Page 6 of Inglorious
When I pushed, he’d given in. My parents weren’t surprised that Seth had died in a gang war. Ramirez had sternly correctly them, attempting to shame them. He’d informed them that it was no gang war, and maybe they ought to pay attention to the news. Ramirez then proceeded to inform them exactly how much of a hero Seth was and how many lives he’d probably saved.
Who knew if that impressed them? I couldn’t care less. It was typical of them to assume that Seth died in a gang fight. Because, of course, everything Seth did was illegal. With neither Seth nor me obeying their wishes, we were the children they didn’t mention or claim.
I didn’t need them. Seth hadn’t either. Their loss, not ours. However, Drake’s visit had rocked me. Heck, I wasn’t too steady lately, anyway. I’d mourned the loss of Seth’s future while wondering about my own.
Vegas no longer fulfilled me, and there was a gnawing in my gut for something more.
The question was: what did I want, and how could I achieve it? There was nobody to help me now. I’d only ever had Seth, and he was gone. Anything from here on in was for me to work out alone. No strong shoulder to lean on anymore. My rock had crumpled, and I was adrift.
I puffed out my cheeks and sighed.
Drake’s words kept running through my head. I didn’t need to review the charter. Clever fuckin’ Drake Michaelson. I understood exactly what he was referring to when he said to check the charter. That damn document I knew inside out. Yeah, there was a loophole.
A growl escaped as I decided.
I marched back to my desk and logged onto my laptop. Without hesitation, I booked a flight ticket for tomorrow. Once paid, I called Fay and my manager and informed them I was taking a month off to sort out a family situation.
Fay didn’t look surprised, and funny enough, neither did Isabelle. I guess gossip was rampant. In a slight act of revenge for their gossiping, I handed Isabelle the stack of applications and asked her to narrow them down. Once she’d worked out the acceptances, she had to send them to me. After giving Isabelle several other things to monitor, I left the office. Isabelle wouldrun my business as well as I could, so I wasn’t worried about leaving it in her hands.
As soon as I arrived at my apartment, I began packing. Jeans, tees, and sweaters all went into a case. I wasn’t high maintenance and didn’t need to pack a shitload of makeup and skin care. I grabbed the basics and shoved them in. After that, I sent a text and then ordered takeout from my favourite barbecue place.
I was chomping on a rib when my phone rang. Hell, I hadn’t expected him to return my call.
“Hey,” I said inanely.
“Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?”
“Nice to talk to you, too.”
“Nanci. I ain’t screwing around. You’re going back? Seriously?”
“Inglorious is a permanent drunk, Chill’s not far behind him, and it looks like Razor has cancer,” I replied.
Silence greeted my words, and I waited.
“Razor has cancer?”
“I’m not certain, but Drake Michaelson described his symptoms and said that—”
“Drake Michaelson? That asshole?”
“Calm down. Let me finish. Drake claims that Razor has been visiting a hospital lately. Mixed with Razor’s paleness, shakes, vomiting, it sounds like the big C.”
“You don’t owe Unwanted Bastards anything,” he said.
“I’m aware, but I wanted you to know I’m going back.”
There was silence again. He was clearly churning things over.
“Can’t believe I’m saying this. Nanci, you ain’t going alone. I’ll book a flight.”
“Thank you,” I whispered. Damn, I’d hoped he’d come through for me, and he had.
“See you tomorrow, lady.”
“Bye, Vortex,” I said and felt bolstered by his support. With Vortex beside me, I could conquer the world.
Chapter Two.
