Chapter 17

17

Abel

Old Town is almost exactly the same as it was eight years ago. It’s not surprising, exactly, not when the entire point of Old Town is that is doesn’t change. The shops line a street so narrow, it’s been closed to vehicle traffic since before I was born. They’ve stretched banners from rooftop to rooftop over the street, creating a breezeway of sorts. It keeps the worst of the heat out in the summer and the rain and snow the rest of the time.

I stand at the entrance and inhale slowly. This is the second test of being back. No matter what the other factions think or what happened during Lammas, if the people here don’t fall into line, our return will be short-lived.

We only have one chance.

Cohen stands at my back with Maddox and Iris flanking him. They’re all dressed in black and look forbidding, though Iris is drinking in the sight of the street in a way that tells me she’ll be peppering Finnegan with questions when she gets back to the compound. She’s a white woman with long, dark hair that she’s got pulled back from her face in a low braid. Iris isn’t a Sabine Valley native; we picked her up a few years ago as we were passing through New York. Good girl. Deadly with a knife, and even more so with a shotgun. Like a fucking artist. She’s got one in the scabbard strapped to her back, and despite what should be an awkward position, I’ve seen her draw it faster than some people can draw a handgun.

Maddox is a white guy with blond hair and the kind of good looks that would have him competing with any of the legion of blond actors Hollywood likes to employ. He’s another transplant, this time from Chicago, and he and Cohen have been friends who occasionally are more for a few years now. He’s only the second guy my brother has trusted enough to let into his bed on a semi-regular basis, which is saying something. He’s also just as deadly as Cohen is.

Between the three of them, they are more than capable of watching our back.

Eli and Harlow flank me on either side. He’s in slacks and a light-gray button-down shirt and looks like he just walked out of a board meeting. He’s done something to his hair to give it a bit of a wave, and the only marring of his perfection is the bruising around his eye. Even that doesn’t really detract. It simply highlights the height of his cheekbones and the curve of his lips. Eli looks like a fallen angel, and it makes me want to prod at him until the illusion of perfection shatters.

Harlow’s changed into a flirty red dress that makes her tits look amazing and flares out around her thighs. She’s got on black boots and a leather jacket to combat the chill in the air, and she’s left her hair down. Her makeup is understated, with the exception of the bright red lips that perfectly match the dress. She catches me looking and lifts her brows, a silent challenge, but she’s holding herself more tightly than the last time I saw her. Something happened today, either with the Brides or after. I’ll have to get her to tell me about it once this is over.

“Behave, you two.”

Harlow gives a tight nod. Eli just smiles slowly. “Of course.”

He’s up to something, but I knew that from the moment he said he’d play nice and then hit his knees to suck my cock. I can’t afford to react, not when he’s no doubt thinking three steps ahead. I have to anticipate his plans and cut them off before he can move forward with them. Either way, it won’t happen this afternoon. He hasn’t had enough time to plan, and no matter how fucked up his relationship is with Harlow, I don’t believe he’ll do something to put her in danger. He won’t risk calling my bluff on it.

At least, he better fucking not.

I turn and look back down the street. This time of day, there should be a decent amount of foot traffic, but it’s almost deserted. I start moving, conscious of Harlow and Eli falling into step behind me on either side. I’d feel better having Harlow between me and Eli, but that’s the very reason I don’t put her there. I won’t do anything to let him know I register him as a larger threat than I already have.

There are a couple ways to play this, but I have to maintain a position of power. Walking door to door to talk to the owners of the shops lining Old Town isn’t the way to go. Instead, I lead us down to the courtyard about halfway through the street. It used to be a four-way stop, but it’s been given the same treatment as the rest of the street. There are banners filtering the light and protecting from the weather, and someone’s dug up parts of the street to plant some carefully curated greenery. Tables and chairs provide outdoor seating for the scattering of restaurants in the area. There is also a trio of food trucks set up in the dead end that’s been blocked off.

I sit on one of the picnic tables and prop my elbows on my knees. “Round them up. They dig in their heels, leave them be. I don’t need everyone. Word will spread either way.”

