Sundown was approaching as Luna sat in a corner of the kitchen, on her ass with her knees against her chest. She needed a moment alone. She looked at the evidence they found and still she couldn’t believe what she had read.
Recently, she and Cat wondered if they could be sisters, after all Isobel had been pregnant twice or so she claimed. What happened to her second child? Her second mistake? How the hell had she ended up with Dennis all those years ago? Boots already told them she wasn’t Dennis’ kid, she also knew her and Cat were not sisters or related at all actually, so then who the hell was she?
JuJu had told them that the Montoya cartel had gone in to break up the Alvarez Cartel and many men had died that day but he also told them most of the cartel scattered into the wind. That had been twenty four years ago.
Someone had come up to where she sat and her head rose up.
Kota sat down on the floor beside her. He grunted as his ass made contact with the floor.
Feeling dazed, she stared at him for a moment. “What the fuck do you want?” she whispered hoarsely.
“I want to know if you are okay.”
Luna shrugged. “I’m not sure.” Shaking her head she admitted, “It’s a helluva lot to take in you know… I’ve always wondered who I was but, I never expected something like this.”
Kota snorted. “There is no real proof of it. Knowing Isobel, who’s to say she didn’t probably kill the baby right off? I mean she never wanted her own kid, why would she let the kid of her enemy live?”
Luna turned her head and studied him again. “Like I said, what do you want?”
Kota growled. “You really got no clue, or are you playing hard to get?”
Luna kept staring at him, as she had no idea what he meant. “What the hell are you talking about now?”
Kota growled. “You, woman. You and me together, that’s what I’m talking about.”
Luna slowly shook her head at him. “There is no you and me, mister.”
“There could be.” He winked at her.
Luna gasped, as she realized what he was getting at. “What the hell? You have done just about everything you could to shut me out and now, you want me to believe— wait, no you want me to accept there is a you and me? How the hell is that possible?”
Kota sighed hard. “Well, I couldn’t let you know I was interested before could I? I mean seriously, what if you were my niece’s sister? That would have just been awkward, you know. Not to mention weird.”
Luna felt a rage building within her. “So let me get this straight. So now that you know I’m not Cat’s sister, everything is ok for you to want me?”
Kota shrugged. “Yeah, at least we know you aren’t Isobel’s kid, that’s a plus too.”
“But Cat is her daughter and that just busts your chops doesn’t it?” Luna reasoned out.
Kota shrugged and looked away. “Like she said, she can’t help who her parents are. Although being my brother’s kid isn’t so bad.”
“And yet, you all blame her for something you say she can’t help.” Luna scorned him. “You, your dad, Nash, none of you really want her here.”
Kota sneered. “Her bitch of a mother killed my brothers, she not only betrayed my family, she betrayed every man living here, wearing our colors.”
Luna got to her feet and glared down at the man she was just beginning to like. “Fuck you and the hog you ride. Cat cannot be held to blame for what that psycho bitch Isobel does! Why are you punishing her? Cat is a wonderful person. But you and yours wouldn’t know what a blessing was if it smacked you in the fucking face. Cat is a blessing… you damn fool. She’s the most loyal friend you’ll ever have if you’re lucky enough to have her that is. She doesn’t trust most people and those she lets close are fortunate. She’s had too many people spit on her because of her gift. And I can see that you conveniently forgot that she saved your ass from prison and you still won’t let her in?”
Kota shook his head as he let out a heavy sigh.
“She didn’t have to come here,” Luna went on. “In fact, she normally wouldn’t have let anyone know about her gift except for the fact she wanted to help that girl named Jenna get justice.” Luna paused and swiped at her tears. She took a deep breath and decided that he just wouldn’t ever understand. “Cat came here and has done nothing but help you guys and honestly, none of you deserve her help. That woman has been looking for somebody to give a shit about her all her life. Her dad could have cared less for her, he was too busy to even notice she was even there. Her mother tried to kill her. So now, your dad, you, and most of the men here have done nothing but look down on her since she got here. Well mister, I may not know who I am, but you can bet your sweet ass… I know she’s my family.” Luna shook her head. “You and me…That ain’t happening. It could have maybe at some point but not anymore. She deserves better and so do I.” She turned to walk away.
Kota had gotten to his feet and grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. Then he kissed her.
They both felt the spark when his lips crushed down on hers, as she gasped the kiss went from PG to XXX in a nano second. When they broke the kiss, both had to gulp air back into their lungs.
For a moment, Luna felt weak kneed as she allowed him to hold her close. Suddenly, she cried out and broke away from his embrace. Slapping his face, she growled. “Just remember something here I’m not good enough for you.” She then turned and left the kitchen in a hurry.
Kota just stood there and rubbed his face. “The hell if you’re not. You are exactly what I want and what I need. You already belong to me, even if you don’t realize it yet,” he spoke the words in a whisper but he meant every one of them.
Luna stomped into the main room and went over to where Cat was sitting with Titan. After pulling out the chair and plopping down into it, she turned to glare at the kitchen door. She looked flushed and kept shaking her head.
Cat stared at her then glanced up at the door. She saw Kota come through it. She swung her gaze back and studied Luna for a moment. “Are you okay?” she asked her friend quietly.
Luna shook her head no and couldn’t seem to speak.
Cat got to her feet, grabbed her friend’s arm to direct Luna down the hall to her bedroom. Pushing the other woman inside, she shut the door behind them both. Cat leaned against it and just stared at her. “OK… start talking, sister.”
Luna just hung her head. “We aren’t sisters. Not even if we wanted to be, we just aren’t.”
