I drove away as the sound of sirens screamed out in the distance.
22
Leigh
The image of Samuel lying on the ground in front of the bowling alley while the building burned was scarred into my brain.
I didn’t even know him. I met him that one time and he barely left an impression, but for some reason when we got back to Owain’s house I was seething with rage—and could barely get to sleep.
Maybe it was a weird reaction. I couldn’t completely tell how Owain felt about what happened. He was happy the alley went up in flames but upset about losing Samuel, and the whole operation seemed like it was a mixed result at best. I was angry for him, angry for Samuel, and pissed off at the Jackals. They thought they could do what they wanted, when they wanted, and even when we hit them back it didn’t seem big enough.
I got up early the next morning and made coffee. Owain came down ten minutes after me wearing a tight black t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. He looked surprised to see me and accepted a mug of coffee.
“What are you doing up?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”
“I hear that.” He sat at the table and stared at me. I stared right back. “Something’s on your mind.”
“I’ve been thinking about what happened last night.”
“The raid?”
“Yeah, and Samuel, and just—was that enough?”
He raised an eyebrow and sipped his coffee. He didn’t answer right away and I felt antsy, like I had too much energy to burn. Maybe it was nervous energy, or maybe it was anger, I couldn’t tell, but ever since I accepted a partnership into this crew I couldn’t help but feel like everything got a little bit more personal. Now I wasn’t here against my will. Now, these guys were on my team.
“Can’t say for sure.” He put his mug down and cracked his neck in one violent pop. “Can’t say Samuel dying sits well with me.”
“He was one man and you killed two.”
“True, but he was my man.” Owain stared into my eyes. “What are you thinking, why are you asking me this?”
“Because I have an idea.”
He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “So you’re strategizing for me now.”
“Hear me out.”
“I’m not sure I want to.”
“I’m a partner now, remember?”
He stood abruptly and stalked into the living room. I followed him but kept my distance. Although we’d gotten closer than I ever thought possible over the last few weeks, he still seemed like a caged tiger that could attack at any second.
“You’re a partner in selling drugs, not in fighting wars. I can’t have you out on the front lines. I only brought you last night so that you could see what we were willing to do—how far we were willing to go.”
“I’m in this now, you pulled me into this and promised that I could have a seat at the table. Are you going back on your word?”
“I don’t go back on my word.” His voice was a low growl as he turned to face me again. His arms were muscular and bulged out his sleeves and I couldn’t help but let my eyes roam up and down his body.
He showed me his teeth.
“Then at least listen to my plan.”
“Go ahead. Tell me.”
“No, not here. I want you to hear it in front of everyone.”
His eyes narrowed. “Excuse me?”
“Call the guys together at my store. I’ll explain what I think there.”
“We don’t do that very often. It’s too dangerous to have everyone in one room in case something happens.”
“Take the chance. We need to plan if we’re going to attack them.”
He shook his head nice and slow and took a step toward me. I didn’t move—only stared up into his eyes and tried to keep my heart from slamming itself out of my chest. He reached out and touched my cheek, fingers curling down my skin, and stooped forward, lips coming near mine.
“Since when did you turn into a little warrior?”
“Since you made me like this.”
“Oh, little diamond.” He smiled big and I could see the real joy in his eyes. “I didn’t make you like anything.”
“You made me want to fight.” I chewed my lip as he leaned down and kissed my cheek.
“I only showed you a path. You decided to walk it.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit.”
“It’s the truth. I talk about testing people, but my tests aren’t meant to shape or mold, only to show what’s already there. I call you my little diamond because I found you in the coal mine, but the truth is my darling, you’ve always been a hard thing. Maybe you hid it well and maybe you walked a straight path for most of your life, but inside that chest is pure steel and grit and killer instinct. You can’t hide it any more than a lion can hide its mane.”
He kissed my then and let it linger. I sucked in a breath then kissed him back, pressing myself against his muscular chest and letting the feeling overwhelm me. I felt like I was going insane, like I was shifting into an entirely different person and I had no clue who she really was—but maybe he was right and I always had this inside of me. I’d always been ruthless and hardworking and I never let anything stand in my way. I made my shop work where most people would’ve failed, and I rarely let my emotions get the best of me.
God, his taste flooded through me, and I was so scared that he was telling the truth—scared, but also excited. I needed him to be right, needed this to be the person I was always meant to be, because it felt too good to ignore. Standing here with him in his living room, knowing that I
