Page 132 of Corpse Roads
“What did you do?” I bark in his face.
“I had no idea,” he mumbles back.
“Goddammit, Leigh. Do you know this scumbag?’
He bites his lip. “We drink together.”
Enzo steps up behind him, causing Leighton to startle when he collides with his barrel chest. There’s no running away this time.
“We invited you into our home,” Enzo says, seizing his shoulders. “Gave you a fucking job. Money. Anything you needed. One rule, that’s all we asked.”
“No breaking the law,” I finish flatly. “What the fuck are you doing fraternising with this asshole?”
Everyone in the room is watching us with laser eyes, but they don’t intervene. This is family business.
“Not all criminals are bad people,” Leighton tries to argue. “The pair of you have dodged prison a million times.”
“We protect people by any means necessary,” I spell out. “You broke some poor fucker’s vertebrae over a girl and earned yourself a prison sentence!”
“And clearly, Diablo Ramirez is an exception to that rule,” Enzo adds in a thunderous tone. “He works for the damn cartel.”
Leighton swallows hard. “He was the only one who knew how hard it was to come home. Do you have any idea how lonely I’ve been? My own family doesn’t recognise me.”
“So you became friends with a convicted drug dealer to feel less alone?” I shout furiously. “I’ve never heard such shit in my life.”
“Enough! All of you!”
Slamming her hands on the table, Brooklyn sends papers and empty coffee cups flying. Eli visibly recoils. He still hates loud noises.
“You’re all idiots!” She points between us. “Stop arguing about who is to blame. It doesn’t fucking matter! What’s so special about this girl that she has you at each other’s throats?”
“Because she belongs with us!” Enzo booms, shoving Leighton so hard, he falls to his knees with a huff.
Lips spreading in a smile, Brooklyn looks pleased with herself. Enzo realises he’s fallen straight into her trap and glances away.
“At last,” she comments softly. “Took you all long enough to move on. I didn’t think you’d admit it though.”
Bracing my hands on my hips, I let my head fall. This shouldn’t feel like a defeat. I’ve spent the last five years battling tooth and nail, keeping the company alive… keeping our family alive.
But accepting Harlow is a defeat. The best fucking defeat I’ve ever conceded. I’m laying down my arms and surrendering to the truth that I care about her. A hell of a lot.
More than I’ve cared about anyone since Alyssa passed. Harlow hit our home like a lightning bolt. None of us were prepared for the destruction of the suffocating prison we’d built for ourselves.
Her desolate smiles and unbreakable strength have reminded us of the power of living. Even Theo’s coming around, bit by bit, no matter how hard he battles against it. We’re all changing.
“Plug Diablo Ramirez into your new software,” I order them. “If he’s appeared on any CCTV feed in Devon, public or private, I want to know.”
“You think he’d be stupid enough to stick around?” Hudson asks, smoking a cigarette in the corner despite the hotel signs.
Plucking the cigarette from his fingers, Jude stabs it out on the table. “Ramirez could be anywhere in the country by now.”
“What about the exchange?” Leighton asks as he stands up. “He promised to return Harlow, so he must still be here.”
Glowering at Jude, Hudson shakes his head. “You’ll be lucky if she isn’t dead already. He has no intention of trading.”
“Hud!” Brooklyn exclaims.
“Just saying it how it is,” he mutters.