Page 41 of Lawless God

Of course I’ve developed an attachment to him over time. Not over love or the good times we’ve spent together, but because it was simple. When you can practically read each other’s mind from how much you know someone, evolving together is only natural.

When we realized we were stronger together, we became inseparable. Survival of the fittest and all. Plus, he’s come to love me over time. If I died tomorrow, the guy would be devastated.

And because we’re so close, I don’t need him to talk for his eyes to ask what the fuck I’ve been up to with Kay, so I answer him.

“I proposed to her.” Or as close as it gets, I guess. I grab myself a bottle of water from the fridge and take big sips as I eye the empty shelves. “And all I have to offer my bride-to-be tonight is takeout.”

“I still strongly believe this is a terrible idea.”

Closing the fridge, I turn around and lean on it. “But you will go along with it anyway.”

He takes another bite of his burrito, nodding as if this didn’t need an answer anyway. Of course, he will.

I check the paper bag on the table, noting there are another two wraps in there. “You’re so thoughtful.”

“I’m going to tell Rose.”

My head snaps up. “Not yet.”

He swallows his last bite, drinks from the glass in front of him, and crushes the now empty foil wrapper in his fist.

“Nate,” he groans. “You’ve been out of prison for five months and still haven’t told any of your siblings. Jake lives in this very town. Rose lives with me. She’s going to cut my fucking balls off already for keeping the truth from her for so long. Don’t make this harder on me.”

“You’re the one who chose to be with her despite my multiple warnings. Now you deal with it. What kind of best friend fucks his friend’s sister while he’s in prison?”

I would say my friend’s only flaw is that he started dating my sister while I was in prison. And while I did hurt him for what he did when I got out, that doesn’t seem to have deterred him. Of course, because he’s a greedy man, he ended up dating two other people too, and now they all love each other, like that makes any sense at all.

“Stop being petty and let me tell her,” he huffs, unaware that I’m debating his lifestyle in my head.

“No.”

The second my sister learns I’m back, she’ll be all over me to tell me to leave the Cosa Nostra behind. Hell, she’ll come to Kayla’s rescue, for all I know. She likes protecting women and all.

He runs a hand across his face, fighting the anger rising. Calmly, he grazes his tattooed knuckles against his jaw, observing me, before he repeats himself. “This is all a terrible idea.”

“Or so you said. I don’t understand why you think that.”

“Of course you don’t,” he snorts. “It involves understanding a human being with fully functioning emotions.”

“I can do that.” I point at the two lines between his eyebrows. “I can tell you’re worried for me right now. See?”

He looks at me, deadpan. “No,” he says sharply. “You’ve learned about emotions, and what they look like, people’s tells, but you do not understand them, Nate.”

“I don’t think that matters. What I understand is Kayla is made of fifty percent independence and fifty percent fight, and by clipping her wings and making her unable to fight back, she will be nothing.” I tilt my head to the side. “Do you get that?”

“I’m not an idiot,” he mumbles.

“You sound like one.”

“There are repercussions to clipping someone’s wings, especially a woman like Kayla King. Trust me, I’ve got one of those at home. You weren’t here in the last four years when her crew was on top. That was because of her. Fuck, the girl put someone like you in prison for a deal with the Wolves. You think she won’t fight back, but she will because you can’t kill someone’s will to fight. It’s inside them. It becomes everything they feel and crave. They don’t call her the ruthless King for no reason, Nate. She is brutal. She is merciless. And she is fucking smart.”

He takes a deep breath. “You want your revenge? Kill her. Because when she kills you, you’ll be just another name on a list of people who wish they had killed her when they could.”

I watch him for a few seconds. He truly believes what he’s saying. Kayla has built herself a reputation so strong, even my hitman of a friend wouldn’t mess with her.

But that’s because they don’t know her like I do. They haven’t seen her weaknesses or witnessed how beautifully I can make her break apart.

“Do you know what I love?”

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