“Holy shit.”
“I know.”
Pulling my phone from my ear, I put her on speaker as I go through my messages.
“He messaged me,” I tell her. “Brody.”
“What did he say?”
“You put her up to this, I know you did.” I read the open message back to Merci. “Hold on, there’s another message.” I don’t recognize the number, but I open it anyway. “Your brother is at my establishment.”
“Who…” She pauses. “Lucas,” she says as we both try to work it out.
“What do I say back?”
“Tell him to kick him out.”
I write back straight away.
* * *
Kick him out.
* * *
“Okay, sent,” I reply. “Hold on, he’s typing.” We both go silent as we wait.
“Well…” There’s a pause. “What did he say?”
* * *
If you meet me. Now.
* * *
I relay the message to Merci. “He did not say that, did he?” Merci asks. “It’s a death wish. Does he want to die?”
“Merci, what if I agree to meet him, and what we were told wasn’t true? What if it was me whose life Keir threatened?” I ask.
“No, Sergio told you it was Lucas’s.”
Merci and I ran into Sergio and his family not long after that night. Merci asked how he was, and he was standoffish. Then he told us never to contact Lucas again because if we did, Lucas would take his last breath and that it was his punishment for lying.
“Do I meet him? I’m with Farris,” I whisper, taking her off the speaker.
“So… Farris?” she asks, surprised.
“Yep.”
“So, it’s serious between you two.”
I should tell her the truth, but I can’t. “Yeah,” is all I manage to say.
“Okay, well, can you say you need to go get something?”
“I have a feeling nothing good will come from seeing him.” My phone dings in my hand, and it’s from Lucas. A photo of my brother through the surveillance camera at the club talking to Sergio. “He sent me a photo. Brody is there,” I confirm. “Shit.”
“Go. We can’t have him back in that life. I’m getting dressed and going down there now.” Then she hangs up.