Page 24 of Utah

“But what if—”

“Look, I shouldn’t even be talking to you about this. If you have an issue, talk to your man.”

“He’s not my man,” I grumbled.

“If you say so.” Brick’s attention was stolen before I could argue. “What’s up, Knox?”

I turned around to see my brother walking toward us, his gaze bouncing from me to Brick and back again.

He ignored Brick and focused solely on me. “What are you doing here?”

“Utah wanted to stop by after his doctor’s visit.”

“That doesn’t explain anything. Why are youhere?” He pointed to my seat.

“I had to use the bathroom. And now I’m waiting for Utah.”

Knox looked around. “Where is he?”

“In Chambers with Salzar,” Brick replied.

My brother narrowed his eyes. “Why you sittin’ here with him?”Awww, there he is. My overprotective, pain-in-the-ass brother.

“What did you want me to do? Stand in the corner?”

“How much longer is he gonna be?” Knox asked, looking at Brick. The big guy shrugged. “Why don’t you come outside with me?” he asked, reaching for my hand.

“It’s cooler in here.”

“Ria.” He said my name in warning.

“Knox.” I returned the favor.

I scrunched my face in annoyance, but before I could tellhim to back off, I slapped my hand over my mouth and bolted down the hallway toward the bathroom.

My name trailed behind me as I fell to my knees in front of the toilet.

Dear Nausea, give a girl some warning.

13

“We’ll have Crash’s service in three days. I contacted Harelson’s Funeral Home the day after he died.”

“You mean the day after he was murdered,” I corrected. Prez’s stare cut right through me. “Sorry.”

“I get it. I’ve unfortunately seen enough bloodshed to last a lifetime. I just thought all this shit was over with.” He leaned back in his chair at the head of the table, every white hair on his head perfectly in place.

“I’m hoping after our meeting with Carrillo, it will be. Because I’ll do whatever I have to do to keep Ria and my kid safe.”

“Utah, you’ve never been impulsive before. Don’t start now.” He held up his hand when I opened my mouth to interject. “I know why you’re acting like this. Trust me. Like I said, I get it. But if you’re going with us, you need to stand down unless I say otherwise.” Prez’s expression flattened. “Understand?”

I didn’t want to risk him telling me I had to stay behind, so I responded with a quick and simple “Yeah.”

I took a step toward the door. “Did anyone ever get in touch with his sister? I think her name is Ginny.”

“I called her a few times, but she never answered. I didn’t want to leave a voicemail that her brother was killed, but I had no choice. I texted her the funeral details. From my understanding, they had a falling out years ago, so who knows if she’ll even show up.”

“I guess we’ll see.”

---