Nathaniel
THESUNHASRISENafter the night from hell. I tasked Breckin with finding Chantelle and bringing her here, but so far he cannot find anything. They are still working through the rubble and pulling bodies.
We did not get anything out of the man we later found out to be Martinez’s cousin, Fernando Silva. I did not even get the chance to find out if he was targeting Malia or Liam before Liam put a bullet in his brain.
I let out a long breath and stare into the sky as the colors change from warm tones to cool, no longer knowing what time it is, waiting with bated breath for Breckin’s call. Letting my head fall, I tuck my hands in the pockets of my slacks, now focused on the headstone in the ground.
“I fucked up, Joey,” I say to no one.
It has been years since I have come out here and talked to the air like I was talking to my best friend again. Hoping the man would just reappear and put my head on right like he used to.
“I made a mistake.” I pause. “Bringing Malia and Donovan in to help with your boy. He knows who took you away from us, whether he believes it or not, he knows.”
I bend down, my knees popping reminding me that I am not as young as I used to be. Every ounce of stress has settled into my body, begging to be released. But now is not the time to be reckless. I place my hand on the unmarked headstone and pat it.
“To say I underestimated Liam and Malia’s connection is putting it lightly.” I huff out a humorless laugh. “He killed a man for threatening her, for speaking ill on his mother, and I fear there is no turning back now. I’ve failed you, old friend. I went against my promise to you, but I won’t keep him from her if that’s what they want.”
I sigh, standing at my full height while I try to make peace with my dead friend.
“At this point, I don’t think I could separate them even if I wanted to. They’re incredibly stubborn and I won’t deny them what I lost when I left Alya.” My chest pulls tight at the memory of having to walk away from my first love. “Even though I promised you he wouldn’t, I have no doubt he will take his place in this life. And for that, I’m truly sorry.”
I stand in silence for a while longer, thinking about where to go from here. How do I protect them both when they are too bullheaded to accept it?
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I look at the screen that is full of missed texts and calls, but none from the person I need to hear from. There’s only one other person I trust to guide me in the right direction since Joseph’s death. I go through my contact list and pull up the name of the man who always has my back.
Elijah Castello.
“You better have a good reason for calling me this early in the morning, Nate,” he grunts.
I chuckle, turning on my heel and walking back toward the house. The frozen ground crunches under my feet.
“Did you just bury a body?” he asks, clearly hearing the sounds of my steps.
“That’s peasant work, brother.” He laughs lightly through the phone, his voice rough from sleep. “There’s been a bombing.”
Elijah mumbles curses in my ear, likely hurrying his way out of his room so he does not wake Saria. I allow him to continue the conversation when he is in the clear. “What do you fucking mean abombing?”
“Insatiable was blown up last night.” I let out a long breath, while Elijah curses some more. “Malia was injured but she’s fine. Martinez was behind it, retaliation for taking out a few of his men.”
“Fuck, Nate.”
“Liam was there too,” I add. “He left before everything went down. We caught the bomber but couldn’t get any information out of him before Liam sent a bullet through his brain.”
Elijah chuckles at that. “It’s odd to me how much he is like Joseph despite him not being there a majority of his life.”
“Malia tortured the man and he stood there and barely batted an eye.” I shake my head and smile.
“I know this must be hard on you, brother,” he sighs. “Liam looks just like Joey.”
“He does.” I run my hand through my curls, picking up speed as I get closer to the house. “I don’t know who the mark was. I’ve been going there more often, and it could have been me he was targeting,” I mumble.
He hums. “You know how he works, Nate. He sent someone to bomb your business. There’s no telling whether you would have been there or not. After what he did to Nadya, it only makes sense that it was a warning.”
“I made a mistake agreeing to this ball,” I growl, stopping at the bottom of the steps that lead inside the mansion. “If Malia was still hidden…”
Elijah cuts me off, “What’s done is done. What matters now is what you’re going to do next to ensure that what happened to Joseph and Nadya isn’t history repeating itself.”
“I was hoping you’d tell me that.”