Page 76 of Wildflower and Whiskey
“Yes,” she said, and I heard the fear in her tone. Nico was a criminal. “He said my father is laying low and so should I, which scares me more than anything. He’s been in this game too long to flinch. But if he’s worried, it means someone big is making moves.”
Outside, the wind shifted through the orchard, whispering against the siding. Braden stirred in his crib, a soft sigh through the monitor.
“You could come here too,” I said before I could think better of it. “Stay for a few days. Get out of the city.”
Harmony gave a soft laugh, the kind that wasn’t funny. “You think Val-Du-Lys wants a Bellerose back? I couldn’t even walk into the diner without someone whispering about my last name.”
“That was high school. People change,” I said but I didn’t believe my own words as I thought of Papa.
Her silence said she didn’t believe it either.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said after a beat. “Really. But I’ll be fine. I’ve got locks. Cameras. And a friend who works nights at the precinct down the block.”
“Just promise me you’ll keep me updated.”
“I will.” A pause. “Hey, Elyna?”
“Yeah?”
“You were one of the few people who never treated me like I was my father’s daughter. I never forgot that.”
My throat went tight. “Right back at you. You were the only one who didn’t treat me like the girl who ruined everything.”
A quiet, shared breath. Two women bound by small-town ghosts.
“Take care of yourself,” she said. “And that little boy of yours. You deserve peace.”
Before I could respond, the line went dead.
I stared at the screen for a long time, my reflection faint against the glass. Then I typed a message to Phoenix.
Me:Harmony just called. Thugs in Montreal are asking questions about Marcel. She’s scared. Says Nico messaged her and said Marcel is laying low. Her dad also reached out, and they’ve been estranged a long time. He suggested it was time for her to come home.
He responded almost instantly.
Phoenix:On my way up.
Within a minute, Phoenix appeared smelling faintly of hops and cedar. His shirt was damp from the chill outside, sleeves rolled up. He looked like every ounce of safety I’d ever needed.
“What happened?” he asked, voice low.
I told him everything about Harmony’s call, the suspicious men outside her apartment, her dad’s warning to come home and Nico’s message about Marcel lying low.
Phoenix’s jaw worked as he listened. “Becket needs to know.”
He grabbed his phone and started firing off a text. The reply came a few seconds later as a voice message.
We’ve heard rumors of the same guys. Montreal crew looking for leverage. Harmony might be their pressure point. Stay alert.
Phoenix exhaled slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Damn it. This just keeps spreading.”
“Do you think they’ll come here?” I asked quietly.
He shook his head, but not fast enough to convince me. “They’re still testing boundaries. Looking for weaknesses. They’re not going to find any here.”
His words were steel, but I could hear the tension underneath. He sank onto the futon beside me, arm coming around my shoulders. I leaned into him, the warmth of his body grounding me.
“She said Marcel told her to come home,” I murmured. “You think he’s really worried, or just trying to keep his own mess contained?”
