Page 134 of Jonas

“So brave.”

“I’m not. I was scared.”

“Fear has nothing to do with bravery,” Lore interjected. “True courage is facing your fear, embracing it, and standing strong in the face of it. And girl, you were standing strong when we got there.”

I knew Derrika was going to argue. Before she could, I dropped my mouth to hers and did what I should’ve done the moment I found her. Her lips tasted like heaven, like a promise, but most importantly, they tasted like the sweet reminder of the future.

Derrika’s cuts were cleaned and glued. Penny had joined us in the living room but was giving Cash and Lore a wide berth. Kira had gone back down to the basement after Zane sent Natalie and Keith’s prints and clear images for her to run. He’d bring back DNA, but Kira was eager to get a head start.

I’d yet to allow Derrika to move, not that she’d attempted to get off my lap, and after she rightfully scolded me for having my head up my ass I understood why—she was where she wanted to be.

Lore had the bottle of tequila, Nebraska was giving her friend the side-eye. Lore was ignoring the censure and continued to take nips. I had a feeling Lore could handle her drink. She didn’t strike me as a woman who lost control—ever—but most especially around people she barely knew.

“Where’s Nixon and his crew?” I asked.

“They left about ten minutes before you rolled up. POTUS changed his mind, Gemini’s handling Ryan Clarkson. He wants answers before he makes a public statement and he realized that the less-than-legal option would get him what he needs quicker.”

He wasn’t wrong.

Another step closer to shutting this shit down. Not that the damage wasn’t already done, but we still needed to stop the hemorrhaging.

“So,” Lore started. “You’re part of the high school dropout club, too, huh? Best parting shot ever, by the way.”

“Yeah,” Derrika uncaringly admitted. “I left home a few months before I graduated. After I turned eighteen I took my GED. You?”

There was hesitation and another swig of tequila, but shockingly, Lore answered, “Same. Minus the GED. Life taught me more than any classroom could.”

I glanced at Cash. His face was a mask of indifference, but I knew him well enough to know he not only understood but felt Lore’s sentiment to the deepest depths of his soul.

“I hear that, sister.”

“Easton texted me,” Nebraska announced. “They’re bringing Jun De to the shed. He wants Cash and Lore to meet him back there. And Theo and Smith took over looking for Rutte. They have him in their sights, they should have him in custody within the hour.”

“Go-time,” Lore chirped and put the bottle on the table.

Cash clapped his hands and rubbed them together.

“Is this when we call in the dentist?” Derrika asked.

“No, darlin’, this is when Jun De Chen learns why Cash is King.”

Good Christ, here we go.

“Do you have a tiara and royal mantle and everything?” Lore joked.

“No, baby girl, all I need is my scepter. But if you’d like to play princess, I can get you a tiara.”

“How about this? You call me baby girl one more time, and I’ll shove that rod up your ass.”

“You sure do know how to turn a man on.”

“You’d be smart to remember, I also know how to make a man weep.”

“I’ll file that away.” Cash wiped the smirk off his face and turned his attention to Derrika. “Hate to ask, now, but I have to. Did they give you anything while they were holding you?”

Derrika blew out a breath and shook her head. Then she gave us a play-by-play of everything that happened, including how she got the bruise on her jaw and the cuts on her ankles. When she was done, I hoped like fuck it was my bullet that put that motherfucker Keith down. It was Lore who adjusted and put two nonlethal shots in Jun De Chen. Which after hearing what Derrika had gone through, I knew she wished she hadn’t exhibited the self-control. But we needed him alive for questioning.

After that…