25. Nazai
CHAPTER 25
NAZAI
“ B ro, I think you fucked up. Did you see how she was looking at you?” Ezra uttered as we watched Cashlynn make her way to my car. My eyes narrowed.
“Don’t worry about my wife. I have everything under control.” I waved him off.
I had speakers set up in the barn and connected my phone to put the thunderstorm sounds on. Since the barn lacked windows, the door being closed and turning the lights off caused it to go pitch black. Cashlynn needed to learn her actions had consequences. Regardless of how sexy I felt they might be, sometimes she needed to be knocked down a notch.
“You need to get a handle on her, Nazai. She’s a loose cannon. Even bigger than Ezra,” Lucas commented.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Our younger brother turned and stared at him with a bewildered expression.
“Sometimes you can be impulsive and ignore reasoning.”
“Cashlynn isn’t like that,” I protested.
“She stabbed you last night.” Lucas added.
A smirk formed on my face. “She didn’t mean it. Cashlynn’s bark is worse than her bite…most of the time.”
“She could have shot Ezra today.”
“Trust me, if my wife wanted to shoot him, she would have. I’ve seen her targets at the range and she’s a great shot.” Since she used the gun range at my house often, it wasn’t hard to peek in on her and watch her. Cashlynn had a shot that almost came close to mine.
Lucas narrowed his eyes on me. “You’re letting her get away with too much shit. If you don’t get her under control, she’ll fuck everything up. You think scaring her is gonna make her fall in line.”
“I don’t need you to tell me how to deal with my wife. My marriage is none of your concern.”
Lucas stepped closer to me. “When your wife is irrational and it could affect the family, then it is my concern. Her recklessness might turn you on but not the rest of us. Now we’re in a damn war because of her. Before you brought her in, the family didn’t have these issues. She’s gonna be our downfall.”
I squared my shoulders and clenched my jaw. “If I remember correctly, I was put in charge of the family business so I’ll handle things how I see fit. Anyone who poses a threat to my wife will be taken care of. Neil Rhodes made an enemy of us the moment he disobeyed my orders and came after us.”
“I’m not gonna let that woman and her bullshit ruin everything we’ve built. Dad would have never let this happen.”
“Dad isn’t in charge anymore. I am.”
“A’right y’all chill. This isn’t even us.” Ezra stepped up, bouncing his eyes between us.
“Lucas, enemies come with the territory. Even when Dad was in charge we had them because of who he was and people unhappy with some of his rulings. Shit happens. As long as we show them the Tavarezes aren’t the ones to fuck with, we’re good.”
For once Ezra’s point made sense. There was a reason he took after our dad with law, he was logical when need be.
“If you don’t need me for anything else, I have a separate case I need to take care of,” Emmet cut in. My youngest brother was always so quiet that at times I forgot he was there. He looked toward Ezra. “I’m gonna find out about the two cousins so we can take care of them.”
Ezra nodded. “I gotta head to the office and meet with a new client anyway. Can you two get over your shit?” He looked between me and Lucas.
The two of us stood in a stare off.
“I’m picking up a shift at the hospital tonight. Try not to get yourself killed by your wife in the meantime.” Lucas waved Ezra off before turning to leave.
I gritted my teeth. While I understood Lucas’s point, I didn’t like being questioned.
“Let me know when you two take care of everything. Emmet, send me some cases that’s been submitted.” Since I was in charge now it was up to me to choose the jobs we took on. Business didn’t stop because someone was dumb enough to come after us. My dad, his dad, and my great grandfather had built The Bloodline to what it was today and I didn’t plan on ruining the legacy they’d created.
I turned and headed for my car. When I opened the door and climbed in, I looked over at Cashlynn seeing her head rested against the window while she snored lowly. I took a second to study her, the way her body curled into itself, yet her face was relaxed.
Today, as well as the other night, I’d seen true fear in Cashlynn’s eyes. It was the only time she seemed human to me and allowed herself to be vulnerable enough to show her emotions. While I liked her fire, I realized I loved seeing that needy state within her more. She didn’t need it, but it caused an urgency inside me to protect her because she was mine . Every time she showed a crack in that hard exterior, I found myself being more drawn to her. Her problems and fears became my own and that was what my brother failed to realize.
____
I studied the recent drawing I had done of Cashlynn while tapping my charcoal pencil against my sketchpad. A lot of the time when I pulled my sketchpad out, I let my imagination run wild, but Cashlynn had been my muse and my obsession. No matter how much I attempted to draw something new. I cocked my head and tucked my bottom lip between my teeth. The tears that were running down her face took me back to the other day at the barn. It had been three days since then and Cashlynn had been keeping her distance from me. She stayed locked in her room and didn’t even come to my bed to sleep anymore. I let her wallow in her feelings for now while staying alert. My wife was spiteful. I knew that much, but she had yet to strike or counter what I did.
