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“Bass!”
I tug her close and bend down to kiss her. She returns it eagerly, but I break off a moment later. “I want you to have that.”
“Is this some kind of, like, weird in case I die sort of thing?”
“Pretty much.”
“Bass—”
“Listen to me, Marisol.” I kiss her again, mostly to stop her from protesting too hard. “That piece of land will outlast me. It will outlast you, our children—”
“Our children?” she asks, brows raising.
“—It will be here when we are gone, but for now, while the world hasn’t turned too much, that place can be yours, completely yours, nobody else’s. You’ll always have a home, always have a place to go to escape, no matter what.”
Her smile fades and she buries her face in my chest. “How do your siblings feel about this?”
“They’ll be fine with it.”
“You haven’t told them?”
“Not yet.”
“Bass!”
“Accept the damn land, my love.”
She sighs, kisses me, and touches my cheek. “I love you. And thank you. I might not be showing it, but this means a lot. More than you know. Nobody’s ever really given me anything like that. I’ve never had a place before… until I came here.”
I switch off the lights. In the dark, I don’t feel so alone, not when she curls against my side. We kiss and I hold her, and in the morning I know the sun will rise and there will be blood in the earth and blood on the street, and I can’t begin to imagine how we will both walk away unscathed, but there are no more options.
If we win, I have my love, my wife, and the future of my family secured. But if we don’t, I’ll be left with less than nothing.
It’s a gamble, but it’s also a way out, and I wouldn’t want to take it with anyone but her.
31
BASS
Ibrush my hands down the front of my crisp black suit. Nico’s driving this morning and he looks joyous, despite the sad occasion. I check my watch and frown.
“We have to be at the church in an hour.”
“What, you think we’re cutting it close? An hour’s plenty of time.”
“Things go wrong.”
“You act like that’s not my favorite part.” He hits the gas and the truck jerks forward, racing through Austin traffic.
I let it go and look at my phone. I’m jittery and nervous, but not for myself. I keep wanting Mari to reach out, to tell me she changed her mind, that this whole plan is stupid and she doesn’t want to do it, but she was positively determined before we parted ways. Her kiss still lingers on my lips.
“You really should try to relax,” Nico comments as he pulls into the neighborhood.
“I can’t. You know that.”
I blow out a breath and roll my shoulders, straightening as Nico slows the truck and pulls over. I have to trust my siblings right now. I need them to step up, and I know they will. Always over the years, I’ve done what I can to keep them from harm, but they’re clever and competent, and I’m counting on them to do what needs doing.
I slide my gun from my holster and check the magazine. “The others are parking now.” Another truck pulls up behind ours. “You ready?”
