“No, I said we would no longer be running them.”
Merrick stepped in as planned. “You can take the drugs,” he suggested. And then looking at me, he said, “That works, doesn’t it, Blade? We don’t want the drugs.”
I took my time thinking about it; this had to appear as if we were giving up something valuable. Before I could answer, Ricky played straight into our hands. “It’s either the drugs or the girls, Blade. Your fucking choice, asshole, but I’m leaving here today with one of them.”
“Take the fucking drugs,” I snapped. Christ, Ricky really was a dumb fucker.
“Right, that’s settled,” Ricky said. Looking around the room, he asked, “Who’s with me?”
As four men left with Ricky, I turned to Merrick. “Ten years of this shit, with nothing to show for it except death and destruction,” I muttered.
“Yeah, but we did a good thing here today, Blade.”
Expelling a long breath, I nodded. “Things will change. I’ll make fucking sure of it.”
Chapter Two
Blade
Present Day
“Blade!” Ashley screamed, her face contorting in pain as her attackers pressed cigarettes into her skin. Her arm reached out for me, her hand flailing around trying desperately to connect with mine. But as hard as I tried to grab hold, I couldn’t do it.
I never could.
I failed.
Every fucking time.
I sat bolt upright in my bed. The bed sheet stuck to the sweat I was covered in, and I shoved it off.
I turned to the bedside clock.
Three-fifteen am.
Fuck.
Pushing myself off the bed, I stalked into the bathroom. I flicked the tap on and splashed cold water over my face. Resting my hands on the sink, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. These dreams were getting out of hand, and exhaustion ruled my life. It painted my face and clawed at my body.
The dreams had haunted me since Ashley’s death, but they’d recently intensified to the point where they were hitting me hard and fast most nights. I thought they would have stopped after I’d dealt with Bullet and they had slowed down for a while. Fuck knew why they were back now.
I turned the tap off and scowled in the mirror. I had a lot of work to deal with today and just over two hours of sleep wasn’t going to help me get through it all. However, I knew from experience sleep would prove elusive. Better just to start my day with a shower and move on from there.
When the hot water hit my shoulders a few moments later, I dropped my head and rested my chin on my chest. Closing my eyes, I savoured the heat working its way into my tired muscles. The years since Ashley’s death hadn’t been kind to my body. Grief, regret and a lust for revenge had taken hold of both my mind and body, inflicting weariness on me. I pushed past the exhaustion most days, but these fucking dreams were taking their toll.
Fifteen minutes later, showered and dressed, I entered the kitchen. I made coffee and logged on to my computer, checking my emails. The pain of Ashley’s loss was never far away and I felt it as keenly these days as I did three years ago, but my work helped give my mind a break from it. And that was all I could ask for because I knew I’d never get over not having her in my life.
***
Four hours later, I parked my Jag not far from the front door of Harlow’s mother’s cafe, and exited it into the warm September sun. Late September in Brisbane should have been spring weather but we seemed to be moving straight into summer, just as we had last year. The humidity in the air this morning clung to me, and I contemplated yet again moving to a cooler climate. I’d never do it, though. I was born in Brisbane and I’d die here. This city was in my blood.
“You owe me breakfast as well as coffee.”
I looked up to find Madison standing on the footpath smiling at me. My sister was the happiest I’d ever seen her; marrying J had been a good decision. I cocked my head to the side. “How do you figure that, babe?”
Her smile turned into a grin that lit up her face. I liked what I saw there. Not many people meant as much to me as she did, and her happiness touched my cold heart in unexpected ways. “Well, you were supposed to have coffee with me yesterday, but you cancelled. It’s only fair you buy me breakfast to say sorry.”
I moved to where she was standing and draped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to me. Looking down at her, I murmured, “So, just for future reference, if I cancel on you, I’m up for whatever you decide?”
She wrapped her arm around my waist, and we walked into the cafe together. “Yes! Finally, a man who gets it,” she said, triumphantly.
Harlow looked up as we entered, just as Madison made her declaration. “What does he get?” she asked.
Madison let me go and moved to hug Harlow. “He gets that I call the shots if he cancels on me.”