Cadillac Payback: Rising Tide by AJ Elmore (the false prince .TXT) 📕

Freddy says, “You can’t stay here forever. You need to get some real sleep.”

My first reaction is a rash of anger. It doesn’t make sense. It’s pure knee-jerk that happens when someone tells me what to do. I know it flashes in my eyes before I can squash it. I also know, without a doubt, that he sees it.

Beside me, Noah’s phone starts ringing in his pocket. He stands and walks across the room to answer.

“What am I supposed to do, I don’t even have a right hand now,” I say quietly.

I’m staring at Noah’s back, but I’m not really seeing anything. I hear Freddy sigh, and I know there’s something going on beneath the surface.

Noah returns, and says, “I have to take off. Eva had to call out, and I don’t have anyone else to cover the bar.”

“Thanks for staying with me,” I tell him. I stand and give him a quick hug.

“Anything for you. Let us know if anything changes,” he says.

“Of course.”

When I turn back around, Freddy is staring at the floor like it has insulted him. He is leaning forward, his elbows propped on his knees. He’s so tense. My first thought is that he’s reacting to my interaction with Noah. Then I second guess that. This is something else.

I take my seat, not shy in the least about watching him.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” I ask.

He’s quiet for long enough that I believe he really isn’t going to tell me. I think of the night this all went down. He was so much like he used to be. Now he’s a silent storm, and there’s a solid chance he’ll retreat again behind his inner walls.

Then he quietly says, “I was going to take back the position until Josh recovers, to make sure you’re safe, but Abuela assigned me to Jorge first.”

“What?” I say, louder and sharper that I meant to. “Why?”

“She’s afraid he’ll be targeted, or so she says. This whole thing stinks like a dead fish,” he says.

He still won’t look at me. This scene is so reminiscent of the morning he told me that Charlie died because of Abuela’s feud with Gram. His reluctance, his tone, it feels the same. Cold dread forms like a weight in my gut.

“What do you mean?” I ask, much quieter.

Finally his gray-washed gaze slides to me.

“She’s not investigating the drive-by. She didn’t even ask for any details. She pegged it on the Rubio family. She says they’re giving her trouble across the border, but I think it’s bullshit. I think she’s framing them, and she’s about to exact a coup. Once again, she’s fucking using you, and this time it’s not just you.”

His words are slow to process, and as they do, the dread solidifies into rage. There’s no outlet for it here, and my limbs have begun to shake. I know it’s all over my face, because he’s watching me like he might have to stop me from destroying every chair in this room.

He continues.

“That’s why she moved me to security. She’ll find some way to get rid of Mateo, since she’s targeting his family, and give security to me. That’s another division that will be solely under her control.”

I can tell he’s been digging this up for a while. For a moment, I can’t believe he didn’t tell me sooner. Then I think of that morning at the plantation again. What did I do last time he tried to warn me of Abuela’s treachery? I ignored it.

He leans back against the chair. He props one elbow on its arm, and leans his head on his hand.

“And then there’s fucking Jorge. The deal he’s working on will secure a pill supply stateside, and cut out supply across the border. That’s where Izzy comes in.”

My eyes go wide. With all the shit that’s been going on, I honestly haven’t thought of that strange moment in the mansion hallway.

“Turns out, the pill supply will come from the family of his ex-fiancée, and it was Abuela’s stipulation that he represent them in order to open negotiations. She’s known where he was this whole time.”

The rage gives way to shock. He’s giving me a lot of information, and it’s hard to sort it out through the intense emotion that results.

“How do you know that?” I ask, my voice now barely a whisper.

“I asked him,” he says. He sighs again, and adds, “They’re basically blackmailing him into doing this. Bringing him in is the one piece I haven’t figured out. She can’t really expect his loyalty after doing him so dirty. I think she’s banking on some old sense of camaraderie among our crew, but that’s a pretty weak move, and she’s smart enough to realize that the crew dynamic died when he walked away.”

For a while, all I can do is stare. How did I completely miss all of this? Even as she was playing me for the fool the whole time. She was right. I am a fucking fool.

Freddy goes quiet and looks back to the floor. He pulls his glasses off and rubs his eyes. He doesn’t put them back on right away, and he doesn’t move his hand.

He says, “I can’t fucking do this anymore. This pawn life isn’t for me. I don’t want division head ever again. I’ll die before I take security.”

I gasp, and just like the stupid girl that I have proven to be, the tears rise. He’s going to bolt, take his money and his guns, and run. This time, he’s not asking me to come.

Fucking Abuela. She put a bullet in one of my crew, and turned the other into more of a puppet than me. And all the while, I’ve been dutifully making her deals that move pound after pound.

The tears drain, and no more follow. The pain has come full circle back to fury. He’s right. I don’t want to lose him completely, but I’m finally not selfish enough to ask