Page 281 of Chaos Kills

“Just be happy you’re alive.”

Ozzy’s cryptic comment smacks me in the face before he pivots and abandons me with the veracity of Bay’s words, my brother’s death, and the all-consuming blameworthy conviction of my actions.

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.”

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