minutes later, Chloe and I are deep enough that we can’t see the building anymore.
