38
Broadway
M y stomach sinks. The weight behind Carter’s words ignites a wave of nausea so potent my stomach cramps. I down half the Bourbon Koby shoved into my hand a minute ago before I turn to Ryder.
“Can you hack the system and get Violet a visa?”
“Government databases are almost impossible to crack without setting off alarms,” he says, fingers blurring over his keyboard. He doesn’t even look at me, just senses my questioning eyes drilling holes in his face. “I’m doing what I can, and Jackson’s working on it in Chicago, but it might take days before we find a way in.”
“Try weeks,” Vaughn pipes in. “You’d need a whole team to crack the system, Ryder, attacking from different angles and dismantling firewalls at different levels simultaneously.”
My stomach sinks further. There’s no way we have weeks . Not even days. Probably hours at best.
My hands shake and my stomach fills with a lead weight. “How long do we have?”
“Not long,” Vaughn says. “Blaze brings girls over from Europe all the time. He has people at ICE who push visas through for them. I’m only guessing here, but I bet he could make all this go away if you give him the evidence.”
Fuck.
We’re back here again.
First Hailey’s safety was on the line, now Violet’s.
And all because of Blaze Noretto and the fucking evidence.
I down the rest of my drink, staring at Carter and wondering if this is the moment our friendship falls down the cracks. There’s so much hatred between him, Blaze, and Octavius... No way will Carter give them the evidence.
Carter scoffs, narrowing his eyes at Vaughn. “I’m not my father, Charles. I don’t make silly mistakes.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” Koby cuts in, his brows narrowed. “If Blaze is doing this to get the evidence, why hasn’t he made contact?” He purposely looks at Vaughn before straightening in his seat.
“I’m not involved,” Vaughn blurts out with no trace of offense in his voice. Looks like he expected us to find the wealth of information he’s delivered suspicious. “Blaze will call. He’ll wait until you’re running out of time to decide or try and fix this by yourselves.”
“And how do you know all this?” Carter asks, rising from his seat to fetch another drink.
Vaughn caves in on himself, his shoulders slumping. It must be difficult to remain calm while he’s pretty much defenseless in his wheelchair and Carter’s obviously unpredictable.
“Old friendships, especially between clean cops, never die,” he explains. “You must’ve noticed there’s a new chief in the city.”
“Arnold Fray,” Ryder pipes in, still clicking away. “Clean as a whistle, that guy.”
Vaughn chuckles. “That he is. You won’t find anything to blackmail him with, so you might as well give up trying.” His eyes widen a touch when Carter refills his glass and passes it over. “Thanks. Arnold’s like me, but without the flaws. Vaughn two point oh if you will.”
“That makes me super happy,” Koby says, rolling his eyes. “I assume he’s the one who tipped you off. Why would such a clean cop do such an underhand thing?”
Vaughn shrugs. “I helped him out when he was transferred to Columbus. I told him which cops he can trust, who he should keep an eye on. He owed me a favor. You have until eight in the morning to come up with a plan or Violet will be on a plane back to Slovakia tomorrow.”
I glance at my wristwatch while blood drains from my face faster than I can fucking blink. It’s almost six pm already. If the firewalls at ICE are as thick as Ryder implied, there’s no way he can break them before dawn.
“Fuck. If they deport her, she won’t ever be allowed to enter America,” I mutter under my breath, tugging a handful of my hair.
“That’s right,” Vaughn confirms. “I’m sorry this is happening, but why did you not think to get her the correct documentation earlier?”
How indeed? With everything else I’ve had on my plate, Violet’s documents never crossed my mind. They should have. I fucking know how Blaze operates. I should’ve checked Violet had a passport. I should’ve—
I growl in frustration. Carter’s right. Women turn our brains to literal mush.
“She’ll get a lifetime ban,” Vaughn continues, twisting the knife firmly lodged in my gut. “Forging new documents won’t help. They’ll have her prints, biometric data, retina scans, and anything else that might identify her if she ever tries to re-enter the country.”
I start pacing the room to calm the fuck down. Every tick of the clock on the walls feels like a countdown.
I have less than fourteen hours to fix this mess or the woman I love might be sent four and a half thousand miles away with no possibility of returning.
“How’s it looking, Ryder?” I ask, forcing my brain to focus on fixing the issue, not excising its source—Blaze.
Killing him won’t change shit.
