Page 60 of Kilo's Edge

“Okay,” he said, sounding suspicious, but not arguing since Kilo was agreeing with him.

Kilo motioned to me, and I followed him out of the living room. “This isn’t a coincidence,” I told him.

“I don’t think so either,” he said, keeping his voice low so the others couldn't hear. “I need to get the guys, and our weapons. Will you stay with Dustin?”

“Of course,” I told him, rubbing my arm. “I’m so worried, Kilo…”

“Don’t be,” he told me, pulling me into a tight hug. “The only thing this changes is the timeline.”

I knew he was just trying to make me feel better. This changed everything. But he didn’t want me to worry. And I didn’t want him thinking about me when he needed to focus, so I nodded. “You’re right. I’m ready for this.”

“Good girl. Get your mom and sister ready to move, but don’t tell Dustin anything,” he warned me. “We can’t have him knowing we’re taking out Kruzman or we’ll all end up in prison.”

I nodded, determination filling me. I wasn’t a courageous person, but I could pretend. For him. For Mama and Carmen. I could do this. “I won’t.”

“I love you, Mercy.” He leaned back and cupped my cheeks. “Don’t worry. I’ll handle this. You just make sure to take care of yourself and your family. Keep your gun close. I’ll be back to take you to Roger’s as soon as I can. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Let’s go,” he told me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and leading me into the dining room. “I’d rather sit with them, but I have to go to work.”

Dustin nodded. “No problem. We’ll be sitting with them until we get the all clear.”

“I’m only working a couple more hours today,” Kilo lied, giving me a pointed look, “so I’ll be back soon.”

Kilo gave me a kiss. He didn’t need to say the words out loud again to know what he was trying to tell me. Be watchful. Be safe. I put my hand on his chest to ease him and to let him know I understood. I watched as he walked out of the house, Jeremy locking the door after him.

Sighing, I looked back at Dustin. “How worried should we be?”

“I really don’t know, Camila,” he said. “I’m going to make a call.”

As soon as he left the dining room, I whispered, “Don’t say anything to them about Kilo’s plan,” I warned.

“We won’t,” Mama assured me. “What can we do to help?”

“Just be ready to move. As soon as Kilo gets back he’s taking us somewhere safe.”

“This wasn’t supposed to happen yet,” Carmen said. Her voice sounded so small and lost.

It broke my heart to see the fear on her face. I wanted her to live free of that. Soon. “Don’t worry,” I said, echoing Kilo’s words. “The guys are going to take care of everything.”

Carmen nodded. “Okay.”

I needed to keep a brave face on to help them not be afraid, but deep down I was petrified. I trusted Kilo and the Saint’s Outlaws. I knew they could handle whatever came their way. That didn’t mean I wasn’t worried about their well-being. That I wasn’t scared for them. That I wasn’t scared for my family.

“We’re going to go upstairs,” I told Dustin in an upbeat voice.

He waved at me in acknowledgment as he continued to speak into his phone.

As soon as I was in my room, I grabbed my gun case, put the code in and pulled my weapon out. I loaded the magazine and clipped the holster to the back of my jeans. I’d seen Kilo do this more than once. It put the gun inside your pants, making it easier to conceal. I ripped my shirt off and grabbed one of the extra-large t-shirts I’d stolen from him over the last couple of weeks. I tucked the front into my jeans and left the back hanging down. It had the added bonus of wrapping me in his scent, calming me down, as well as hiding the gun.

I grabbed my bag and tossed it on the bed. There were only a few last-minute things to pack. Kilo wasn’t going to be back for at least an hour, or more, but I wanted to be ready when they got here. I had no idea how he planned to get rid of Dustin and Jeremy, but we’d think of something.

Placing a hand against my heart, I tried to slow it down because it was pounding at my chest. If this wasn’t some kind of misunderstanding—and I really didn’t think it was—this was all going down tonight. Maybe it was better this way. It meant two less days of torture, thinking about all the ways that things could go wrong on Saturday night. Because now it was happening Thursday night. I’d do whatever it took, whatever was asked of me, to make sure that both our families walked away from this fight alive and whole.

CHAPTER 25

Kilo

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