“I don’t want to look. I don’t want reality to intrude today.”
Kane sweeps a lock of hair off my face. “We’re real, princess. Reality ain’t gonna change anything about that. Go check and see if it’s important, and come back to me.”
I untangle myself from him with a sigh and head for the living room to find my purse. My phone chimes again.
I pull it out and check the screen. “What the hell?”
“What?” Kane calls out.
“It’s Magnolia.”
24
Kane
Idon’t know what the hell Magnolia wants, but I don’t like one of the most notorious madams of New Orleans texting my woman or coming to her apartment. Apparently, whatever Magnolia has to say to Temperance, she can’t say over the phone or put in writing because it isn’t safe.
That makes me even more hesitant to let Temperance face her alone, but I couldn’t argue the fact that Magnolia might be more open with her than with both of us.
And this is why I’m listening through a crack in the door from Temperance’s bedroom as she lets Magnolia in.
“What’s going on? You sounded like this was important,” Temperance says.
“You think I’d rush my ass all over the French Quarter if it’s not important? Of course it’s important, girl. You done lost your fool mind in grief, haven’t you?”
Magnolia stood behind Keira that day at the cemetery when they thought they were burying Ransom, and I have to wonder if Ransom was dumb enough to reach out to Magnolia to tell her the truth about being alive. My guess is no, because I can hear her heels strike the wood planks of Temperance’s living room as she paces.
“What are you talking about?”
“You. Quitting your damn job. Grief has you all screwed up. That’s the only reason you’d be dumb enough to do it. But you need to go tell Ke-Ke you need it back right the fuck now.”
The urgency in Magnolia’s tone rubs me the wrong way. She knows something I don’t, and that is never a good thing.
“Why?”
Temperance’s question is exactly the one I want answered. I have no idea why Magnolia would give a shit about Temperance quitting.
That’s when Magnolia drops the bomb.
“Because you need to be in the circle of Mount’s protection, girl. There are still people out there who could come after you because of your brother. Unless you want to end up dead.”
People?We know about Lagarto, but if what Magnolia is spouting off is true, we missed someone we didn’t know about, and that can’t stand.
25
Temperance
Istare at Magnolia like she’s not speaking English. “Who? What are you talking about?”
The slightly intimidating woman—with her perfect hair, perfect clothes, and perfect makeup—shoots me a cutting look.
“I know you ain’t part of my world, and I don’t want you to be, but you don’t know what a bad fucking move you just made. You put yourself at risk the second word got out you aren’t under Mount’s protection anymore. You need to get back under his protection, or you’re going to end up as dead as your brother.”
That answers one question.She doesn’t know Rafe is alive.
But she apparently has information that I don’t have.
“Who do I need protection from?” I ask, hoping Kane is listening to this conversation word for word through the cracked bedroom door. Whatever Magnolia has to say, we both need to hear it.