If anything, it’ll stir it up since he might be the only person able to secure Violet a visa and remove the deportation order.
“I hate being the bearer of bad news, but this might be outside my skill set,” Ryder replies, disappointed and apologetic like I’ve never seen him before. “I’m sorry, Broadway. I’ll keep trying, but you need a plan B.”
“Here.” Carter hurls a pack of cigarettes across the room, even though I have half a pack in my back pocket.
I light one, filling my lungs to the brim and fooling myself that the stimulant is somehow calming me down.
Smokers are fucking weird.
We know this shit is killing us, we know it doesn’t help relax us, we know... but we fool our brains into thinking there’s no way we can survive the day without the poison. That it’s the only thing that can take the edge off our agitated minds. That the stench lingering on our clothes doesn’t exist. And that, oh well , we all must die one day, so wemight as well enjoy life.
I take the crystal glass from Carter’s outstretched hand and down it in one, the burn of the amber liquid warming me from the inside.
Too bad it doesn’t help tame the bloodthirsty beast begging me to find Blaze, cut open his throat then wrap my fingers round his neck and squeeze while his blood spurts all over my chest. The visual alone somehow calms me down. Not fully, but enough that my hands stop shaking.
Carter refills my glass and hands it back without a word.
I take another drag, inhaling deeply and shoving all the distracting emotions aside. I need a clear mind and all my wits about me right now.
“What if we get married?” I ask, spewing the first idea that springs to mind. “We can get married in Vegas before dawn.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” Koby says. “There’s a procedure, a shitload of documents, and we don’t have time to do this legally.”
“Exactly,” Vaughn admits. “The only way Violet stays in America is if she has a visa dated from before Blaze put the deportation order in place. Applications take a few days to get processed. From the moment the stamp goes on to when the information appears in the database there’s a lag. It’s impossible to say how big a lag, it depends on the workload, but there is one, so your best course of action is planting a visa for Violet in the system.”
“Look at you suggesting a federal offense,” Carter says, a ghost of a smile curling his lips.
“I’m learning from the best,” Vaughn clips, clearly unhappy that his moral code’s in tatters. “Nothing you ever do is legal. What’s one more felony?”
He runs a hand down his face, then moves it to the arm of his wheelchair, his fingers curling around it tightly as if anchoring himself in place.
“Unfortunately for you, Octavius is the only person who can get Violet a visa, so you’re screwed. Putting the evidence in his hands is the only way to keep Violet in the good old US of A.”
I sit back down because my head’s spinning. I no longer have to wonder whether my time as Carter’s right-hand man is over. There’s no fucking way Carter will hand over the evidence. It’s too important.
It’s not just a bargaining chip; it ensures Hailey’s safety and guarantees Carter always has a plan B.
“Broadway,” Carter denotes, waiting for my response, but I’m fucking reeling inside and don’t look up.
I respect him too much to ask him to consider using the evidence. This is my mess, and he has no obligation to clean it up. He’s done enough. He turned a blind eye while I embarked on my own personal vendetta, killing the fuckers who hurt my girl.
This... it’s simply too much to ask for.
Carter has it all backed up. So, in this digital age, Octavius must know he can’t get exclusive access, but any kind of access reduces Carter’s power over him, and increases his power over everyone else implicated.
“Everybody out,” Carter orders, and I know it’s time for him to explain why he won’t help me.
He probably thinks I’ll have a breakdown and wants to spare me an audience.
“We’ll wait in the VIP section, yeah?” Ryder steps around my chair. His hand lands on my shoulder, squeezing once.
I stare at the almost empty glass in my hand until the door closes behind them.
“You know I can’t do this, Broadway,” Carter starts.
And even though I knew what would come out of his mouth, it still fucking guts me that those well-deserved right hooks I sent into Benjamin’s face last night have dismantled my entire life.
Twelve hours ago, I had everything: a job, a boss I respect above anyone else, and a girl I love beyond imagination. Now... now I’m left with the clothes on my back, the cash in my bank account, and a choice between family and Violet.
Carter’s like a brother to me, so are Koby and Ryder. Leaving them behind won’t be easy.
I clear my throat, set my glass down, and get up, meeting his gaze. “I know you can’t. I understand.”
I really fucking do, even if I hate that this is how our four-year-long stint is going to end. It’s the most pathetic thing, but whatever... I’ll miss him.
