When I nodded that time, I was grinning.
Lee studied me. Then he turned to the boys.
“Vance, Bobby, you’re team one. Hector and Matt, team two. Jack and Monty, team three. Brody will give you the details you need. Jimmy, Hank and Eddie will sweep up.”
Lee’s eyes were looking at the men he was addressing then he came back to me.
“After you take yours down, we’re closin’ Smithie’s and you work the girls. You get them to trust you. You get them to trust us. You get them to trust the cops. And you get them to make statements and press charges.”
“Copy that,” I replied.
Lee studied me again before he looked back to his men. “You have your assignments. This happens during Ally’s first dance. Eight fifty-five. Track your men. Find them. Report in. And the time comes, take them out.”
More chin lifts.
Jeez.
The gang broke up just as Darius’s phone rang.
But I looked to Lee. “Need a second. In private. Eddie, too.”
My eyes went to Eddie to see him watching me intently.
“Ally, got shit to do,” Lee said, sounding distracted.
“A second, Lee,” I replied quietly.
It was my quiet that got him to give me a look. He transferred his gaze to Eddie and then he nodded to me
I avoided all eyes as he moved out of the room and I followed him, Eddie following me.
Lee took us to his office, but stood at the door until Eddie and I made it through. Then he closed the door and turned his back to it, not moving further into the room.
Right. His position reiterated he was giving me only a second, he had shit to do.
So did I, so I cut to it.
I took a deep breath and reminded him. “You know I’m worried about Darius.”
“I do,” Lee confirmed. “But is now the time for you to get up in our shit about it?”
“I know about Malia and Liam.”
I watched Lee’s entire body get tight, and I didn’t normally get scared but that sure as fuck scared me.
“Zano tell you?” he fired at me, his words like bullets.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head for emphasis. “I found out like I find out a lot of shit. I know a lot of people. I ask a lot of questions.” I looked to Eddie. “I did it on the down low so there’s nothing for you two to worry about.”
“You’re wrong,” Lee returned, and I looked back to him.
“I know this is privileged information and the person who told me was not real big on me knowing it. But I got the information and I’m gonna do something about it.”
Lee leaned toward me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not gonna do shit.”
“I am,” I whispered. “There’s a boy growing up without his father.”
Lee leaned back. “That’s Darius’s choice.”
“It’s the wrong one,” I retorted.
“That’s not your call,” Lee clipped.
“Yes, it is. Yes, it absolutely is,” I shot back, lifted a hand and shook my head. “Don’t worry, bro. You don’t want to be involved with whatever I decide to do, don’t be. That’s your call. Though I’ll assure you, I will not make a production of this. And I won’t drag the Rock Chicks into it. What I’m gonna do is take a big risk and point out some important facts to a man I love and have loved since I was a kid. He cuts me out, so be it. But there’s the slight chance he’ll listen to me, maybe not now, maybe eventually, but then he’ll find a way back to his family. And that’s important enough, not just for Darius but for Malia and especially Liam, I’m willing to take that risk.”
Lee glared at me.
I looked to Eddie and the instant I did, he said, “Don’t fuck this up.”
“I can’t guarantee that,” I told him honestly. “What I can do is do my best to make certain this is about me and Darius and it doesn’t leak to the rest of the posse. And I’ll do that.”
But Lee was now glaring at Eddie, and after I finished speaking, he bit out, “You cannot be cool with this.”
“I’m not. Then again, hermano, I haven’t been cool with this shit for seventeen fuckin’ years,” Eddie replied.
Lee again closed his mouth.
He wasn’t cool with it either.
