Sebring (Unfinished Heroes #5)(6)

“You are, of course, telling me something I know,” I confirmed, about to go on, but Green continued explaining a situation I knew all too well considering the fact I lived and breathed it.

“Sloan’s got the guns because he wants to control who’s usin’ ’em on the streets. Other than that, he’s gone legit. Valenzuela has the rest, Liv, and there’s no gettin’ it back from him. Only outfit who might have the power to see that through is that crazy MC and only because the brothers of the Chaos Motorcycle Club are f*ckin’ crazy and they got bigger balls than practically anybody.”

“Green—” I tried but got no further.

“Pot went legal, we got even more f*cked, ’cause that’s all Valenzuela let us have. He’s got the rest of the dope. He’s got the whores. He’s got the film sets. He’s got the protection racket. He’s got state senators eatin’ at his table. He’s got that prosecutor bitch lubed and beggin’ to take more of him up her ass. He’s got it all. Your soldiers been existing on dregs for you, whatever Georgia can drum up for us to put on the street, which isn’t much and it sure as f*ck ain’t quality, and I’m not the only one who’s done.”

This didn’t surprise me.

It concerned me, but it didn’t surprise me.

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 motherf*ckin’ 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 f*ckin’ know. Your dad is done, Liv. He’s so f*cked in the head, it’s not f*ckin’ 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 f*ckin’ 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 f*ck?” 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 f*ck 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 f*ckin’ care, so loyal to a whackjob, she’s totally f*ckin’ lost. But you know better. So get…the f*ck…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.

I loved all my boys.

I never told them this. That wouldn’t do. I was a Shade, but that wasn’t all there was to it.

I’d learned. I didn’t allow myself to show emotion.

Ever.

I still knew my boys knew it. I went to bat for them. I protected them. I did the best I could for them. And I didn’t hide it.

So they knew and the look in Green’s eyes, his concern, wasn’t the first time he didn’t hide he felt that back.

“But I gotta eat, babe,” he repeated as explanation.

“I understand, Eli,” I replied.

Green stared at me a moment before he shook his head.