Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Eagle whimpers softly, his gaze fixed to the floor.
Again, I want to hold him, tell him everything’s okay. But first I want to beat the living shit out of him. What the hell was he thinking?
“We told Vega to just take the money and go, but he said he and Eagle had unfinished business.” Falcon swallows. “Eagle drew my gun on Vega, and then both the minions drew theirs on E.”
“You two didn’t listen to me,” Eagle says, shaking his head. “I told you he wouldn’t let me out of there alive. That he wanted more than the money.”
“For the love of God,” Hawk says, “shut the fuck up, E!”
Falcon continues, “I tried to stop you, E, but—”
Eagle lets go of my hand and shoots off the couch. “I shot him! I shot the motherfucker, and I can’t say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the cop. I am. That was an accident. But Diego Vega deserved to die!”
10
VINNIE
I want to be shocked. I want to be as freaked out as Savannah and Raven are right now. Savannah is clinging onto Falcon, and Raven looks equal parts pissed and horrified.
The world isn’t mourning the loss of Diego Vega, and I get that Eagle’s not sorry. But there’s still something that isn’t quite gelling with all this.
“Keep going,” I say to Falcon, keeping my voice steady.
“Once Vega was dead, the two minions nearly pissed themselves. They ran back to their truck and unloaded a fucking boatload of drugs onto our property. Then they drove off. Last we heard they were apprehended at the border and never heard from again.” He swallows and slowly turns his gaze to his youngest brother. “I tried to get my gun back from Eagle, but he was in a trance or something.”
“I had just shot someone,” Eagle says dryly.
Falcon ignores him. “After the two others drove off, Eagle went running out of the barn, shooting like crazy. He even pointed the gun at me.”
Raven gasps. “Eagle!”
“Go easy on him,” Falcon says. “He was in shock. Hawk and I got him calmed down and got the gun away from him. We buried Vega and the drug stash under the old barn. At that point we thought it was over.”
“Until you found out a cop had been killed,” Raven says, her voice cracking.
“Right,” Falcon says. “Apparently the cop was out hunting around the edge of our property, and Eagle got him in the shooting spree. Hawk and I made up a story about being out for target practice, and we didn’t even know someone had been shot.”
“You didn’t shoot him,” Raven says.
“No,” Falcon says. “But my gun did. Eagle was only seventeen. I had to take the blame. I don’t regret it.”
Raven rises then. “I’m leaving.”
“You can’t leave now, Ray,” Hawk says. “You know too much.”
“You think I’m any kind of a threat to you?” Raven asks. “I’d give my life for any one of my siblings. I just can’t think about all of this right now.” She shoots daggers at Eagle with her eyes. “I can’t believe what you put Falcon through, Eagle. I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”
“Raven.” Falcon’s voice is stern. “Sit down.”
“Fuck off, Falcon.” She whips out her middle finger toward all three of her brothers. “All of you fuck off.”
I look at Raven. All of her. At the anger and fire in her. At her love for all of them. She’ll forgive Eagle. She can’t not. But she shouldn’t be here, and neither should Savannah. “Maybe the ladies should leave.”
Savannah crosses her arms. “I’m not leaving.”
“Listen, Sav,” I say, “if I’m going to help your future husband and his brothers, you may not want to hear what I have to say.”
Raven sits then. “I’ve changed my mind. I’m with Savannah. I’m not going anywhere. The delicate little ladies can stomach anything you big strong men have to say.”
“For Christ’s sake, Ray, this has nothing to do with your sex,” Falcon replies. “We’re trying to do you two a favor. If anything goes south, you’ll have plausible deniability if you don’t hear what Vinnie has to say.”
Savannah walks up to Falcon, throwing her left hand in his face. “Baby, the second you put this engagement ring on my finger, I was committed to you. You go south, I go south.”
“Same goes for me,” Raven adds, tapping her hip. “Your bone marrow runs through my body now, Falcon. You’re literally a part of me. And I’m sure as hell not going to sit on the sidelines while you figure this shit out.”
I say nothing.
I say nothing because I’m not sure what to say. This is a mess.
It’s a mess because I know Diego Vega. I’ve known him since I was seventeen and I walked in on my father, grandfather, and Vega when we were still living on Long Island. He wasn’t a lower-ranking drug lord then. He was a fucking boss.