Valor

Chapter 34

The sweet essence of smoke fills my lungs as I basically devour the cigarette that's propped in my mouth, my hands wrapped around my cup of coffee that has long gone cold.

I'm sitting on the front porch staring out onto the passing cars wondering when the other shoe is going to drop.

Three weeks.

Three weeks and nothing has happened since the club was torched. It was put out fairly quickly, but obviously it sent the message it was meant to. I guess one good thing came out of these three weeks considering Mav and I have a ceasefire in place. Things are still rocky with us. I wasn't expecting him to embrace me overnight so when he came downstairs the next morning and placed a soft kiss on the crown of my head, both Kai and Dame stared like they'd seen a ghost.

Still, he keeps his distance most of the time and honestly I don't blame him. There is a lot going on–ok that's a lie. There is a lot on the line though and he is taking it all on. I've tried to help, but he just snaps at me to leave him alone so I do just that.

The cigarette is on it's last drag when I feel a buzz in my pocket.

I groan and take out my phone, fully expecting to see the 100th text from Casey asking for updates on my relationship with the Valors.

We've factimed a few times and everytime all she can talk about is how jealous she is of my sex life. I have to remind her she is fourteen and that's not normal, but then she reminds me she had a pimp and was having sex or money and that usually shuts me up.

I don't see a text from Casey when I look at the screen; instead there's a text from a number I don't have saved.

At first I think it's one of my contacts in the underground network, but then I remember they use my burner. No one other than Casey, Sam, and the Valors have my number so it's a little unnerving to see that someone has gotten ahold of it.

Unknown: I'm surprised to see you smoking considering what those same cigarretes did to you.

My eyebrows crinkle together in confusion before a deep pit of fear settles within me. The cigarette burns.

No one other than Casey and the valors know about those and I know none of them would dare fuck with me like this.

The only other person who knows is Marco and his men.

My head is quick to scan the area around me knowing that the only way they know I'm smoking is that someone is watching me.

There is no one in sight which only makes my nerves worse. A shiver runs down my spine as I finally realize my worst nightmare is coming true.

He has found me and there is nothing I can do about it. I knew it was coming sooner rather than later and a part of me was hoping that he wouldn't give a shit about me after all this time, but clearly he holds a grudge.

I mean I was able to get away thanks to a woman who is no doubt dead by now for helping me. I doubt a lot of people get away from Marco and on top of that are able to disappear so they can't be found.

I guess I didn't disappear well enough because he found me anyways.

Does he know I'm sitting on the porch of the Valor's house?

Does he know of my involvement with them?

Who am I kidding, he doesn't need to know I'm fucking them to consider them trash. Anyone who associates with me is automatically a target.

I'm just glad Casey is tucked away safe from all of this shit. I know it won't take long for them to discover she is my ward, but finding her is going to be difficult—more difficult than I think possible.