Page 78 of Protector

I’d wanted the entire weekend with her before dealing with him. For over an hour, Celia sat beside the tree, talking and crying, while I chain-smoked and tried to come up with what I was going to say.

She glanced at the overflowing ashtray with raised eyebrows as she climbed the porch steps before snagging the cigarette from my hand and dropping into the chair beside mine.

“Remind me to send Slim a fruit basket,” she finally said, exhaling a cloud of smoke with a cough. “Thank you… for all of it. I mean it. I was convinced that I’d never survive if I stopped to let myself fall apart, but I feel more alive than ever. It’s like being awake for the first time in years.”

She passed the cigarette back over to me, resting her head on her hand as she stared out toward the tree. Her face was splotchy and streaked with tears, but to me, she’d never looked more beautiful.

What had taken me years, she’d figured out in a weekend, which meant it was time.

“Got somethin’ you need to know.”

“I’m not sure I can take much more today, Jamie,” she said with a laugh. “I think I’ve cried all the tears I can.”

“I know, but you deserve to know the truth—”

She cocked her head to the side. “About what? What’s left that we haven’t already discussed?”

“Manny,” I stated flatly.

Celia’s mouth twisted up, and she looked down, rubbing her palms along the skirt of her dress. “I hope you made him suffer…”

“Come here.” I tugged her up and into my lap. “Look at me. I told you I’d teach you how to kill a man properly, but I wanted you to be ready. Unfortunately, time is workin’ against us right now.”

She fidgeted with her earring before bringing her eyes up to meet mine. “I guess I’m not following…”

“Manny’s alive, Celia. But, according to Bear, he ain’t gonna be with us for much longer, so you say the word, and I’ll show you everything I know.”

Her mouth fell open. “What—how?”

I chuckled and tightened my grip on her thigh. “Club’s got some damn fine doctors on its payroll. I wanted to kill him, fuckin’ tried to several times. It’s gotta be you, princess. Nobody else but you.”

She sucked in a quick breath and let her forehead rest against mine. “Okay. I’m ready.”

* * *

“Pres.” Crossbones nodded to me as we approached the entrance to the storage facility. “Ma’am.”

Celia nodded somberly, waiting until he was out of earshot before excitedly exclaiming, “It’s like we’re detectives who just arrived at the crime scene, and they’re lifting up that yellow tape for us to cross, right?”

I shook my head. “You do realize that what we’re about to do is illegal in all fifty states, right? I’d say that’s about as far from bein’ a fuckin’ detective as you can get.”

She shook her hands out at her sides and cracked her neck, like a boxer warming up in the ring. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Celia?” Her green eyes met mine in question, and I pulled her into my side. “Just calm the fuck down, yeah? I ain’t shown you a goddamn thing yet.”

The heel of her sandal tapped nervously against the pavement as I unlocked the door, and I paused to look back at her until she stopped. “Sorry.”

I tilted her chin up. “Were you this nervous when you went after Manny on your own?”

She shook her head. “No, but I was in a different headspace then. I never let myself consider what would happen if I failed.”

“Hey,” I stroked her cheek. “I swear to all the saints that I wouldn’t have brought you here if I couldn’t keep you safe. He’s tied up, so he ain’t gonna lay a hand on you, but I need you to stay calm and follow my lead, okay.”

“Okay.”

I flipped the switch, and the fluorescent bulbs overhead buzzed loudly as they began warming up. Celia jumped at the sound and pressed up against me, clearly still expecting the Manny from before.

“Where is he?” she hissed.

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