Cohen nods and motions to Maddox and Iris. They head back the way we came and split, ducking into three separate businesses. I keep one eye on them and the rest of my attention on the area immediately surrounding us.

Harlow props a hip on the table next to me. “You’ve got some balls of steel to summon them like a king. They don’t like it. That’s now how things work around here.”

“It’s how things work now. They’ll learn to live with it.” I speak without looking at her. “This will save wasted time on both sides.”

“Not how I’d play it,” Eli murmurs.

I shoot him a look. “You’d smile and come, hat in hand, door to door to tell them how grateful you are for their support and make all sorts of promises.”

“That’s exactly what he did.” Harlow doesn’t raise her voice, doesn’t look at Eli. Her tone is remarkably devoid of any emotion, which tells me the source of her disquiet. As far as I know, Eli didn’t leave his room from the moment Cohen marched him back in there earlier, and Harlow didn’t go to him, but they must have communicated somehow.

A mystery to deal with later.

It takes Cohen and his group twenty minutes to hit every business on the street. People come out in ones and twos. I have files on all of them. The Rodriguez family who run the textile businesses. The Smiths, owners of the market and two of the restaurants, each run by one of the Smith siblings. The Phan family, clustered around their patriarch, Chinh. They handle weddings, funerals, and everything in between. All of them have been here for generations, since well before my grandfather’s time.

Not everyone shows up, but I don’t expect them to. These families will take the news back to the others, and Old Town will decide whether it wants to dig in its heels or roll with the new wave of things.

I wait another minute, giving them time to settle. When I speak, I very intentionally don’t lift my voice, though I project it to everyone here. “You know me. You know why I’m back. I’ve won this faction by the laws of Lammas, and I fully intend to reclaim my rightful role. I have no interest in fucking with you. Tithes won’t change. My people will ensure that everyone behaves and no one bothers you.”

Chinh moves forward. He’s a short Vietnamese man with a shock of white hair and a lifetime’s worth of laugh lines on his face. He looks like a kindly grandpa—he used to slip peppermint candy to me and my brothers when we were kids—but underestimating him would be a mistake. He has influence with more than just his family here; he’s arguably as powerful as Eli was before I took his seat.

Chinh eyes me. “Your father made promises, too. Things didn’t turn out the way he said they would.”

I don’t bristle at his implications. I knew what I’d be pushing against when we came back. My father was a hard man, and he only got harder as time went on. I’ve made my peace with the fact that everyone in Sabine Valley will look at me and see the shadow of the monster he used to be. It will take time to prove them wrong, but I’m not above using their caution against them. I hold Chinh’s gaze. “I am not my father.”

He studies me for a long moment before he glances at Harlow and Eli at my side. “No, I suppose you aren’t.” He takes a whistling breath. “We’ll discuss it. You’ll have your answer within two days.”

It’s not what I want to hear, but I know better than to push my luck. Old Town doesn’t bend for anyone, and they’re determined to put me in my place before they roll over. Not quite a toothless threat, but I can afford to sit on my hands for two days if it smooths the way to the next step. I nod. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Chinh nods and turns. The small crowd parts around him as he walks away, his family falling in behind him. People disperse quickly after that. He’s their voice, for better or worse, which means they’ll be rushing to hold a meeting and discuss their options.

They don’t have any, but better for them to figure that out for themselves than for me to shove the knowledge down their throat. I glance at my brother, and he nods at my silent question. Finnegan’s already done his thing and we have ears in the Phan building. We’ll hear every word they say and be prepared if they decide to fuck with us. Good. “That’s that.” I push to my feet and brush off my pants. “Let’s go.”

Harlow starts to life next to me. “That’s it?”

“Yeah.” I nudge her with my shoulder, enjoying the surprise she’s not quite able to cover up. “Did you think I’d threaten and snarl and maybe beat up a few people?”

“Can you blame me?” she murmurs. “You like to threaten.”

“Each situation calls for its own unique approach.” I look at Eli. “Nothing to say?”

He shrugs. “You’ve learned how to be subtle in the last eight years. I’m still processing.”

Asshole. I raise my brows. “Walk and process at the same time. We’re done here.”

