I was, of course, their team leader, as it were. They were all my soldiers. They answered to me. They also communicated with me. So I knew this all too well.
“Eli, Georgia has had a series of meetings with Valenzuela in an effort to—”
“He wants her to suck his cock,” Green declared. “After she gets on her knees, he wants her bent over his desk. He does not take her seriously, Liv, and please God, tell me one of you Shades are smart enough to know that’s the motherfuckin’ truth.”
I made no reply because I was the one Shade who did know that.
“You know,” Green whispered, eyeing me closely. “Only one with a goddamned brain in your head, you fuckin’ know. Your dad is done, Liv. He’s so fucked in the head, it’s not fuckin’ funny. Livin’ in the past, thinkin’ he’s still coastin’ on the legacy his father left him. This shit…” He indicated his leg. “Him still thinkin’ he’s king of the scene when no player acknowledges him, suppliers from here to Colombia to fuckin’ Afghanistan knowin’ he’s a joke, that shit he pulled four—”
All of a sudden his eyes jerked to Tommy’s hands on his wound then to Tommy’s face.
“Fuck, man, what the fuck?” he clipped.
“We need to get you to Baldy,” Tommy stated.
“Yeah, only reason Baldy will look at me is ’cause he’s sweet on Liv, but you get that, don’t you, Tom?” Green asked.
Tommy’s eyes flashed.
I quickly shifted closer to Green.
“How about we focus on sorting out your injury?” I suggested.
Green turned his attention back to me and the look in his eyes held pain but also intensity.
“Get out, Liv,” he urged, his tone intense too. “Get the fuck out, gorgeous. He will drag you down. Georgia’s blinded by bullshit, thinkin’ she can resurrect her legacy. She’ll go down with him and she don’t fuckin’ care, so loyal to a whackjob, she’s totally fuckin’ lost. But you know better. So get…the fuck…out.”
I held his gaze before I rolled back to my feet and straightened to standing.
I looked to Tommy. “Let’s get those towels tied tight and then get him up. I’ll find something to use as ties and call Gill to bring a car around.”
Tommy nodded.
I moved to my father’s desk.
“Man, you give even a minuscule shit about her, and I know you do, you get her out and far away from him.” I heard Green advise Tommy as I moved.
It didn’t come as a surprise that Tommy didn’t answer.
I found nothing at Dad’s desk that we could use for Green’s wound and was headed to the bathroom as Tommy called, “Bring another coupla towels, Liv. I’ll rip one, use the strips. But need another clean one. This one’s soaked.”
I nodded to him, got the towels and brought them to Tommy.
He took them and started ripping strips immediately, doing this with his bare hands.
I didn’t watch Tommy’s strong hands tear the towels to shreds. Strong hands I knew could be gentle and sweet.
Tommy was off-limits to me. We’d both learned that the hard way.
I looked to Green.
“Done, Liv. You won’t see me again,” he said when I caught his eyes.
That hurt. I liked Green.
No.
Loved him.