64. Bay
SIXTY-FOUR
bay
“That’s all of it,” Juice announces from behind us, causing me to glimpse over my shoulder as Levi stares straight ahead and over the ocean.
His shipment of ecstasy that’s heading to Miami has him in a mood. He’s let the boys carry the brunt of it because he didn’t want to get his hands dirty when he already has.
“Thanks, man,” he mutters, dismissing Juice and allowing him to get along with the rest of the shit he needs to do.
I knew he was going to need me tonight. Levi has been very adamant about not fucking around with hard drugs, but the more time that goes by, the more South Shore sits in the same spot.
Even if I am obtaining The Landings.
“When’s the last time you ate?” I flick my eyes to Levi, my attention falling to the several tattoos on his neck before returning to the ocean.
I’m not going to lie, sitting here on the dock with my feet dangling over the sides is giving me anxiety. However, I need to overcome my fear of water and it’s a vivid reality check of what Torin did only weeks ago.
“I don’t remember,” I answer honestly because I don’t have any fight in me to come up with some bullshit excuse. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to eat,” he mutters softly, plopping his ass next to me. Our thighs brush together and the safety net of him wraps tightly around me. “You can’t keep going on this way, Bay. The last thing we need is you getting sick.”
“I know.”
His large hand slithers down my forearm and clasps onto my hand, lacing his thick and inked fingers with mine. “I heard you found Luther Stanton.”
I nod, and that’s all I know. Cairo hasn’t told me what he’s heard from the doctors, and that means it’s either not good, or he’s too busy dealing with it.
“I heard they can’t find Reeve.”
The empty pit of my stomach knots, and I lock my jaw from keeping a whimper of despair to meet the air. “Yeah.”
“Still pretty bad?” I bob my head, unable to add any more to that. I’ve lost Reeve where it hurts. Where my heart used to lie, nice and steady, and I’m not sure where that damn thing is anymore. It escaped for the border, incapable of feeling any more pain. “You’re the only one who’s going to be able to bring him back from this. Luther was everything to that idiot.”
Oh, boy.
If you only knew how much power I don’t yield anymore.
“I don’t know about that,” I emit. “He won’t listen to me. He’s…”
Gone.
“He needs time.”
“Yeah, well…give him any more time and he’s going to kill himself.” Levi remains quiet, and as much as I would love to stay in the sanctity of it, I have something eating at my brain that won’t shut the hell up. “I need your help with something.”
“Mhm?” Levi’s thumb gently strokes my hand, always seemingly knowing where I need his touch and just to be with him.
“Torin.” My best friend couldn’t hide his tautness at Pretty Boy’s name if he tried. His touch stops on a dime, and I’m fully aware he’s the last person who would want to help, but I can’t sit back and say nothing.
“Let’s not and say we did,” he grumbles, returning to running his finger along my skin.
“Emilio wants him dead.” Levi’s movements immediately grind to a halt again, and a wave of nausea brims over me at the successful thought of that happening. “Said he was too much of a threat to me.”
“He is and has been.”
I glance over at him, holding my voice and expression firm. “Lev, that can’t happen.”
After a beat, my best friend finally glances down at me. “And what would you like me to do about it?” My lips part to tell him that—I don’t know—maybe he can keep a lookout or something? Maybe notice any suspicious activity on the streets—I’m not totally hip to how a hit goes down—but something. Then Levi speaks again, “Do you want me to throw a bunch of my guys on him and give his little entitled ass a full security detail?”
I narrow my eyes at his smart-ass commentary. “I didn’t say that.”
“And I’m not gonna cry if something happens to Baby Wildes, either.”
“I need a few eyes on him. Make sure nothing happens.”
“Now you’re just askin’ a lot.”
“Lev, I can’t deal with any more. Ozzy needs him, and I don’t need to be picking up his pieces as well. Do you think Reeve is going to handle that well?”
“Why don’t you tell Cairo? That’s his boy.”