We head back to the SUV. Cohen motions for us to stop a reasonable distance away and nods at Maddox. We all watch the blond stalk the SUV and start going over it. Eli snorts. “You think someone planted a bomb? Really?”

“It’s what I’d do if I wanted to make sure someone went down and stayed down.” Having Eli and Harlow with me means it’s less likely to happen, but there might be people in the faction willing to sacrifice both of them to ensure a Paine doesn’t sit on the throne again. Eli’s father wasn’t my family’s only enemy; he didn’t pull off that coup alone. No doubt his allies aren’t happy to see us show back up again.

A few minutes later, Maddox signals the all-clear. It takes ten minutes to get back to the compound, and I don’t breathe easily until the doors close behind us and I see Broderick standing at the top of the steps at the house. Another signal that everything is as it should be.

Paranoid, yes. But my paranoia has kept my brothers alive for eight long years. No reason to let our guard down now. We start to get out of the SUV, but Harlow touches my arm. “A moment?”

“Sure.” I ignore the strange look on Eli’s face and wait for everyone to empty out of the vehicle before I turn to her. “What do you need?”

She blinks. “Just like that?”

“I’m not saying I’m giving you anything you want, but you obviously need something because you’ve got shit bothering you. What is it?”

But she doesn’t look reassured. If anything, she seems more confused. “How did you know something’s bothering me?”

I study her face, but her surprise isn’t feigned. “You’re quieter than normal, and you’ve been fighting not to wring your hands since you got in the car. You also won’t look at Eli, which I would assume is just the new normal, but there’s a tension that wasn’t there earlier. So, did he figure out a way to get to you, or are you still angry about how things went last time you were alone together?”

Her mouth works, but no words come out. Fuck, he really did a number on her, didn’t he? I still don’t get it. Eli is too smart to fuck it up so thoroughly with a woman like this, but it seems to be exactly what he’s done. I lean down until our faces are even. “Why are you so surprised that someone noticed how you were feeling, Harlow?”

“Now you’re just being cruel.” She looks away but only for a moment. “Everything I do, I do for my people.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that before.”

She takes a deep breath. “I’m going to be sharing Eli’s bed every other night for this year. It will minimize the chance he’ll try something, and it’s a small sacrifice to make to see that happen.”

I wait, but she just sits there, barely seeming to breathe. I could demand to know how the fuck he got to her, but it’s a moot point. Eli is making his first play, and he’s using the one thing Harlow can’t ignore. Guess you can pay attention when you want something, you fucking dick. “No.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” I lean back and reach for the car door. “He wants to be in your bed, he can join us there. His choice.” I climb out and turn around to look at her. Harlow’s gone even paler than normal, and a little too wide around the eyes. “You got a problem with that?”

She slowly shakes her head. “What are you hoping to accomplish with this?”

“That’s my business.” I shut the door and head for the stairs. Cohen and Broderick are waiting for me there. After the briefest consideration, I nod at Broderick. “Make sure Harlow gets into the house.” He’s too careful to push her, and I can’t guarantee Cohen won’t start issuing threats. He wasn’t overly keen on this plan to begin with, because by nature of having a Bride, we’re letting the enemy close enough to strike. A balance we have to make sure we’re not on the wrong side of.

“Got it.” Broderick starts down the stairs.

“Playing with fire,” Cohen murmurs.

I shoot him a look. “Worry about yourself. Tell Finnegan to report anything he hears in the Old Town meeting. And then get some rest. You look like shit.”

“You’re one to talk.” But he just heads into the house without another word. I could tell Maddox to keep an eye on him, but the other man already will. He’s a fool to want more from my brother than Cohen is capable of giving, but it’s their business. Not mine.

No, my business is heading up the stairs to his room. I bite down a grin and follow him up. I shouldn’t enjoy going round after round with Eli so much. I can say it’s all for the sake of vengeance, but there’s a spark there that didn’t exist when we were only friends. It’s as if we’ve become our true selves in the intervening years; two predators sharpening their claws on each other.

I like it. Far more than I have right to. And the fool just gave me the excuse to take things to the next level.

Tonight I’ll have Harlow in my bed… and I’ll have Eli, too.