Page 80 of Queen of Blades

Harper balked. “What?”

Her sister faced her. “Mom’s been through enough, and Grandma is only getting worse. She should be there.”

“That makes sense,” Harper agreed, the tension leaving her body.

It seemed like things were falling into place.

She turned her attention to her brothers. “What about you?”

Baby Boy turned his attention to Little Junior, who lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I don’t know. Stick around for now. Go legit, I guess.”

It was clear the words were sour on his tongue. These kids were raised on crime. They ate, slept, and breathed it. They wouldn’t have the faintest clue how to go straight.

Frowning, Harper peered up at Paul. She must have had the same thought he did. What was he supposed to do about it?

Ah hell…They looked like lost little puppies. They weren’t ready to be out on their own. They needed guidance. Their father had failed them. Left to their own devices, they’d wind up in jail in a week.

“I’ll see if Eddie has a few security shifts you two can do,” Paul offered.

The two of them brightened, and Harper bumped his shoulder.

“Thanks,” Little Junior said.

Remi rocked back and forth on her heels. “What about you?”

All eyes went to Harper.

Paul had the same question. They’d been tiptoeing around the subject for weeks—avoiding it like the plague. Honestly, he was afraid if he brought it up, he wouldn’t like the answer. Now, he waited with bated breath for what she’d say.

Refusing to make eye contact with anyone, Harper ran her hand through her hair and fidgeted with her bracelet. She chewed on her bottom lip as she surveyed the cemetery. The anxiety came off her in waves.

She wasn’t ready to answer.

“I don’t know yet. I’m still figuring it out,” she admitted as she faced her sister. “A lot of shit went down. There’s a mountain of things to consider, and I’m still sorting through it all.”

“Plus, her ribs aren’t healed yet,” Paul added, trying to be helpful.

Remi pursed her lips. “Well, keep us posted. Okay?”

Harper nodded.

The siblings embraced briefly and exchanged farewells before they parted ways. The heavy emotions in that moment were thick in the air. Paul could practically see them bearing down on Harper’s shoulders.

Once alone, he slid an arm around her and tugged her tight against his chest. She wasn’t ready to leave Oklahoma, and he wasn’t about to push her to decide. Obviously, he wanted her here, but it wasn’t his decision. She had to make it without his influence.

“You ready to go?” he asked.

Sighing, she nodded against his chest. “Let me just say goodbye to my mom.”

Harper

Sitting on the couch in Paul’s living room, still wearing her funeral clothes, Harper stared into the abyss. The blinking cursor of the laptop on the coffee table taunted her. Could she really do this?

If she were honest with herself, she’d admit that when she took the leave of absence to defend Dwight, she knew she wasn’t going back to North Carolina. No one took time off from prosecution to switch to defense in another state. It had earned her a thousand and nine stares, but she’d done it anyway.

She always thought she wanted to be on the other side of the law—the right side. The people who were supposed to be the good guys. She thought the grass was greener on the other side, and it sort of was—to an extent.

Her job meant she followed the law, no matter how much she disagreed with it. She had to build cases against people whose circumstances put them in horrendous positions. Harper had won cases that kept her up at night.

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