I checked the time and realized I had been lost in my sketch for the past hour. It wasn’t finished. No, it seemed like every sketch I made of Cashlynn was missing something I couldn’t pinpoint, but was determined to complete.
Closing my book, I set it and my pencil on my nightstand before kicking my feet over the bed and walking over to my closet to get dressed. Today I was taking Carson out for another training session. We were working on self-defense techniques. Eventually I wanted to take him to the range at my other house and get some shooting practice in. Carson might not be a killer like his sister, but his instincts were there, and he was smart too.
I looked around my walk-in closet, walking to the side that housed my lounging clothes. Grabbing the olive-green sweatsuit, I quickly changed and grabbed my black and green tennis shoes off the back wall before heading out.
Taking the elevator to the second floor, I first entered the room Cashlynn was staying in. I wasn’t even sure if she noticed but I had been slowly moving her things upstairs into my room. After sleeping next to her there was no way I was gonna keep allowing her out of my bed. She had accumulated a nice amount of things at my expense since being here.
When I opened the door, I saw she was laying with her eyes closed on her bed and her wireless headphones over her ears. I knew she was meditating. It made me wonder if this is what she’d been locked in her room doing the past three days.
Deciding to leave her alone, I left and walked down to where I knew Carson would be, in the game room.
“You ready to go?” I called out, causing him to pause his game. He turned his head toward the door and faced me.
He blinked slowly. “Oh, yeah. I just gotta save this game.” He faced the TV on the wall.
“Meet me downstairs.” I turned to leave.
Pulling my phone out, I texted Devin to make sure he was waiting at the door for us then shot a text to Jackson to be on standby if my wife decided to leave. As much as I didn’t want to agree with him, Lucas wasn’t wrong, Cashlynn could be reckless, especially when her emotions were running high. My tracker could only do so much; I needed eyes on her at all times.
“What are we doing today?” Carson questioned when we got downstairs.
I glanced at him and smirked. “You’ll see.”
____
“Ow!” Carson cried out as I applied pressure to his wrist.
“C’mon, remember what I taught you. What do you do if someone grabs you like this? Focus!”
“You’re grabbing me too tight,” he gritted.
“You think someone coming after you is gonna give a fuck about grabbing you too tight? Their main objective is to hurt you. Now what do you do in this position?”
He glared at me and pinched his lips together. “Ah!” he yelled, rotating his wrist, then yanking his arm toward him. Pressure formed on my thumb causing me to release him. I lifted one corner of my mouth.
“Good, that was good. Now.” I hurried around him and grabbed him in a chokehold. “What about now?”
I wanted Carson to learn how to protect himself without and with using a weapon. It was how my dad taught me and my brothers. In his words, you won’t always have access to a weapon and if your hands didn’t get the job done then you were finished.
Carson was tall for his age, I was six two and he was just below my chest. From what I remember from pictures I’d seen in the past, his dad was tall and it was clear he took after him. He was a lean kid though, one thing he needed to work on also was building muscle. He struggled under my hold at first, flailing his arms and attempting to wiggle his way out of my grip.
“All you’re gonna do is tired yourself out,” I grunted, tightening my hold.
Carson had the same fight and flight sense his sister did. I could tell he had some training, but instead of fighting like Cashlynn was accustomed to, he chose the flight method. He’d never had to learn to stand up on his own and face his own battles.
“You’re a smart kid, Carson, but when put in a position to defend yourself, you shut down and panic. Keep your cool and eliminate the threat,” I coached.
It took a couple minutes for Carson to calm down. His breathing grew heavier.
One of his hands came back, striking me in the face, before his leg shifted into mine, causing me to lose balance and fall back. I was proud of the move. What caught me off guard was when he pulled a knife out of his pocket and put it to my neck, close to where the stitches were.
I grinned.
“Looks like your sister isn’t the only one who enjoys a knife as the weapon of choice.”
“She told me to always be prepared and never leave home without it.”
Nodding, I pushed myself up when he removed the knife. “Good advice, you never know how things will turn out. When it comes to a threat, take them out before they can get you, by any means necessary.”
I ran my hand over my head and looked around my basement. The room I’d had his sister locked in was next door. This one I often used for training when I stayed here.
“A’right. Enough of that, let’s put the gloves on,” I stated and moved to the shelves on the wall. I wasn’t sparing Carson. I was determined to toughen him.
____
“Where are we?” Carson asked as we climbed out of the back of the truck.
“My brother Emmet’s office,” I announced as we walked toward the single door. We were done with training for the day. Over time Carson had got more comfortable and more fluid with his movements. He liked to think of himself as weak and when I first met him, I thought the same thing. But after working with him a few times before and then today, I learned he was far from weak. A little timid but it was clear he was trained the same as his sister. His movements were quick and persistent; he just lacked confidence.
An uncertain look flashed on his face. He looked around hesitantly. “Why are we here?”
