Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Easton

Two hours of sleep was going to have to cut it. I was hoping for more like five; I'd functioned on much less, but after staying awake all night, my mind had other plans, it would seem.

I couldn't stop thinking about Kati, and what Lyla had said. I had been so close yesterday morning to asking Kati if she wanted to go out one night, but then she went and choked on her coffee. I took it as a sign that it wasn't the right time to ask, so I made it seem like I wasn't interested.

That couldn't be farther from the truth. If it had been one of my friends pulling that kind of nonsense, I would’ve smacked them upside the head.

My physical reaction to her was borderline obsessive at this point. When I wasn't near her, I wanted to be and she was all I thought about. Life was about to become very awkward if she didn't return even a tenth of the emotions I was feeling. I wasn't sure how long I could use the excuse of protecting her as a reason to be near her.

And if I wasn't near her, then I needed to know she was alright.

"I thought you were supposed to be sleeping?" Hendrix answered the phone, in lieu of hello.

"I was too wired to sleep. How's Kati?" I didn't bother to hide the desperation to get information. If there was any of my friends who understood me, it was Hendrix. On a good day, he was just shy of crazy anyway.

"Pissed when I informed her I would be following her to the grocery store and any other errands she had to run this morning."

That sounded par for the course. Kati wasn't thrilled about her situation and I couldn't blame her. No one wanted to have their life turned upside down.

"My fridge and cabinets are pretty bare. I should probably do my own grocery shopping. Got any good recommendations?"

Hendrix's evil laugh was exactly what I expected when I asked the question. But it didn't stop him from giving me the name of the store Kati was headed to.

"Thanks, man."

"Don't mention it. Oh, and give Nolen a call. He has some information he wants to go over with you."

I didn't have any missed calls or texts from my co-worker, so whatever the information was couldn't be that important.

"I'll call him on the way to the store. Anything else I need to know?"

"You left barely three hours ago. What exactly do you think could've happened in that short period of time?"

Anything really. I had thought Kati would be safe at work but I was proven wrong yesterday. Whoever was tormenting her was upping their game and that was dangerous. The fact that local authorities didn't know of anyone from Los Cangris operating in the area, or recruiting, only further worried me. These guys weren't known for keeping a low profile. A change of M.O. was concerning.

"Fuck off. I'll see you soon."

I grabbed my keys and wallet off the kitchen counter. The apartment I rented was nothing more than a small studio. I didn't care about space; I had only one stipulation when I was searching for a place. The lease needed to be on a month-to-month basis. I wanted time to find the right house to purchase without being locked into a long lease that would prevent me from moving when I found something. Small towns weren't known for having a lot of apartments available, but I got lucky. One of the residents had a studio above their garage. They needed the extra cash to pay for their daughter to go to college, and I got a nice place to crash for the time being.

I jumped into my SUV and called Nolen as soon as I started the vehicle. I was impatient to see Kati again, despite it only being a few hours. Calling my co-worker was simply a way to pass the time and keep my mind occupied. At least, it started out that way until I heard what he had to say.

"Come again?"

I knew I was running on very little sleep, but it would have to be a good two or three days of barely any sleep at all before my mind started playing tricks on me.

"Alejandro Diaz was stabbed in prison early this morning. He's currently in critical condition."

Holy shit.

"A man like that usually has protection inside. Before he went to prison, Alejandro had a reputation for being ruthless. I didn't think anyone messed with him. How the fuck did someone manage to stab him bad enough that he landed in critical condition?"

Ruthless was even too tame of a word for the man. Reputations had a way of being exaggerated in some instances but the things people said about Alejandro made the devil sound like an angel.

"The guards thought the same. Fourteen years and no one ever messed with him. Until today."

"Did they say what happened? Was it a solitary attack or during a riot?"

A million questions raced through my head at once. Did this have to do with his gang trying to recruit Lucien?

"It happened during a riot. The guards aren't sure if he was caught in the attack or if the riot was used to cover up the attack. No one else was seriously hurt, so my first guess is Alejandro was the target."

"This changes things."

It changed a lot actually.

"Mav is requesting you bring Kati in. He thinks she needs to know what's going on."

I didn't want to agree, but it made sense. A power shift in a major gang like Los Cangris was bad for all involved. It meant there could be an unknown player attempting to take over. The old saying “it’s better to deal with the devil you know than the devil you don't” was one hundred percent accurate in this case. At least we knew what to expect from Los Cangris.

"I was headed to the grocery store anyway. Hendrix said she's there now. I'll talk to her about stopping at the office, or better yet, we could meet at her house. That way she can put her groceries away."

It was too damn hot in Texas to leave anything in a vehicle even for a few minutes. Besides, Kati might feel more comfortable in her own home.

"Just text me the plan once you know."

Goodbyes were exchanged and moments later I was pulling into the parking lot of the grocery store on the edge of Willow Creek. It was a mom-and-pop kind of place that most likely carried the essentials but nothing fancy. Thankfully, I wasn't a fancy kind of guy, not that I ever kept that much food in my place to begin with. I ate out more often than not.

