Page 111 of Always Salty

Keely looked calm, though.

“So let me get this straight,” Keely said. “You weren’t recognized by your father, and instead of funneling your anger at the man in constructive ways, you took your anger out on an innocent child? Do I have that correct?”

Natasha Leo narrowed her eyes. “This is some joke to you, isn’t it?”

“What’s a joke is thinking that I have this perfect life, while you don’t!” Keely raged, standing up. “I was tortured for a year, you dumb, fucking bitch! I was beaten and berated. I was touched in a way that no woman, let alone child, should be touched! I was assaulted by two adult men, one of which should’ve been protecting me with everything he has. My own brother went to jail for fifteen years because of y’all’s selfishness. When the motherfuckers that hurt me are finally all dead and gone, now y’all are going to kidnap me and take my inheritance that, might I add, I don’t have? Are you seriously kidding me right now?”

Chester rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“All feed is killed to the building,” Lev said, sensing my rage. “Building is registered to a corporation out of China. It’s been empty for over a year, and there’s no lease in sight. Feel free to take care of business. I’ll keep everything else off of you.”

I stepped out of the side entrance and raised my gun.

Chester saw the movement and tried to follow suit, but I was too good. Too fast.

I shot him in the hand, and the gun fell from his fingertips.

Natasha gasped and stood, but Keely reared back and punched her directly in the throat.

She turned to me and smiled her sweet little smile. “Hey, baby. I knew you’d come. What took you so long?”

“Traffic,” I teased.

She moved toward me and wrapped her arms around my gut.

Chevy and Shasha came from the other side of the large room and removed the weapons from the two ‘FBI’ agents.

“No sister that I’ll ever acknowledge, either,” Chevy said as he stood back up with Natasha Leo’s gun in his hand.

“Neither one of them have phones,” Lev said. “Both pinging from outside the building in their cars.”

“Precautionary, I’d assume,” I muttered.

“Who is that?” Keely asked curiously.

“Lev and Apollo,” I answered.

“Hi, Keely,” Apollo called out.

“Hi, Apollo. How’s Tavi?” she asked.

“He’s great,” Apollo answered. “So you have a sister?”

I’ll sell a fuck before I’d give one.

—Keely’s secret thoughts

KEELY

“Natasha Leo, daughter of Kay Leo. Father listed on the birth certificate is Alexander Pettigrew. Though DNA results show a direct relation to four Clayborne siblings,” Lev intoned as he gestured toward the screen that was mirroring his own.

We were at CE, and we were gathered around the conference table as we talked about the day.

“And Chester?” I asked.

“Chester Brown, ward of the state, both parents deceased.” Apollo answered this time. “Changed his name five years ago when he entered the FBI. Used to be known as Cade Cantal.”

Jesus, how many damn names did that man have? Cornelius. Jack. Cade. Chester.

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