“Says who?” Cat asked.
“Says the blood test,” Luna grumbled.
“Who needs a fucking blood test to determine who is and isn’t family?” Cat exclaimed. “You have been my sister since I was seven and you were five. I don’t give a shit who claims otherwise.”
Luna lifted her head and looked at Cat.
Cat sighed. “Honey, you and me, we’ve been family from the get go, way back then and now. We will always be family, forever.”
Luna rushed over and hugged her friend. “I was hoping you would still think so. I think we should leave. I just cannot stand the way they are treating you. They should all be left in the dust.”
Cat cupped her hands on Luna’s cheeks and looked into her eyes. “Chaos has always ruled my life, from the moment I was born, bad things have happened. I was always powerless to stop them. Even now, when I know my own mother wants me dead, chaos still rules everything. You know I didn’t want to come here, I never wanted anyone to know about my gift or my curse, but my secret is out in the open now and I can’t stop the looks or the feelings other people have. You think I don’t see the way they look at me? I see it. Most times, they aren’t even trying to hide it. I know that I won’t be here long, but I have to stay here long enough to see this done. I feel I owe them that much.”
Luna looked angry. “You don’t owe them a damn thing.”
Cat sighed. “They’re family whether they like it or want it, they are my family. Don’t worry sweet girl, I’m not stupid, and the only one I’ll really miss is Titan. When I do leave, I’m really gonna miss him. He has done nothing but support me and take care of me. I haven’t had anything like that since Davey…” She swallowed heavily and shook her head. “So tell me what happened just now.”
Luna closed her eyes and took a step or two back. “Kota was relieved we weren’t sisters. Even if I am the daughter of a drug dealer, he preferred that idea better than if I was Isobel’s daughter. This club really hates her.”
“He had a red mark on his cheek. Did you slap him?” Cat asked.
Nodding Luna explained, “I sure did. After he told me he could never truly accept you because of her, he added that I belonged here with him. He thought I would accept that and stay here without you. The man is just plain stupid in thinking that. I told him what I thought about him and then he kissed me.”
Cat felt the cold invade her soul that she had lived with for years. The cold that no one wanted her, the cold of being shut out, the cold she let go when Davey had accepted her, gift and all. Or at least, she thought she’d gotten over it but now, it was seeping back in. “Luna, please don’t give up what you want for me.”
Luna shook her head adamantly. “If they don’t want you, they don’t want me and that’s just the way it is. I finally found you again after all these years and I’m not gonna lose you. You and me, we’re a family. We cannot let that go for anyone or anything.”
Cat sighed heavily. “But maybe without me, you will be safe too? She dumped you here and intended to kill you. I really feel like I am endangering everyone here.”
Luna shook her head. “She killed your dad and those other men years ago. She has been here all along from what I can understand. It isn’t you that puts anyone in danger, Cat.”
“Yes, it is me!” Cat swiped at her tears. “I mean ever since Titan and I got together, I live with the fear that Isobel will kill him too. I just can’t live like that. I have thought about leaving, so maybe he and the others would be safe, but dear ole mom is still here and she won’t stop, no matter what I do.”
Just then, a knock sounded on the door and Titan called out, “Cat, we need you two out here. Something has happened.”
Cat wiped the tears from her face and Luna took her hand.
When they got to the main room, everyone was there glaring at them.
Cat sighed and said, “What did she do now?” She knew it could only be her mother who could bring on this kind of response.
“We just got a phone call from the sheriff. Someone snuck into the hospital and cut Billy Ray’s throat,” Hawkins told her.
Cat shrugged. “We all knew she was bitch, what’s the big deal? She’s just tying up loose ends. That’s all he ever was to her, a loose end. She never loved him and he thought, well he was mistaken.”
Hawkins nodded. “Yeah, Billy Ray told the sheriff that. He also told him that when he was gone, she would find another man to protect her. Isobel always had someone waiting in the wings for that.”
“She also left a note on the mirror written in Billy’s blood,” Kota stated.
Cat glared at him. “What kind of message?”
Hawkins answered her, “She wrote… Catarina is next. Anyone who tries to stop me will meet with the same fate. The Sheriff wanted to warn us and let us decide on whether we wanted the trouble she was gonna bring here.”
Cat stiffened. “Oh… Now, I understand, I’ll pack my things and leave as soon as it gets dark.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Hawkins claimed.
“You can’t keep me here.” Cat growled.
Titan pulled her close to his side while reminding her, “You don’t have a car remember? And you aren’t going anywhere without me.”
“Neither of you are leaving here, dammit!” Hawkins yelled in frustration.
“Um, boss, we got a problem,” JuJu announced.
“Another problem? Other than Isobel?” Hawkins glared at his IT guy.
JuJu nodded. “Yeah, I’m not sure this one is any better. In fact, I know he’s not.”
“Who the hell are we talking about?” Hawkins asked.
“Manuel Alvarez.”
The whole room went silent at JuJu’s announcement.
Kota snarled. “What about that bastard?”
“Hawkins wanted me to get a hold of him,” JuJu explained. “To tell him we found the pendant but we weren’t the ones who took it. I was supposed to arrange a pickup somewhere and see if there was any response. Well… there was a response, all right.”
“Well, get on with it man,” Hawkins snapped. “What was the damn response?”
“Mr. Alvarez himself said he would be here by dawn to reclaim what was his,” JuJu told them.
“Fuck, I should have known he would do that.” Hawkins looked angry.
“Oh, hell no.” Kota snarled. “That ain’t gonna happen. He wouldn’t dare meet us on our own home ground.”