I found Hendrix parked in one of the closer spots with a clear visual of the front entrance and walked over to him. The blacked-out windows of the Jeep ensured I couldn't see my friend, but the engine running was the first indication Hendrix was inside.

"You didn't go in with her?" I accused Hendrix when he rolled the window down.

"And further piss her off?" Hendrix threw his head back and laughed. "Hell no. I figured I would leave that honor up to you, Romeo."

The last part was barely audible through the fits of laughter, but I understood him enough to clap him on the head before I stormed off. I wasn't trying to be a Romeo; I would settle for not making an ass of myself just once in Kati's presence. The number of times I fumbled my sentences was embarrassing.

It didn't take me long to find Kati in the cereal aisle. Her cart was about half full. A decent accomplishment considering she had been shopping for about fifteen minutes before I arrived. I took a few seconds to watch her. Kati seemed to move and shop with an efficiency that suggested she didn't waste time browsing.

"Sugary cereals are my weakness," I slid behind her and whispered. I realized the error of my ways as a box of cereal hit me square in the chest when Kati spun around.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Kati hissed.

The two of us bent down at the same time to retrieve the box and nearly smacked heads. My quick reflexes were the only thing that prevented me from additionally showing off how unbalanced Kati made me.

"Sorry." I snatched up the box quickly and stood up. With an outstretched hand, I extended both a literal and figurative olive branch to make up for scaring her.

"Let me guess." Kati crossed her arms over her chest. "You happened to be in the neighborhood shopping and running into me is a complete coincidence, despite seeing me only a little bit ago?”

Sometimes honesty was the best policy, and at this point, I couldn't screw things up more than I already had. "Actually, no. Hendrix told me you were headed to the store, so I came down. I couldn't sleep anyway."

I knew I’d made the right choice when Kati's expression showed first surprise and then appreciation. Her hands dropped back to the cart handles as she continued shopping. I took it as permission to tag along.

"I wouldn't think a man like you had any weaknesses. Especially not of the food kind."

She glanced over and didn't hide the fact that she was checking me out. Not once, but twice, her eyes looked me over from head to toe. I was suddenly glad I hadn't let myself go after retirement like some men did. The transition back to civilian life was hard, especially after so many years in. I knew several guys who succumbed to vices as a way of coping.

"A man like me?"

Kati scoffed, and not in a ladylike way. "Oh, please. Like you don't know how good you look. You don't need compliments from me. How much time do you spend in the gym anyway?"

No, I didn't need them but I sure wouldn't turn them down. Then her question registered—far more than I wanted to admit, but again, I felt it was best to be honest. I was trying to gain trust.

"More so now that I've retired, but I've been floundering over the past year. Not sure what direction I wanted to take with my life. I knew I needed a change, but I hadn't known how that would look. Fortunately, Maverick was on top of things as usual, by starting the company."

"I expected you to deny it."

We continued to move through the aisles at a record pace. Kati knew what she was looking for and did it with precision despite the conversation we were having.

Another thing I learned as I watched Kati shop was that, outside of the occasional sugary cereal, all the things she picked out were healthy. The cart wasn't full of quick-made meals, like you would assume with a single, busy mom. There were fresh ingredients with a few snacks thrown in. I admired her even more with every minute I spent in her presence.

"A week ago I might've. I'm not proud I've been spending so much time there, but I'm used to physical exertion as a way of dealing with stress. The gym just happened to be the one readily available at the time."

Kati gave me a side-eye, the kind that once again was a blatant once-over of my body.

"At least it works in your favor, even if there are better ways to physically work through stress."

I normally didn't preen under a woman's praise. Though, right now I was a fucking peacock, and I didn't care what it said about me. I liked that Kati was noticing me and not afraid to say it. Or in this case, show it.

Then what she said sunk in. My cock pressed painfully against the zipper of my cargo shorts at what she could've possibly meant by that statement. It had been many years since I had to discreetly adjust myself in public so I didn't get hit with an indecent exposure fine.

"Yes, much better ways." I was trying to respond casually, for those words to be full of innuendo, but I failed miserably, and Kati knew it. The look she gave me said as much. What I didn't see was disgust though, and that was a step in the right direction. There was hope that Lyla was right after all.

We continued to move through the aisles as Kati shopped. The entire process was normal and almost couple-like. The conversation flowed naturally and all of the awkwardness from the first few encounters seemed to melt away.

I was too busy watching Kati that I hadn't bothered to shop for myself, despite the lack of food in my place. I told myself I would do it another time.

Liar! Grocery shopping was on the list of the least favorite things I liked about living alone.

I felt bad when Kati finished cashing out and I followed her to her vehicle. I was about to burst the nice little bubble we found ourselves in with my next statement.

"I'll follow you to your house. My team wanted to meet with you and discuss Alejandro."

Sure enough, the bubble popped and I watched as the gravity of her situation settled back over her like an ugly black cloud. The carefreeness of the morning disappeared in the sky and who knew how long it would take to return.