60. Attila
60
ATTILA
“T he jet’s fueled and ready for us,” I say, walking into the living room. It’s been a fun few days, but it’s time to get back home and down to business. It’s taken a while for the boys to convince Luna to come back to the States with me, but she finally relented, with a promise that she’d be back in six months, if not earlier.
“Take care of her, man,” Enzo says, as he leans in to slap me on the back in farewell.
“She’ll be well looked after,” I remind him, before moving along the line of boys and saying our farewells.
I wait in the car and watch as Luna clings to her brothers, each one in turn, then swipes at her eyes before she turns away and walks quickly to the car. We drive away in silence, my eyes fixed on her as she looks out the side window, her tears continuing to roll down her cheeks.
“Luna.”
She ignores me.
“Luna.”
She sighs and turns to me, doesn’t try to conceal the fact that she’s still crying. We haven’t spoken about what’s going to happen when we get back to Seattle. She may want to go back to Arizona. Maybe somewhere else. We haven’t discussed the mechanics of what’s happening, nor the logistics of her stay. But I more than welcome the possibility of her staying with me in Seattle.
“You can come back and visit any time you want to. And I’m sure once they’re settled, they’ll fly out to see you.”
“Why did they do this?”
“It’s the smart thing to do, Luna. If they let their guard down for one minute, they’ll regret it for the rest of their lives. They can’t focus on you and a business that’s in its infancy.”
“I would’ve thought I’d be more important to them than a business.”
My eyes soften in understanding. She thinks they chose the business over her.
“Luna. Coyin left your brothers with nothing. Nothing . What standard of living could they offer you without even a roof over their heads?”
“That bad?” she gasps, and I nod in answer.
“Coyin was a despicable man who did despicable things, but he was also bankrupt. Your brothers are starting from the bottom. That’s not an easy thing to do. And I commend them… for having the balls and the guts to go at it again.”
“So what will happen to them?”
“They’ll be fine, Luna. I promise you.” I lean my head back against the headrest then roll my head in her direction. “Before you know it, they’ll be on their feet again, and you’ll be on a plane back to them.”
* * *
Kingsley ribs me as soon as I walk into the dining area, my eyes scouring the room for Luna.
“I see you brought her back with you.”
I growl, a low chesty rumble that threatens to erupt like an earthquake. Before I even have a chance to respond, Dante is at his wife’s side, sliding a protective arm around her waist. Since she’s come into our lives, Kingsley has become more like a sister than the wife of one of my best friends. I take her jabs on the chin; our thing is for her to make fun of me and me to act like the wounded hunter I am.
“The hunter giving you trouble again, King?” Dante asks, his eyes holding his wife’s.
“The only trouble he’s giving me is the sort where he drags his feet about finally finding a woman to settle down with. Even when the woman is staring him right…”
I stop listening as I catch movement in the doorway and Luna walks in laughing, arm in arm with Caleph’s wife, Ariadne. They’re closely followed by Caleph, who can’t take his eyes off Ariadne, and Cesar with Nadia, who’s typing away furiously on her phone. Cesar spares her a concerned look, then looks away, obviously curious but not wanting to overstep.
Every man in the room has his eye on a woman. The electricity surging through the room is fire as I look at each one of my friends in turn. I want that. I want what they have. I want to know the thrall of having that someone in my life that mirrors the other half of me. That person that I can’t fall asleep unless she’s sleeping beside me. That woman that will fulfil everything in me that I’ve been yearning for. I want that all consuming passion that has touched each one of my friends and continues to act like magic around everyone they come in contact with. I want that, and I want so much more.
I think of everything that’s come to pass over the last few years. So much has happened. We’re not over yet, not by a long shot, and I’m sure the best is yet to come. But we’ve had to work together to bring down a crazy motorcycle gang, we’ve had to wage a war to get one of our own back. Hell, we even at one point went to war with Cesar because he had taken Ariadne. We had to scale walls and knock down careers when we were up against some corrupt government officials, not to mention eliminating some threats within our own ranks. Coyin Castillo proved another challenge in himself, and he brought with him so many other disasters. I’m sure we haven’t endured the last of our troubles; there’s more to come, I have no doubt. But for now… for now, there’s peace and quiet and a soft longing.
Dante — he married the daughter of his father’s enemy. I’ve never seen a couple more in love. They’re a powerhouse with their collective fortunes combined, and they belong together. I watch as Kingsley looks up at her husband, wonder in her eyes. And that wicked glance he throws back at her; this is a man that burned down a city to get her back.
And Caleph. Who met Ariadne under the strangest of circumstances. He fell in love with her when he wasn’t even entertaining the idea. Even I almost fell in love with her the first time I met her. He didn’t stand a chance. He, too… Caleph killed to ensure that Ariadne would live. He executed the signatories of the contract on her life, thereby nullifying the bounty. Dead men don’t pay contracts, after all.
It’s new days yet for Cesar and Nadia, but I can see them blooming into something more. We haven’t been friends for long, but I now consider Cesar, at one point my enemy, one of my closest friends. He’s joined the ranks of a very rare few who have that sort of access to my life. And he’s quickly marching up those ranks.
I watch him as he watches Nadia, see the look of agitation that crosses his face as Nadia hisses into the phone in a corner of the room. Luna notices and walks toward her. Nadia slams her phone shut and it looks like she’s seriously considering hurling it across the room. Cesar and I walk toward the women simultaneously, breaking into their conversation when it looks like Nadia is hyperventilating.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
Luna places a small hand to my arm. I look down where her hand meets my skin, causing it to tingle, then meet her eyes. She doesn’t draw her hand away; instead, she clings to me like I am her lifeline. I want to be. I want to be her everything; all her yesterdays and all her tomorrows. I want to be her now and her forever. I just want to be. In her life, in her thoughts.
“Nadia’s ex,” she whispers, as Cesar leans into Nadia and holds her close to him, giving her exactly what she needs. I frown; this man knows exactly what to do, and when.
“What about him?”
“They broke up after the attack on Nadia. But he won’t take no for an answer. He keeps calling her.”
“It’s definitely over?”
Luna nods, adamant that Nadia no longer wants anything to do with her ex.
“Next time he calls, you let me or Cesar answer the phone,” I tell Nadia over Cesar’s shoulder. “His business is with us now.”