Page 83 of Blood & Lace
"Please, you don't sound great. Where's that guy?"
I froze. Immediately, I knew who she was talking about. Lucero.
"Not sure."
"You have a tracker on him. And I'm pretty sure you can just text and he'd come running from what you told me."
I stiffened. "I can't have him involved in this. Anything he can use to get to me, he will. And my husband can protect himself, but he has family too. I'm not dragging everyone into my shit."
"You need to let people in," she urged. "God, I hate this. Once that man is taken care of, I'm finding you, we're getting coffee, and I'm hugging you until you're blue in the face."
I smiled despite myself. Cara really was so sweet to me. I missed her as much as she missed me. But it was too dangerous. I kept her out of my shit too. It was safer that way, easier. Or at least, that's what I told myself.
The bartender brought me another drink, and I held up two fingers. He stared at me, and I stared right back with a look that saidyes, really.When he left, I focused on Cara again.
"I'll be okay. Focus on Adam for me. He needs it."
"You've got it."
"Hey, did he really hire a nurse?"
Cara's fingers flew over keys. After a few moments of me polishing off the drink and the other two arriving, she came back.
"Yes," she said. "Just hired her the day before yesterday. Wow, she kind of looks like your mom."
My chest tightened. "That's sweet."
"Yeah." She sighed. "I'm sorry this is happening."
I shrugged. "It was bound to happen one day."
"Don't drink yourself stupid."
"Too late for that. Thanks."
I hung up because I couldn't take anymore talking. If this thing was really happening, if we were approaching the end, then I was going to go down fighting. My father needed to die. Just because he'd gotten away once, didn't mean he was going to do it again. I wouldn't let that happen.
I downed the drink and stared at my real phone. Lucero's number stared back at me. I could text him, but I held off. Being alone for so long, having to protect everyone around me, it just meant I couldn't get close. And now?
Now, I didn't know how to.
"Fuck."
Onyx: I'm pretty drunk.
Onyx: Can you come get me?
Lucero: Where are you, baby?
Onyx: -_- Seriously? I know you've been tracking me somehow. Come find me.
Lucero: Okay bella. Be there soon.
Not even a denial. I smiled until I realized I was doing it and immediately sat the phone down. Even Lucero was a tie I couldn't afford, but… I didn't want to get rid of him. Not yet. We still had to work on who framed him, still needed to figure out his life.
I would turn him loose when we'd finished that.
For sure.
