Chapter 13

13

Coy paced the shared balcony outside their bedrooms, his restless steps echoing in the quiet night. Kenzie joined him, her gaze filled with concern as she observed the turmoil evident in his movements. She knew that the weight of the day's revelations was bearing down on him, and she could sense his frustration at not being able to fix everything on his own, as he had always believed he had to.

As they stood beneath the luminous glow of the night sky, the stars shimmering above like a sweet dance, a show just for them. Kenzie reached out and gently touched Coy's arm, urging him to pause and share his burden.

"Coy, you don't have to carry this alone," she said softly. "We're in this together, remember?"

Coy sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping with the weight of his worries. "I know, Kenz," he admitted, his voice tinged with frustration. "But I can't help feeling like I should be able to fix this. The complexity of the cases I tend to work far exceed this small-town bullshit, and yet… I can't solve it. Every time we turn around, it's something new, and I can't seem to get a handle on it. Especially when it comes to protecting you. You're in danger, and I can't stop it."

Kenzie squeezed his arm reassuringly, her touch grounding him amid his turmoil. "You don't have to be the lone hero, Coy," she reminded him gently. "We'll figure this out. Together."

"I can't believe it," Coy muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. "Glen shot? Was my mother involved in some sort of drug ring? Nash... maybe not even my brother?"

He sighed, "I can't even imagine what Nash is feeling right now. He's my brother. Always has been and always will be and I wish I could convince him of that."

"I think he'll come around. He just learned his whole life was essentially a lie. His loving parents hid his true identity from him, and what makes it harder is that his biological parents are both gone and under tragic gut-wrenching circumstances."

"I just can't believe our parents took their secrets to their graves. I want to understand it and recognize that they probably believed it was best for all involved, but that's the kind of secret that comes out eventually, and the longer it takes, the bigger the blow."

Kenzie nodded with understanding. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision for them."

"Of course it was. How do you tell your son you killed his real parents."

"They were his real parents," Kenzie said. "From what Glen shared, Nash has had a far better life than he would have otherwise. It sounds like Tommy was headed down this road regardless of that night and what would that have meant for Nash then? Everything happens for a reason, even the bad things in life. The worst of the worst imaginable serves a purpose… in this case, it was probably to save Nash."

"I suppose you're right. I guess I know why your dad and Glen were around so much, especially after Pop died. They felt a responsibility to Nash… to all of us."

"I'd say that's a fair assumption. Glen said it himself –– your parents were family, and they protect family fiercely."

"We saw that today." Coy ran his hand through his hair as he recounted the events of the day, "That man took a bullet for us today, Kenz. A damn bullet. That could have ended far worse than it did."

"But it didn't, and we're grateful for it," Kenzie reassured Coy.

"He shouldn't have gone alone. We should have protected him better." Coy said with frustration. "See, this is what I mean. We saw it coming and still couldn't protect him from what was coming straight at us."

"I don't know what any of us could've done differently. Glen was going to do what Glen did whether you sent an army with him or not. I don't think the outcome would have been any different."

"We would have Steele. We would have grabbed him before he could get away. We'd have his laptop…"

"Maybe. Or maybe we would have had a blood bath on Main Street."

Kenzie gently took hold of Coy's hand and guided him towards the nearby loungers, encouraging him to sit and relax. She settled down beside him, curling up against his side and resting her head on his shoulder, offering him comfort and support in her silent presence. "I know it's a lot to take in, but we're getting closer to answers. Each step back leads to several forward. These blows, although hard to swallow, are actually getting us closer to answers. And we don't know if your mother was involved in a drug ring."

"Kenz, nobody grows fields and fields of poppies like that for hobby. It has the keystones of an illegal ring. They're going to harvest those poppies and make some opioid-based substance. I doubt it's a legal farm selling to pharmaceuticals, or we would see documentation suggesting such. Being this close to the border, I can't help but worry this is a cartel deal."

