Page 42 of Carnival Queen

“Talk.”

“Will you let us live?”

“No. But I won’t torture you like you did that girl,” said Nine. Trak stared at his old friend, raising his hands in the air and then slapping them on his thighs. “I know, I know. I said you could torture them. Let’s see what they have to say.”

“You’re fucking crazy. All of you,” said Douglass.

“Probably. Who else is involved?” said Ghost.

“Everyone. The Governor, the police chief, the sheriff, Department of Energy, all the way to the top military officials in that area. They’re all getting a piece of the pie. Even the president signed off on the freighters to be unloaded on U.S. soil.”

Miller looked at his brother, then at the other men. If that was true, they were stepping into shit that they might not come back from.

Nine? We’re getting Deanna back to the hospital. She’s bad, brother.

They all heard Wilson’s voice and felt the gut punch immediately. Trak gripped the handle of his blade so hard they heard his rough calluses scraping against the leather.

“None of this would be happening if that fucking old man would have just fixed the tax returns and hid what needed to be hidden,” said Jackson.

“Wrong answer,” said Nine. “Trak, Alec, and Tailor. Take our friends for a little boat ride. And Trak? Invite Alvin.”

Trak’s smile grew so wide the two men knew it wasn’t good. Immediately nervous, they tried to run, only to be met by Whiskey and Miller’s fists.

“What now?” asked Antoine.

“Make sure there’s nothing wrong with the floats. That was Deanna’s only worry was to make sure the girls were able to ride on these damn things. She might not be able to see them, but they’ll be on here with us as their crew.”

With Deanna in a hospital bed, barely able to breathe, let alone move, she watched the parade on the small tablet that Sly handed her. She had tears in her eyes, seeing how happy the girls were. When she spotted Tailor and Alec dressed as jesters, she laughed, immediately regretting it. The pain crept up her side, causing her to cry.

“Hey, hey,” said Cruz. “Take it easy, honey. They look great, and they look happy. Tailor and Alec are making sure nothing happens to the girls. You did that.”

“Not me,” she said, shaking her head. “You did that. I shouldn’t have left here. I should have told you.”

“Yeah. You should have,” said Cruz. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that. When you’re well, you can count on your new bosses giving you a good lecture about that. For now, you just have to get well.”

“What about them? What about those men?” she whispered.

“You don’t have to worry about them. They’re taken care of. Penn Carver has been arrested, as well as your old boss. There will be more heads to fall, Deanna. We’re not going to stop until this is done.”

“Dangerous. It’s all too dangerous.”

“Maybe. But that’s what we specialize in. We’ll get all this taken care of, and then you can start your new life, here, with us.” He took the tablet as the parade ended and offered her another pain pill, which she gladly took. When he turned to leave, Pax was standing in the doorway.

“Can I see her?” Cruz nodded.

“Just for a minute. She just took more pain meds.” Pax took the seat vacated by Cruz and reached for Deanna’s hand.

“I screwed up,” she said, looking at him.

“No, you didn’t. You saved those girls, and you held on. You lasted for us to get to you. All this will go away,” he said, waving an arm over her battered body. “You’re going to be great, and I’m glad you’re going to be working here.”

“Why are you in black?” she asked.

“I’ve got something we need to do. When it’s done, I’ll be back to take you home. To your cottage.”

“Why are you being so nice?” she asked in a sleepy voice as her eyes fluttered shut.

Pax had no response for her as she fell asleep. He stood, kissed her forehead, and left the room. Cruz watched as the young man walked out the back door.

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