Spitfire rolled her eyes, no longer unnerved by his presence. Smiling, I relaxed back, brushing her pinky with mine, giving a tiny ounce of moral support. I couldn’t help getting a kick out of her verbally squeezing Mas’ balls a little bit.
“Hmm, well, there’s the outrageous amount of wealth, which could be explained away by your businesses. But it was mostly the suited men, the blacked-out cars, and the way they defer to you both that made me the most suspicious, even if I didn’t want to admit it. But I think it was the underlying feeling of danger and power you hold, along with the apparent stalker I didn’t realize I had who’s tried to intimidate, threaten, and now kidnap me, that made me finally face the fact that you’re not just a businessman, but a dangerous one.”
She let out a breath like she’d held it in to say all her words and now sat back, deflated like a balloon at getting them out. I felt her pinky wrap around mine, and I turned my head, leaning against the window as I covered the smile forming there with my fist. Spitfire had been right; it was wrong for me to underestimate her.
While she was brilliant, and perhaps a little scared about what our life meant, she wasn’t running away from it. Maybe I should be more worried about that fact, but if it kept Loren in my life, I didn’t give a flying fuck about the reason.
I tilted my head slightly to watch Atticus out of the corner of my eye. He wouldn’t admit it, but I could tell he was pleased. He always was a sucker for an intelligent woman, something his mother had conveyed the power of when he was young. Mas didn’t talk about her much, but the few things he shared were always treasured memories, held to the highest esteem. I couldn’t help but wonder if all these years it wasn’t Jaz’s death that kept him from settling down, but instead the vow he made to himself to find someone worthy in every way that mattered.
And Loren, this woman, was exceptional in every way.
“It’s interesting you brought this up now, Mrs. Carter. I’ve come to the realization that you and the young Mr. Franklin are becoming permanent fixtures in our lives, despite my hesitancy for that to occur. While it goes against everything in me to reveal my family's secret, our history, I knew the time was coming when we wouldn’t be able to hide behind obscurity. It’s part of the reason why I’d wanted to hold the fundraiser for the center. I wanted to show you that there were more sides to us than just the one the media portrays.”
He paused, waiting to see if she’d ask anything, but when she stayed quiet, he continued.
“So to answer your question, Mrs. Carter, yes, my family is part of the criminal underground, or as you’d said, the mafia. But,” he interjected, stopping the question about to jump off Loren’s tongue, “I’d like for you to give me the chance to explain who we are as I’d planned. Can you give me that? I promise everything will be explained in detail, but I’d like to do it in a way that gives you the full picture and not like this, after an abduction attempt in a cemetery by a desperate man.”
Loren assessed him, her pinky wrapping tighter around mine in the process. I could see her weighing the options, wanting answers now that she’d finally come to the conclusion she had, but wanting to respect his choice as well. I think she wanted to see some good in him, the battle she’d been having with him coming to a cease-fire.
She nodded after a minute, and the tension in the air between us in the small space seemed to lift.
“Thank you, Mrs. C—... Loren. I know in the past I haven’t always shown you my best side, often pushing your buttons or creating unnecessary conflict. And while I’ve apologized to you, I’m glad that you didn’t forgive me right away. While things haven’t been easy in my life, almost everyone has bowed to me, giving in to what I wanted and allowing me to get away with my poor behavior. You reminded me that just because most people fear me doesn’t mean I should always take advantage of it. I do want to make amends, and I hope some of my recent choices have shown you that I’m committed to changing your view of me.”
“They have, and I do find myself wondering who you really are. There’s the man who questions me in my office about my background, fiercely protecting his sister. There’s the man who purposefully brings up things that make me uncomfortable, pushing my boundaries. There’s the man who showed me a side of myself in a dark club when I didn’t even know who I was. There’s also the man who helped rescue my dog, helped Monroe get his son back, and made sure his sister had a normal teenage experience by picking out a dress to wear. I see all these aspects of you, and they all make me curious. I can’t deny that.” Loren’s voice had been sure, and she held his eyes the whole time. There was a fierceness that showed through her confidence and strength of character.
“So, where does that leave us?” Atticus asked.
I was proud of him for putting himself out there and not fighting his feelings for once.
“Where do you want it to leave us?”
I turned into the window again, covering my smile. It was such a Mas question, and to hear Spitfire ask it had me chuckling as she'd so swiftly turned the tables on him. I hadn’t put it together before, but they had similar qualities, and I wondered if that was what drew me to both of them. Loren had been dulled when I first met her, but with each encounter, I saw her fire spreading through her, coating her in armor.
If Loren at half strength was already someone to contend with, I couldn’t wait to see her at full. She’d be an avenging angel, wiping out her foes with nothing more than a look or carefully placed word.
I, for one, couldn’t wait to watch the world burn around her.
I thought I’d be the one fighting for her, but I’d been wrong. Loren didn’t need me to fight her battles; she just needed me to remind her who she was.
It was something I’d be willing to do until I took my last breath on this earth. I could only hope it wasn’t anytime soon.