Page 33 of Bound By Threads
If I fail, I may as well sign my own death warrant.
I exhale, trying to compose myself, throwing the last of my cigarette onto the pavement and crushing it under my boot. “We don’t have the fucking luxury of fucking around. I don’t know if we’re going to make it out of this. Do you understand?”
Elijah grunts, his eyes narrowing. I know he hates this, being in my father’s debt, and what that means if we are caught doing this, but it needs to be done. And Crew… he doesn’t say anything, his jaw clenches, the lines of his face drawn tight, and I know he’s feeling the withdrawals from the drugs.
I turn to the car, refusing to wait for an answer any longer, and pull the keys from my pocket. We’re all wearing the same masks, pretending to be something we’re not when all we want to do is fall apart. I can see the cracks forming, threatening to break through our carefully constructed facades.
They follow, and we climb into the car without uttering another word to one another, and I start the engine. The low hum of the car fills the space, but it does nothing to ease the tightness in my chest.
We drivein silence for a while, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I can feel the weight of everything we need to do pressing down on me—on all of us.
Finally, Elijah breaks the silence, his voice low. “You really think we can do this?”
I grip the steering wheel, my knuckles going white. I can feel Elijah’s eyes on me, his usual cold, detached stare replaced with a challenging one. I know why he’s asking. It doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“I don’t know,” I answer honestly. It’s the only answer I have for them. “But I know it’s the only shot we have. And I’m not about to sit around with my finger up my ass waiting for him to kill us all because we’re no use to him anymore, one by one.”
Elijah’s gaze softens just a fraction, but it’s enough to make me feel like I’ve said something right. Crew, on the other hand, remains silent, staring out the window as we drive through the now-empty streets. I don’t know where his head’s at, but I don’t have the luxury of trying to figure it out right now.
The city fades into the background as I drive to our warehouse. The plan is simple for tonight. Make sure the shipment for Pacheco is started, keep an eye on my father to make sure he’s not on to us, and avoid my father’s spies. It’s the kind of thing we’ve done a hundred times before.
But this time, it’s different. I’m so close to getting where we wanted to be, what we sacrificed everything for to get here.
Seven days before we’re out of here and starting new in another state for god knows how long, and I’m determined to get this order to Pacheco before we go.
Chapter18
Lottie
Archer is home this weekend… for good. The butterflies in my stomach threaten to bring up my breakfast. I stand in front of the mirror, running my fingers through my hair as I adjust my clothes, trying to steady my nerves.
This feels different somehow… important. It’s not just a visit home between deployments. It’s the end of his service to start working with his family after following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps.
Every man in the Robert’s family joins the Marines when he turns eighteen, learning discipline and honor as part of their family tradition. If he chose not to, he would’ve been given the option to attend college, but joining the family business would have been out of the question.
Since living with Archer’s family, I’ve never quite found out what they do. Still, I have an idea, and I know they do it honorably—using their power to benefit the community around them and provide scholarships for people unable to afford college, to the one they own. Yes, own. It’s still mind-blowing to me that I live a life that I never thought would be possible, thanks to these people who have become my family, but here we are, and I could never be more thankful.
Archer leaving the Marines is the end of something, the start of something new, and I know his parents are so happy to have him home, but I can’t help but feel overwhelmed. I’m just thankful I have the rest of the week to get my nerves under control before he gets here.
The doorbell rings,cutting through the silence of the house since Claire and Will are both at work. My heart leaps in my chest as I step away from the mirror and make my way to the front door.
Oscar.
He stands there so effortlessly, hands tucked into his pockets, watching me with that familiar, all-knowing gaze—the one that never fails to stir something deep inside me, sending butterflies dancing in my stomach. His blue eyes move over me slowly, not just seeing me, but reallyseeingme, like I’m the only thing that matters in this moment. His dark, fluffy brown hair looks impossibly soft, and I have to resist the urge to reach up and thread my fingers through it.
With his warm olive skin and that tall, 6’3” frame, he towers over me in the most comforting way—like he could block out the rest of the world if I asked him to.
He blinds me with a smile as he steps in, like he knows what I’m thinking.“Thought I’d give you a lift to college today.”He signs, his fingers moving fluidly, his eyes locking with mine.
I can’t help but take him in. His presence fills the room with an easy confidence he’s carried for years since I met him, yet it still makes the nervous energy in my stomach grow.
Oscar stands in front of me, his casual clothes that I rarely see him in since I mostly see him at work when he’s following me around as my personal guard dog, somehow making him look even more attractive in an almost effortless way. I can’t help but notice how he fills out his clothes.
I’ve been attracted to Oscar since I met him, but in the last two years, it’s like he’s got hotter, and being around both him and Archer is not good for my heart or my labia.
“Thanks,”I respond, trying desperately to keep the tremor out of my fingers as I sign back to him.
Oscar smiles at me again, his eyes shining.
