Quickly.
I peer up at the dark windows of a house I haven’t visited in years. And for good reason. I’ve got enough trouble in my life as it is.
The second my foot touches the bottom step of the porch, a frigid gust of wind slams me hard. Like an omen warning me not to do this, urging me to turn back and head home without knocking on this door.
Only, the monster who got a little too close tonight made this visit completely necessary. If I do nothing else right in this life, I will not fail at protecting my sister.
A dog barks and growls on the other side of the threshold when I knock, and paranoia has me checking over my shoulder. It’s both a blessing and a curse that the porch light isn’t turned on. While I appreciate being able to blend into the night, it also means I can’t see my surroundings clearly. As a girl who’s lived on the southside all her life, I know the dangers that lurk in the darkness.
Footsteps approaching the door should bring a bit of comfort, but they don’t. All because I know the stories that have floated around my hood in recent years aren’t fiction. Everything I’ve heard about Tommy Navarro is one-hundred percent true. But what sets him and Vin apart is that one’s the devil I know, while the other remains a complete mystery—an outlier I can’t control, one whose moves I can’t predict.
A sharp command spoken in Spanish brings the snarling dog under submission. Next, there’s a brief pause while I imagine Tommy checks the peephole before unlatching what sounds like about ten deadbolt locks. Then, finally, the door swings open.
A curious stare lands on me and he’s definitely confused, but I imagine he knows things must be bad if I’m standing here.
“Shit, Lil’ Ruiz. Long time no see,” he teases, working a toothpick between his lips.
He passes a sweeping look over me, letting his stare linger on my poorly bandaged hand for a second. I don’t explain that these wounds are self-inflicted—the result of punching a mirror in a fit of rage after Vin left—and he doesn’t ask. Instead, he just leans against the doorframe, wearing an increasingly devilish grin.
I hated being called Lil’ Ruiz even when Ricky and I were a thing. Now, it grates my nerves because everyone—including Tommy—knows that ended some time ago.
“Blue,” I sigh. “My name’s Blue. Always has been.”
“Yeah, whatever. You been crying or something? You look like shit.”
It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to punch someone in the dick this bad, but yep, there it is: that oh-so-familiar urge.
“I need a favor.”
“Whoa, slow down,” he laughs. “Favors are things you do for free. Anything I have to offer comes with a price. You know that.”
I stare, remembering the many times I’ve cussed him out for being an ass, just like he’s being right now. Suddenly, I’m even more convinced this is a mistake.
He can probably tell from my expression that I’m far from amused, so he rolls his eyes.
“Relax. I’m kidding. Tell me what you need, and I’ll tell you what it’ll cost. Then, hopefully, I can take my ass back to the couch and watch my show.”
My eyes dart over my shoulder again, making sure I haven’t been spotted.
“Out here?” I ask. “I mean, can’t we handle this inside? I’d kind of rather the whole neighborhood not have eyes on me.”
His smile broadens when I finish speaking.
“Not sure if you noticed, but I’m already inside, making that more of a ‘you’ problem, Lil’ Ruiz,” he says with a short laugh. “You’re gonna have to hurry this up, though. Just told you I’ve got shit to do.”
Tommy was a dick even when he hung with Ricky and Hunter back in the day, before he got so full of himself that they couldn’t stand to be around him anymore.
“I need to… make a purchase,” I force out, now knowing the word ‘favor’ isn’t right according to him.
His brow quirks with curiosity. “What kind of purchase?
“The kind I can use to protect me and my sister. And… bullets would be nice,” I add, hearing my own voice quake at the mere thought of what I’m considering, what I’m prepared to do.
“Ah, I see.” That cocky smile of his is back. “This got anything to do with that photo Pandora just put up?”
“What photo?” My heart races with the question.
“The one with you getting out of Golden’s truck. You wouldn’t be the first person who wants to shoot that motherfucker.”
He laughs, but I’m nowhere near amused. And when my phone goes off again, I’m also not surprised that it’s Ricky this time. Apparently, I’m the last to know Pandora’s already exposed my encounter with Vin.
Well, there goes my plan to go quietly into the night.
Shit.
With fear spiking and my mind going in a thousand different directions, I hadn’t even considered the fact that one of her minions might’ve seen. Which is all the more reason why I shouldn’t be here.
“Just… forget it.”
I’m already halfway down the steps when I speak those words, regretting that I ever thought this was a good idea. I mean, yeah, I have every reason to be terrified of Vin Golden, but if there’s one thing I know for sure about this city, it’s that secrets never stay secret with Pandora around.
“I’ll set something aside I think might suit you, ‘cause whether you like it or not, you’ll be back, Lil’ Ruiz,” Tommy calls out after me.
I don’t bother answering as he watches me speed-walk down the sidewalk, trudging through the snow. All because, deep down in my heart, I’m almost certain he’s right.
Chapter 3
WEST
The guys and Joss pull up right behind me when I brake at the curb in front of Southside’s house. I barely even