I’ll miss Ryder, Koby, even Apollo. I’ll miss the weekly meetings, the bickering, and thelate nights with a bottle of whiskey in Carter’s living room. I was looking forward to the day we could all sit there together, Hailey napping on his chest, Violet on mine, two sappy men besotted with their girls.
Raking my hand through my hair, I come closer. “I hope you understand Violet’smy priority.”
He cocks an eyebrow, smirking. “Of course I do. Now you know how it feels.”
I bob my head and hold out my hand. “We had a good run, Boss.”
He stares at my hand, a myriad of emotions crossing his features. “What the fuck are you saying, Broadway?”
“If Violet’s going back to Slovakia, I’m going with her.”
His jaw works in small circles as he rises to his feet and rounds the desk. “When I said I can’t do it I meant I can’t do the negotiating. You’ll have to step up: I can’t promise I won’t maim Octavius if I see him in the flesh. We both know that won’t help.”
He pushes me aside to open the safe and pull out a flash drive, then shoves it into my chest. “This is the first and last time you doubt me, Broadway. You seriously think I value the leverage this offers above our friendship?”
“But... this keeps Hailey safe.”
“ I keep Hailey safe. You, Ryder, Koby, Apollo. We all keep my girl safe. Violet’s part of this family now. She’s yours; that means she’s under my protection.”
Grateful doesn’t begin to cover how I feel. Grateful and so fucking proud to have a friend like Carter. He doesn’t have to do this. He’s the boss. I’m just his right-hand man.
Replaceable.
Koby or Ryder could fill my shoes, so there’s no reason for Carter to sacrifice the evidence to help me keep Violet in the country.
No reason other than friendship. I always knew he valued me beyond my contribution to his business. It was never just about how many people I could manipulate, bribe, or kill for him. He always valued my opinion and the fact I never kept my mouth shut if I didn’t agree with him.
But though he’s always been like a brother to me, I didn’t realize the extent to which he shared the sentiment.
That the bond could stretch this far and not break.
Now I know, and I’m ashamed I dared doubt him or that his loyalty to me matches mine to him.
“I’ll call Octavius and set up the exchange,” he tells me, unaware of the turmoil twisting my psyche, “but you’re the one who’ll meet him and exchange the evidence for Violet’s documents. If I come face to face with that fucker, I’ll fucking gut him. It’s too soon...” He lets the rest of the sentence fall into a void.
He doesn’t need to spell it out for me. Carter prides himself on remaining fully in control of his actions, always choosing the most pragmatic route, but when Hailey’s involved, that control shatters.
After all, he’s the son of Rhett Willard, a man who murdered the daughter he loved above all else in a jealous rage.
That irrational blood flows in his veins.
Given the hurt Octavius caused Hailey, even if unintentionally, Carter doesn’t trust himself to do what’s required. His emotions would get the better of him, and his pathological protectiveness would make him lash out... the same way my protectiveness toward Violet makes the bloodthirsty beast inside me take the reins whenever I come across someone who hurt her.
It’s scary how much power she holds over me. She’s carved a hole in my heart and made herself comfortable, changing my outlook on life in the process.
Six months ago, watching Carter succumb to his feelings for Hailey was baffling. I thought he was losing his touch.
After all, it’s not healthy to lose your head over a girl—over anything—the way Carter does over Hailey.
Now I wish I could swallow my own tongue because, suddenly, I understand exactly how he feels and it’s scary. Living for someone other than yourself is fucking petrifying.
“I have to ask,” I say, weighing my words carefully. “Are you sure you want to give up the evidence? You know what message that’ll send.”
One that clearly states Carter Willard will sacrifice anything to keep not only Hailey safe, but his men and their women.
It will raise the existing threat level, putting us all in more danger. People will quickly realize threatening one of us means threatening him,and they might use it to their advantage.
It’s the same move Dante made when Carter told him that if protecting Hailey meant starting a war, he should choose a side.
He did and Carter’s choosing a side now.
My side.
Most will consider his move a statement of character. Most will respect him more but some will see it as an easily exploitable weakness.
“Of course I’m sure. Sharing the evidence may give Octavius power over everyone it incriminates. But we’ll still have that power over him.”
With that, he pulls his phone out and dials Octavius’s number, ready to set the wheels in motion.