Pausing, I looked down at my brother-in-law. “Many people underestimate Emmet because he’s smart and quiet. He doesn’t say much, instead he sits back and observes those around him. I haven’t seen a security system or computer he can’t hack.” I glanced toward the building and tilted my head to the side, observing it. It was a single floor, metal, industrial-style building. The faint smell of salt water and fish from the shipyard not too far up the street filled my nose via the light breeze. The faint sound of a ship’s horn sounded.
I looked back at Carson with a serious expression. “What people don’t know is Emmet is probably the deadliest of us all.” Carson’s eyes widened. He knew what went on around him so there was no need to sugarcoat anything. “Many people thought it was Ezra because he was loud and loved to torture and play games with his victims, but in reality, Emmet is the one I wouldn’t want to meet in an dark alley. Normally he stayed back, unless it was necessary. After me he had the best shot out of all of us. You remind me a lot of my brother, maybe not as intelligent, but when it comes to your instincts I can see the kill drive inside of you.”
Not bothering to wait for Carson’s reply, I continued toward the building. We walked down the small hall that led to the back where Emmet’s office was. Pushing the door open, I stepped inside, and just as I expected Emmet, was hidden behind the multiple monitors on his desk.
“E!” I called out to gain his attention. Most of the time he got so lost in what he was doing that he tuned out everything else around him. “Emmet!” It took a few seconds but Emmet soon popped his head around the monitors.
“I need to talk to you.” He stared at me with a blank face. He shifted his attention to Carson briefly before dismissing him and gazing back at me.
“What are you doing here?” he questioned.
“I need a favor.” I walked to his desk. I waved for Carson to follow me.
“What?”
“Let Carson shadow you today.”
Emmet’s brows furrowed. “Why would I do that?”
“He’s good with computers and I think he can be an asset, just needs the right training. You’re tech savvy and?—”
“I’m not a teacher.”
One corner of my mouth lifted. “No, but I’m sure you can still teach him a few things. Even if it’s with your PI stuff. Cashlynn mentioned he liked mystery stuff, right kid?” I glanced at Carson who seemed surprised I addressed him. He bobbed his head and examined the room.
“Yeah, it’s my favorite.”
“See. Let him work with you.”
“I don’t like working with people.”
I huffed out a breath. Emmet had always been a loner. Usually when he did partner work it was with Ezra, besides that, if we weren’t working as a group, he did things alone.
“Emmet, do me this solid a’right. The kid has skills, but he needs fine tuning. I don’t know anyone smarter than you.”
Emmet’s blank stare went back to Carson. Carson averted his stare and shifted his body weight. He still wasn’t as confident as I would like, but dealing with Emmet I didn’t blame him. My baby brother’s eyes were often calm, yet cold and unwelcoming. When he stared at someone like he was Carson right now, it was as if he was peering into their soul or looking through them.
“Fine. Whatever.” He waved me off. His eyes narrowed. “I don’t like fuck ups. You’ll do what I say and don’t get in my way.,” Emmet uttered.
“Uh, yeah okay.” Carson stammered and nodded.
I grinned. “You’re in good hands with Emmet.”
“Wait, you’re leaving?” Carson’s brows shot up to his hairline.
I pulled my phone out and clicked it a couple times, pulling up the tracking app I had in Cashlynn’s collar.
“Yeah, I have other things to take care of.” Seeing where Cashlynn was, I smirked and locked my phone back.
“This is for you too.” Emmet grabbed a folder and a sheet fell on the floor in the process.
I went to pick it up and paused, noticing it was a digital photo.
“What’s this?” I examined the picture with furrowed brows.
“Nothing, Here. It’s the information on Neil.” He went to grab the paper in exchange for the folder but I pulled the sheet back.
I squinted and my mouth parted. “Is this Adrian?” She looked older in the picture, but I could still see traces of the thirteen-year-old, mainly the distinguishable birthmark going through her right eye. “How did you get this?”
“It’s a digitally modified photo of what she could potentially look like now.” He snatched the paper from me.
My mood grew serious. “Emmet, I told you, you need to stop enabling him. Did you show this to Lucas?”
“He brought it to me.” He thrusted the folder my way.
I sighed and grabbed the folder. “This shit’s getting outta hand.” I shook my head.
“If he wants to believe she’s out there, then who are we to ruin it,” he said. “Kid, grab a chair and sit down.”
Carson jumped and quickly did as he said.
I wanted to say more, but Emmet wasn’t the one I needed to talk with. This obsession Lucas had been locked into had gone on long enough.
“Take care of him,” I said and turned to leave. “I’ll be calling a meeting soon.”
Emmet grunted in response.
I left his office and headed down the small hall that led to the entrance. Devin was waiting at the truck for me when I approached. My parents allowed Lucas to continue this search for a ghost because they didn’t see it as harmful, but I was ready to nip it in the bud. It was time for my brother to move on with his life and I planned to make sure he did.