Page 78 of Darkness

Rolling my shoulders, I make my way over to Hawk. It’s a somber scene as the Miami brothers gather around their fallen brother, Spite. A single bullet wound penetrates his skull. My stomach falls at the heavy loss Miami must be feeling.

I feel their loss too.

Fuck.

I slide in beside Hawk. “Brother…”

Hawk turns, glaring at me. “Tell me this shit is worth it, Nycto. Tell me her pussy is worth all these lives.” He gestures at the men, ours and Andrés’s, strewn over the floor. “If you ain’t gonna Old Lady this bitch, so help me God, I’ll gut you right here.”

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about making Eva my Old Lady. Maybe it’s time I made this shit official. We haven’t talked about it—I’m not even sure if she wants the life or if she understands what it means to be an Old Lady, but I want this. I want her by my side. No one understands me more than Eva.

But I need her to see me—all of me—before I ask this of her.

I’ll need to show her the darkness.

“She’s worth everything, brother,” I say to Hawk. “It kills me that we both lost men today for a war I started, but Hawk… to me, she is worth it.”

His nostrils flare, but he grips my shoulder. “I sure fucking hope so.”

I glance at Spite. “He was a good man.”

“The fucking best.”

Silence falls over us as we bow our heads for our fallen brother. Spite is dead because of me. He gave his life for Eva, hopefully my soon-to-be Old Lady, and for that, I am forever grateful. Just like Crow gave his life. He’s been a member of Tampa Defiance longer than any of us. We’ll give him a proper send-off for an honorable death, just like Hawk will for Spite.

My eyes shift to Hawk. “I owe you. Big time. How did you know?”

“Torque. He gave me a kick up the ass, reminded me of our years of friendship. Sent me up here to keep an eye on your asses after your call to him. Make sure you didn’t cause any more trouble. ’Course, when we got here, your bunker was already blown to shit. You need a keeper, Nycto. Right now, I’d like to punch the fuckin’ dumb outta you.” He shakes his head. “Dealing in the flesh trade. Christ.”

“Yeah. I deserve it.”

“We’ve both lost men today. How ’bout we start with a fuckin’ beer instead?”

I dip my chin, and we turn toward the bar, where Stacey is wiping it down like we’re not surrounded by a fucking bomb site. “Stace, beers for Miami, and keep ’em coming.”

“Sure thing, Pres.”

“Gotta admit…” Hawk stands next to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “That was one hell of a fight, brother.”

“Yeah, but next time, I’ll come in and save your ass.”

He lifts his beer to clink with mine. “Deal. Hope your woman pulls through.”

“Me too. I hope you understand. I need to roll out of here.”

Hawk dips his chin. “You care about her.”

“More than I ever thought possible.”

“Go. Be by her side. We’ll help with cleanup. This place has sure gone to shit since you moved in, brother.”

Despite all that’s on my mind, I can’t help but chuckle. “Fuck, Hawk, I appreciate—”

“Shut the fuck up. Just go.”

I exhale, dipping my chin in a gesture of thanks, then hightail it the fuck out of there.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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