Page 93 of As the World Falls

“Lia…” His voice is gentle, and it threatens the peace I’ve created for myself. “What can I do? Is there anything I can do?”

I look at him, my vision hazy, making him blurry. “I didn’t think you were talking to me anymore.”

“I’d never stop speaking to you. No matter what happens, you’re always my friend.” He takes my hand in his, holding it with enough pressure to soothe a part of me. The familiarity of his touch and comfort was what I needed right now. He was the only stable thing I could depend on in my life. I would wagereverything I had on Lance, and the certainty of that and the bond we share is all I wanted to surround myself with right now.

Except last night, I wanted to surround myself with James. I logically knew it was a good thing that nothing happened between us. It would make things way messier than they already are, and I would probably resent him for our first time being at one of the worst times of my life. But, like always, he has to prove me wrong and show me that he might actually care enough not to take advantage of me.

None of it mattered now, though. My father was dead, and I had no family to piece back together anymore. Tobias clearly doesn’t need me, having gotten himself together alone and not caring enough to share it with me for years. All I could do now was find a way to live without worrying about him and learn to live without caring for the man who should have been taking care of me.

I lean into Lance. The worn-out soft fabric of his plaid shirt feels like a soothing invitation as I rub my fingers against it. Everything about him has always brought me comfort, peace, and safety. It’s what made him the best of friends. He wraps an arm around me, pulling me snugger against him.

“When is the funeral?” he asks softly.

“In four days. There probably won’t hardly be anyone there.”

“The only ones that matter are you and Tobias.”

“I guess.”

“Do you want some tea? I can make you a cup. It’d probably help you relax a bit.”

I nod as he gets up and heads to my kitchen. I lay back on the couch, letting the video finally play all the way through. He comes back a few minutes later, handing me a steaming cup. The mug burns my hands as I wrap them around it, but I keep ahold of it, letting the pain ignite my nerves and accelerate my heart. It was the most I’d felt in days.

I look over at Lance, who is smiling at the TV, watching the video of me when I was four years old. He’s blowing gently on his tea, the steam billowing around him. “Will you stay with me tonight?” I ask him.

His gaze snaps to mine, and I notice his jaw tense slightly, but then he nods. “Of course.”

I snuggle back into the couch, stretching my legs and laying my feet across his lap. He was my peace through this, and I was holding on tight to it right now.

Chapter Thirty

James

Sheriff Udovich walks into my office, his steely gaze meeting mine, and then Tobias, who is sitting across from me. He called me this morning, telling me he had news. The only time he calls with news is when it’s likely bad news, or else he wouldn’t bother me.

“Let’s get this over with, shall we?” I say, wanting to get to the point.

Sheriff Udovich drops into the chair beside Tobias. “So, I’ve been out patrolling and keeping an eye on Hodge and Chuck like you asked, and I finally got a lead.” He opens his phone, handing it to me, and I take it, scrolling through the pictures.

“Damn it,” I ground out, tossing the phone to Tobias, who immediately caught it and looked now too. “I fucking knew it.”

His eyes bounce up to mine, and then he looks at the Sheriff. “Chuck and Dante Amato?”

Sheriff Udovich nods. “They’ve met together four times in the last two weeks, and I’ve been able to tap some of their calls.” He looks directly at me now. “Your name has come up quite a bit in their conversations as well as mine.”

“Those idiots don’t scare me,” I spit out. “They’re nothing but a bunch of greedy goblins trying to take what they can. I have more power than they’d ever know what to do with, that combined with Stef. But they can certainly try and take it if they’d like.”

“You know that’s been Dante’s plan all along,” Sheriff Udovich says. “That’s exactly why Chuck has turned to him. Dante has more power than him but no more than you and Stef. This is where things get ugly.”

“Chuck’s getting desperate if he’s turning to Dante,” Tobias points out.

“Anyone stupid enough to partner with Chuck is an absolute fool themselves,” I add. I rub my temples, feeling a migraine coming on as I think about the war that Chuck has waged against me over something as petty as control of the police force.

“He’s gearing up, that’s for sure. First Hodge, who wants to take over the crystal industry, and now Dante, who is Stef’s number one enemy. He’s making it personal,” Tobias says.

“In situations like this, low totem families such as Dante’s will try to bribe politicians, and with someone like Chuck, who would normally have sway over the NYPD, it would be beneficial to have that leverage as a way to one-up others, such as Luccio. It’s textbook methods, and they're being sloppy about it,” Udovich says.

“But Chuck doesn’t have sway,” Tobias adds.

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