"Okay, when you put it like that." Kenzie sighed, "I know it looks bad, but we also know Delilah. This isn't like her. There's something else going on, and I think we'll figure it out as soon as we get Steele. He'll also answer for what he did to Uncle Glen."

"This. This right here is why I stay away." He said.

"Oh, so you're back to thinking you brought this here?" she questioned.

"Absolutely. I may not be responsible for what my parents did all those years ago, but the other stuff? The grow fields, organized crime-like behavior, the land grabs… what if this old cartel shit in my name."

"How?"

"Revenge. My team has been instrumental in dismantling all of the crime families from here to God knows where, and we've uncovered some pretty sick shit in the process, including involvement from government, powerful businesspeople, and the list goes on. Any number of them could be at the top of this pyramid. You heard Dev, the offshore accounts, shell companies, and all that other crap was buried so deep it was even hard for my team to unravel. The last time something like that happened, it was because our own resources were being used against us. What if that's what's happening here? Again."

"Then we deal with it." She said gently. "You can't keep beating yourself up over the things that you have no control over. You also can't take responsibility for the decisions really bad people are making. You didn't do this, Coy. Even if it's an old adversary at the top, you didn't bring this here."

Coy sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as if he were holding the weight of all the worries in the world. "I just can't shake this feeling, Kenz. The danger is getting closer, and I can feel it breathing down my neck. It's like it's closing in on us, and I don't know how to protect Dev and Nash from it –– or Charlotte, for that matter, since she's now been dragged into this. I especially don't know how to protect… you."

Kenzie's heart ached at the vulnerability in Coy's voice. She propped herself up on her elbow, laying her arm across his waist and locking her eyes with his. "Coy, you don't have to protect me alone. We'll figure this out together, like we have been. Your safety is just as vulnerable. We're a team now. We're in this together."

Coy held her close, his grip tightening as if afraid to let her go. "I've fallen for you all over again," he admitted, his voice barely a whisper. "I'm falling in love with you, Kenz. But I don't know how to love you and keep you safe at the same time. I didn't think it was possible. You know, to fall in love twice. After Emery, I thought I'd used all my chances, but here, in the middle of… all this chaos… I found you. My heart won't survive another loss, Kenzie. I barely survived it last time."

Kenzie's eyes shimmered with unshed tears. "I uh, I love you too, Coy," she confessed, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don't know how or when, but here we are. In the middle of a war, and my heart… it wants you. And I'm scared, too. This isn't a typical case. It involves people we love and cherish, and with the ghosts of our past constantly in the background, it only makes it harder. But I have to believe that if after all these years, fate, the universe, the almighty, or whatever it is brought us back together ––two wounded hearts –– it has to end in our favor, right?"

Coy met her gaze, gratitude, and relief flickering in his eyes. "Thank you, Kenz," he whispered, his voice filled with emotion as his thumb stroked her cheek. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kenzie smiled, her heart swelling with affection for the man lying beside her. "You'll never have to find out," she promised, her voice steady and unwavering. "We'll face whatever comes our way, together. We'll win this war ––we have too much to lose, not to."

As they lay there in silence for a moment, clinging to each other as if their love was the only thing anchoring them in the storm, Kenzie couldn't help but wonder how long this would last. If they really could have a future together. It was as if as long as they were right there together, wrapped in each other's arms at that moment, nothing could hurt them. Like he'd read her thoughts and there was a shared understanding, Coy leaned in, and they pressed their lips together in a tender kiss, pouring all their fears and hopes into the promise of their new love –– their second chance at love.

As they pulled away, Kenzie couldn't help but sense the uncertainty lingering in the air. She didn't know what the future held or how they would navigate the dangers that lurked ahead. How could Coy? But one thing was certain: as long as they had each other, they could face anything that came their way together.

Coy stood and scooped Kenzie up, cradling her in his arms, and he carried her to his bedroom where they'd spend the night, just the two of them, not a worry in the world, even if just in those moments. They'd ignore the danger closing in and the looming threats and take their time loving each other because the rest of the world would be there, waiting, preying on them… tomorrow.