be shifted.”
Don’t I know it?
“Yeah, I’m glad I was able to talk Zero out of kicking Wraith out of the club.”
Cherry scrunches up her face. “Geez, it is tense between them, isn’t it? I mean, I get it. If there is one thing I know more than anything since my time began here, it’s that Zero adores the freaking ground you walk on. The thought of anyone doing anything wrong by you would be killing him. The fact it’s his VP, who also happens to be his best friend, yeah… I can see why he needed to be talked off the ledge.”
“Do you think I’m being stupid?”
Cherry grabs my hand in hers, a caring expression crossing her face. “For caring about Wraith? Oh, Prinie, no. You can’t help who your heart desires. You’ve known Wraith for years. He’s a part of your life here. Honestly… I’ve known something was happening with you two from the moment I first saw you together. Granted, I didn’t believe it would come out this way, nor do I understand his history, or you guys together, but it’s clear you both care about each other, or this wouldn’t be such a big deal.”
I want to tell her.
I want to open up.
To feel like I have someone I can talk to about what really happened that night. Get another opinion. In another time and place, Cherry would be that person. But now she’s the Old Lady of my brother, her loyalty is no longer mine.
Sure, she’s my best friend, but she’s the first lady of this club.
Her loyalty is how it should be—to Zero.
Always.
Anything I tell her will go straight to him.
I’m not stupid enough to think girl code comes before club code.
“Wraith and me… we’re not a good match. We’re both hot-headed. There’s too much arguing. I need someone calm. Someone easy going. Someone who’s willing to fight for me.”
Cherry smirks. “Someone like Phantom?”
“Yeah, exactly, someone like Phantom.”
Cherry wraps her arm around me, pulling me into her embrace. “But he’s not Wraith, is he?”
I let out a heavy exhale cuddling into her side. “No… no, he’s not.”
Why can’t shit be simple?
Why does everything have to always come back to Wraith?
He doesn’t want me.
He’s no good for me.
So why should I continue to pine for the man who scared the shit out of me?
WRAITH
We’re all in church, while Zero conducts a call to Hawke to discuss our treaty. Hawke runs on a weird time schedule—he’s always up at stupid hours, which works in our favor right now. He believes it’s a one-on-one conversation, it’s why the rest of us stay silent, but Zero wants all of us to hear what’s happening, so Zero has it on speaker, and we’re all in on whatever shit Hawke sprouts.
“So, like I said Hawke, once a month the Snow White capsules will be ready for distribution. You’ll get your cut, and we’ll get ours. This will run on a monthly basis for the foreseeable future.”
“Forty-sixty, that’s how this is going, right?” Hawke asks again.
“Jesus man, do you have a memory problem. Yes, we get sixty, you get forty. Do I need to tattoo it to your damn forehead?”
“Don’t be a wiseass, Zero. Play nice. Just crosschecking. Okay, we’ll expect the first shipment at the end of the month.”
“Let’s see how this goes, Hawke. I am hoping we can put aside decades of unrest between us with this deal.”
Hawke grunts. “You do the right thing… I’ll do the right thing, and you make sure to take care of that little Cherry Bomb of yours. She’s integral to all of this.”
“I plan on looking after her real good. Talk later, Hawke.”
Zero ends the call, sliding his cell across the table a little harder than he probably meant to.
I raise my brow. “So, that went well,” I mumble.
Zero side-eyes me, then turns, completely ignoring me. “Neon, find the appropriate buyers. Maybe the Vegas brothers, or NOLA will take some of the load?”
“Sure, I’m on it. Actually, I was thinking about transportation. We need to buy a pharmaceutical truck for the deliveries. We should do them ourselves to cut costs, and it will help with any discrepancies which might come into play.”
Zero dips his chin. “I like it. Search through our accounts, find the funds, then purchase something. Get it done. Let me know how it goes. For now, I think we’re done here.” He slams his gavel on the table, then everyone stands to walk out.
I go to exit, but Zero grabs my