the table and stood. “We figure out who that is.”
“But why?” Rhino asked. “Why do we have to stick our necks out for some kid we didn’t know? I get that Deedra knew him, but are we just asking to get shot at if we go sticking our nose in this shit. This has nothing to do with us.”
Quinn tapped his fingers on the table. “You’re not wrong, Rhino. This doesn’t have anything to do with us. The odds that they were shooting at Deedra are pretty slim.”
“Then why are we doing this?” Rhino asked.
We were all thinking the same thing. Even I was. I saw how hurt Deedra was when the kid was shot, and I never wanted her to feel that way again. But chasing down whoever did this might bring more blood and death to our door.
None of us wanted that.
“Because this is our town, and if we let this bullshit happen now, pretty soon, we’re not going to have any control. We know what we’re doing. We know what the consequences could be if things go south. This kid was more than likely trying to do the right thing, and he got killed for it.” Quinn pounded the table. “That shit is not going to happen anymore. People are not going to die in our town for doing the right thing.” He leveled his gaze on Rhino. “I get what you’re saying, and I agree with you, but we’re not going to sit idly by and watch our town go to hell. We took the garbage out with the Clarks, and now we’re gonna do the same thing again. When it comes to our women, we’ll die for them. We’re the Kings of Vengeance, and we didn’t get that name for doing nothing. We’re gonna avenge this kid’s death and then make sure it never happens again.”
*
Chapter Nineteen
Rectify…
Deedra
“You good with just staying here?”
I grabbed Point’s empty plate and looked down at him. “Just for tonight?”
He grimaced. “Uh, maybe a few nights?”
I eyed him warily. “Why?” Just what was going on?
“Drop that in the sink, and then, we need to talk.”
I frowned. “I don’t like your tone, Point. What’s wrong?” Forget the dirty plate.
“I’m gonna tell you, Dee.”
I set the plate back in front of Point and sat down. “The dishes can wait. Talk.”
He chuckled and grabbed my hand. He pressed a kiss to my palm and sighed. “We need to stay here, Dee. For a while.”
“What in the hell happened in your meeting, Point? Did you find something out about who killed Joseph?” What happened in the meeting they had? I figured they were just talking to Barracuda and figuring out what he was doing here. Obviously they had talked about much more than that.
“No.” He sat back in his chair. “We don’t know anything more than we did earlier today.” He ran his fingers through his hair.
“Then I don’t understand why we have to stay here. I like my house. I like having you there with me. I don’t want to stay here,” I insisted. I loved hanging out with the girls, but I needed space to myself. Sharing this big place with thirteen people was not my idea of how I wanted to live. No thank you.
“Because if you want us to find out who killed Joseph, then we’re gonna have to stick our noses in places they don’t belong.”
“I do that all the time, Point, and I still live in my house.” Did he not get what I did? I was an investigative reporter. Getting the story no one wanted to tell was part of my job. Sure, I went above and beyond what most reporters did, but that’s why I was so good at my job.
“Dammit, Deedra.” He tightened his grip on my hand. “What we’re doing is a hell of a lot more dangerous than you chasing down a lead. Someone has died, Dee, and he, unfortunately, won’t be the last.” His words were low and his eyes connected with mine.
“You’re scaring me,” I whispered. I understood Joseph might have been involved in something dangerous, but all they needed to do was find out who killed him. Hell, detective Kaye was working on it, too. We had the police working with us. This shouldn’t be horribly dangerous.
“You know how you said I’ve changed, Dee?”
I nodded. I had said it a few times. We both had changed.
“Well, my life has changed, too. You’ve only been with me for a week now, but