I shook my head. I’d stopped being that girl a long time ago.
“I prefer Ash.”
But not Ashley. I wasn’t Ashley.
“Wait. You said a ‘couple other matters.’ What’s the other one?”
He seemed to hesitate a moment. “You.”
“Me?”
“Other reason we were sent to West Virginia is you. You were reported missing.”
I couldn’t—that didn’t make sense.
Then he added, “A neighbor reported you. Not your dad.”
...the girl got off the bed and walked toward me.
She held her hand out. “My name is—”
47
Ash
I remembered what else Bronski said later and nudged Raize with my toe. “Hey.”
We were in bed. I had no clue what time it was, but it was dark out.
“Hmm?” He opened his one eye and rolled his head my way. Gus was on the floor in the opened doorway. At our voices, his head popped up, and we could hear his tail starting to thump.
“Bronski said he’d heard rumors about the canary.”
“Yeah. I heard ’em, too. It’s why I came to get you at that game.” He frowned at me. “We didn’t talk about it before.”
I shook my head and nudged him again. Something had been bugging me. I remembered tonight. “They used to use canaries in coal mines.”
“You know those stories.” He rolled to his side, propping his head up on his hand. I stared up at him as he fingered a lock of my hair, showing me the blonde.
I nodded. “They’d keep one down in the mines with them, and if it stopped chirping, it’s because toxic gases killed it. That would alert the coal miners to get out. It’s silence signified death was coming.”
“Yeah.”
“Canaries sing to save lives. I sing and someone dies.”
A deep shudder went through me.
I pushed up, angling so I was resting on my elbow and staring Raize right in the face. “Don’t use me that way again. I can’t do it. Not anymore.”
He studied me in the dark, seeing what he could see. I didn’t know. I was able to make him out, but I felt like I was still in the shadows. He sighed, and it was soft and low. It seemed almost surrendering. He touched a strand of my hair. “When Marco learns you’re the one who can tell him about his brother, he’s going to come for you.”
I sobered, feeling him tense next to me.
His hand slid around my neck, cupping the back of my head. He leaned forward, another soft sigh and his forehead touched mine. “I won’t let that happen.”
I slid my hand up his stomach, his chest, over his arm, his bicep, and then back down to his stomach. I tucked my hand under his boxer brief’s waistband and opened my fingers, pressing against him. “I know.”
He hadn’t untensed, and his rough words drew my attention. “Roman is smart, but he’s not as ruthless as Marco. I fear Marco. I don’t fear Roman.”
“But he’s not sending sicarios after you?” I asked.
“He will.” Raize’s eyes flashed, and he flipped, sliding his hands up my arms and his feet down on the insides of my legs as he lowered himself over me. He pushed up against me, grinding a moment before he paused. “We’re in a pocket of time right now—between one war and the next.”
“Against Marco?”
He ducked his head, his lips nuzzling my neck. He slid a hand down my side, causing me to arch my back. I wound my arms around his neck.
“There are other players, and with Roman pushing to take over for both his brothers, I don’t know what the fallout will be, but yes—Marco won’t stop.” He skimmed his nose up my throat, his mouth settling over my jawline as he tasted me. “Shit will change when he finds out about you.”
He switched to his side, wrapping his arms around me and taking me with him.
He held me there, tucked close, propping his chin on my shoulder.
“Do you miss Mexico?” I didn’t know why I asked, but he lived there. He had a whole life down there.
“Yeah. I mean, I’m fine here, but Mexico is beautiful. It’s not all about the cartels there.”
“What do you miss about it?”
“The culture. The history. It’s family-oriented. There’s a warmth to the people down there, even to me. People smile a lot down there. Friendly. Helpful. It’s… I had to get used to it at first, but then they’d learn who you are, who you're working for, and that’d go away. But there’s wine country. We have the best tacos. And the beaches. The whales. It’s a world away from a world, if that makes sense.” He chuckled. “Gifts are opened on Christmas Eve and Santa’s gifts come the next day. In the south, January 6th is when the three wise men bring the gifts.”
“You celebrated Christmas?”
“Yeah. With my sister a few times. Just a few times. And for Halloween, it’s The Day of the Dead. We celebrate it in November, putting out altars with food, photos, and candles. It’s an offering for the dead.” He drew me close, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. “Yeah. I miss Mexico.”