Page 43 of Reaper & Ruin
He tilted his head, his expression tightening. “Why?”
“Because family is everything,” I said simply, my gaze steady. “It’s all we have. If we don’t help them, if we just let them burn, then everything I’ve fought for—everything I stand for—means nothing.” I sighed. “Plus, bigger gangs mean danger. And what kind of woman would I be if I did not deal with potential dangers for my new sisters? To make sure they never come close to the horrors they have already faced. If there are bad men coming, then I will keep them away from Diamond, Yeva, all the others. I will make sure nobody can hurt them again.”
The De Luca family, at least one or two members of it, were involved in the Persephone Group. I knew that for a fact; their names were on a list of people that my beautiful tech genius boyfriend had provided me. A few dozen names of men, and a handful of women, who dealt in stolen people and horrific violence.
A list I’d handed over to one of my younger sisters, with a promise that I would help her slaughter them all for what they did to her and Diamond one day. Even if they’d never laid a finger on Yeva themselves.
A list I knew mytíowas working on too. Even if he pretended Ruby meant nothing to him. That she was just an annoyance.
He was torturing anyone who’d hurt her. Who’d given her more pain than anyone ought to have faced.
I was just doing the same as Beau.
Lincoln was quiet for a long moment, his brows furrowed as he studied me. I could tell he wanted to argue. He wasn’t the kind of person who believed in unnecessary risks, especially when it came to me. But he also wasn’t the kind of person to argue with something he knew I wouldn’t budge on.
It had taken us a long time to get to where we were. But we understood each other now. We knew how to actually talk, rather than fight.
He pushed off the hood of the car, taking a slow step toward me. “Sure,” he said, his voice measured. “But you’re going to include Silver in that list? She hasn’t even bothered to contact you. Not once. Why would we fight for her?” He ran a hand over his face. “I don’t want anything to do with her, Saph. I can’t stomach the idea of even looking at her.”
The words hit harder than I expected, like a knife sliding between my ribs. He wasn’t wrong. Silver hadn’t reached out. Not once. Not even a phone call.
He also wasn’t wrong to want to hate her.
I bit my lip, my eyes falling to the gravel beneath my feet. The silence stretched between us until I finally spoke. “Because despite that,” I said, my voice soft but steady, “despite who her father is, despite who hermotheris, she’s still family,pendejo. She is still someone with my mama’s blood, and that means something to me.” I lifted my gaze back to Lincoln, the sharp sting in my chest hardening into something resolute. “And I will protect her if I have to. No matter what. If you do not want to see her, that is fine. I will respect it. But I will not abandon her.”
His jaw ticked as he stared at me, his frustration flickering just beneath the surface. But he didn’t push. He just let out a quiet exhale, his shoulders dropping slightly as he closed the small distance between us.
“You’re too good for this world, you know that?” he muttered, his voice gruff as he reached out to brush his knuckles against my cheek. “Even though you are a brat.”
I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. “Don’t start with that. You know I’m not.”
“You are,” he said firmly, his hand lingering against my skin before dropping back to his side.
I tilted my head, a faint smile tugging at the corner of my lips. “Well, if I’m too good for the world, what does that make you, bunny?”
“Lucky,” he said simply, and the earnestness in his tone made my stomach twist in a way I wasn’t ready for.
I stepped back slightly, brushing a hand through my hair as I tried to shake the tension creeping into my chest. “Plus,” I said, my tone lightening as I smirked at him, “what kind of stepdaughter would I be if I let my future mommy’s best friend get hurt? Heather is important now, too. She is Ruby’s friend.”
Lincoln blinked, caught off guard by the shift in conversation. “Your future mommy?” he echoed, his lips twitching like he was trying not to laugh. “You’re unbelievable.”
I shrugged, grinning. “Am I wrong?”
“No,” he admitted, still chuckling. “You’re not.”
The tension between us eased, replaced by a quiet warmth that only one of my men could bring out of me. They had a way of grounding me, of making the world feel a little less sharp, a little less heavy, even when everything was about to fall apart.
He reached for me again, this time sliding his hand around my waist as he pulled me closer. “So,” he murmured, his voice softening, “shall we get ready for war then, baby? You’ll need to wake Price up now if you want him to take part.”
I nodded, leaning up to press a soft kiss to his lips. The kiss lingered, a quiet promise shared in the early morning stillness, before I pulled back just enough to meet his gaze.
“Let’s tell the boys,” I said quietly. “Our vacation is officially over. It’s time to get ready.”
Lincoln nodded, his hand tightening around mine as he glanced toward the shop. “They’re not going to be happy about this either. They’re still in vacation mode.”
“I’m sure I can think of incentives to make them happy.” I teased. “Your brother especially. I think there would be so many ways that I could-”
Lincoln shoved his hand over my mouth, his glare getting violent. I couldn’t help but laugh as he hoisted me over his shoulder and stomped back upstairs.