“Because he’s got enough on his plate with Reeve’s dad?—”
“That’s his problem,” Levi retorts gruffly. “We don’t babysit the Forsaken Crew.”
My shoulders sag in a defeated heap of hopelessness. I’m not saying Cairo and Ozzy can’t handle this. But I’d feel a million times better if I knew Levi was somewhat in the mix, even if it was on the down low.
“I bet it’d make you feel better if I told you I’d go hunt Reeve down.” I avert my focus back to the water because now he’s just being a dick. “We’ve got our own problems on our plate, Astor. Which, by the way, Ellie is contracting Bay-sneaking-out-of-the-house-after-midnight syndrome.”
My head snaps over to him. “What?”
“Don’t worry,” he hands me over with his signature shitty smirk, “Peter shit his pants on the way down our street when one of my guys shot at his trunk.”
“Levi.” His smug smile only widens. “You’re an asshole, dude.”
“It kept her in the house, didn’t it? The boys know every car in this town now. Especially his. How do you think those boys of yours are able to get in?”
They are not my boys anymore.
“I always knew you were aware when they came into South Shore.”
“Yet they stayed.”
“And what are you saying?” I press, my tone calm, but inside, I’m starting to fume from the conversation I started.
“Nothing.” That’s what I thought. “But if I see Torin roaming through my streets this time, I’m going to lock his fuckin’ ass up. Will that make you happy?”
“No.”
“He’ll be protected.”
“He’ll be pissed.”
Levi cocks an eyebrow. “Does it look like I care, Astor? He’s lucky, on several occasions, that I haven’t taken him out yet.”
I roll my eyes and break off our stare down.
I don’t have the energy to get into this right now. I’m running on E, my nerves have me wrapped in a knot, and I haven’t had a full night’s sleep in forever.
“Emilio isn’t going to kill Torin.”
“You don’t know that,” I reply. “And I don’t trust him.”
“You’ll never forgive him if he does. I don’t think that’s a risk he’s willing to take. Not when you already?—”
“I’m not willing to find out,” I clip back, squeezing Levi’s hand because I can’t. The fucked-up thing is that I cannot live in a world where Torin isn’t breathing.
Where he isn’t somewhere terrorizing someone else.
“Alright, Astor,” Levi mutters after a few beats. “You win. I’ll discreetly send out a few guys to make sure no one is tracking Baby Wildes and also look out for Reeve.”
My heart skips a beat, and I tuck my chin into my chest. “Thanks. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything but staying safe and eating. Do that for me, at least.”
I bob my head once. “I will.”
Levi releases my hand and wraps it around my shoulders, pulling me into his side and wrapping me in his warmth against the cool breeze of the water. “Don’t give up on me. I need you.”
“I’m not,” I reply honestly. “I’m just tired.”
“When this is all over, you can step down. You can do whatever you want.”
“I want you to buy me a pony and to build him a little house in the backyard.”
“What the fu?—”
“No, I changed my mind,” I emit. “I want a B&M shifter for the Nova.”
“Geezus fucking Christ,” he moans out, causing a smile to grace my face. Fucking with him is the easiest thing to do. Even when I’m mentally exhausted. “When do I get a break from you?”
“Never.”
“You’re a spoiled brat, you know that?”
“You couldn’t live a day without me, Lev. Don’t kid yourself.”
“You’re probably right.” I wrap my arm around his back and hold him tightly against me. His comfort so beyond needed right now. “Maybe we should run away together.”
Pipe dream, but hey, a girl can dream for a minute.
“I’ve been telling you that forever. And my offer for California still stands.”
Who am I kidding? I’m the one who couldn’t live without Levi.
However, I can’t leave when Reeve is off the rails, and Torin…has an open death threat out, brought to you by my sperm donor.
“I guess if Emilio and Ramsey are gone, we won’t need to run away anymore,” I answer back. “We’ll have finally found our peace.”
“Yeah…I hope so.”