Page 76 of Where Sinners Repent

But it would be safer than whatever this is. She is his weakness, and in this life we live, there is no room for weakness.

I see it in Ash, who can’t fucking sit still to save his life. He can’t think clearly because he’s so damn worried about his old lady. About the girl he risked everything for. The girl my brother risked everything for.

We wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for this love.

And the way she looks at him, like there is still something living beneath all the violence and pain.

Maybe she’s right. There could be something deep down, in the cavernous spot a heart should be. But if she keeps digging for it, she might find the part of him that’s been locked away since the moment he was born.

The part that’s desperate to be loved.

And if she ever breaks that... ever leaves, like everyone always does... There won’t be enough of my brother left for me to put back together.

The thought makes me feel violent.

Finally, the door opens, and Harvey saunters in. His already harsh face is lined with stress as he falls into his leather chair, eyes landing on Ash. Nothing good is coming from this conversation.

My mind whirs to do a stocktake of all the weapons attached to me, ready to fight. If Ash flies off the handle and does something he can’t take back.

Ash scoffs, reading the room in an instant. “You aren’t selling to us.”

Harvey’s jaw works, and his eyes flick to mine for a brief second before falling back to Ash. “No,” is all he replies.

Maybe it’s the lack of sleep. Maybe it’s the fact that the Devils seem to be getting fucked from all directions. But a sense of violence falls over me, and I’m about ready to kill the man sitting in front of us.

Although that would sign our death sentence. And we already have a few signatures on that.

“You were there when he took my Angel,” Ash grits out, his hands fisting on the armrests. “You know what we’re up against. Know why this all started.”

A brief flash of pity shines in the Harvey’s eyes.

“I know,” his deep voice murmurs. “Things have changed, Ash.”

Ash bolts to his feet, sending the chair crashing to the floor. Harvey doesn’t budge, as if this was the exact reaction he expected.

“What’s changed, Harvey? Nothing has fucking changed! So tell me the reason you’re dropping us,” Ash growls.

Harvey barely bats an eye. Me, however, I feel a headache blooming behind my eyes and the intense need to find Kai and see what he is doing. What the fuck is he doing? Probably watching her. Fuck.

Linking his hands together, he places them on his desk. “Well, first of all, I know that Zeke is still alive.”

That gets my attention. We weren’t sure who knew this little piece of information.

Ash crosses his arms. “That we know of.”

“And,” Harvey continues, “we know he wasn’t part of the flesh trade. By my intel, after he blackmailed your old lady’s father, he spent a good chunk of the money on finding dozens of girls and getting them home.”

I feel Ash’s shock as much as my own. Yes, we gathered the man wasn’t as involved as we previously believed. But to save them?

The muscles in Ash’s back harden.

“So, what? You’re selling to him now?”

Harvey narrows his eyes on the Devil’s president. “I’m not selling to anyone right now. Not the Wraiths, who are polluting the south of Havenport. Not the Demons. Not Zeke, wherever the fuck he is. And certainly not the Devils, who seem to be the target of everyone in a hundred-mile radius. We are stepping back, pausing business.”

My stomach drops. First the docks, and now this. Ruined.

Harvey leans forward, his eyes hardening. “I’ve always considered us friends, Ash Vargas. Allies, if not that. But if it’s true that Zeke has enough money to start a war... Then I want nothing to do with it. I have my brothers... My lady. It’s bigger than we all thought.”