Into the Light (University of Isles #2)

25. Chapter 25

Chapter twenty-five

Weeks had passed after we’d gotten back from the house in the countryside, and Ember had insisted we legalize all the title documents for the house. I wasn’t going to argue, but little did she realize she was making my dreams come true. I also spent most nights at her house, but it was one of those things we didn’t really acknowledge what we were or what we were doing so it wasn’t true. Everything was better left unsaid, and I was okay with that.

It was time to put my plan to action because I knew what I had to do to finally close this chapter we had and move forward with our life. Plus, Mr. Ortiz has been on us at the Den to see if we’d gotten any new information.

Pico was walking me to the edge of the town at the small diner that Ember had taken me to weeks ago. It was a run-down little place, but the food was probably the only decent thing in this town.

“What’re we doing at this shithole?” He looked up at the sign flickering and furrowed his brows.

“Hey, don’t knock it until you try it. They actually have legit burgers.” I laughed before he narrowed his eyes at me.

“Ash took us here. I disagree.” I laughed thinking of Pico being forced to come and do couple-y things with his girlfriend. He loved Marissa deeply and had since I could remember from back home, but he also played the tough-guy act a lot and was a stubborn piece of shit most of the time.

“Can you believe that next year we will be outta this place?” Pico asked, looking behind us where Isles was being greeted by the shadows of the evening.

“No,” I said flatly because I had no fucking idea what that meant for me, no clue what my so-called future would look like.

“Anyway.” He pushed open the door, and the little bell jingled. “Are you going to tell me why we’re here or are you going to make me guess?”

I laughed slowly before looking around the diner and finding the familiar head of hair in the back of the corner booth before I gestured him in that direction.

Pico reached for his waistband before I shook him off.

“This is peaceful,” I told him, trying to convince myself of it. I reached out to him when Ember told me she was going to meet with him. After debating it for a while, I figured the worst thing that could happen on neutral territory was we make a bigger fight for the spring bonfire than last year.

As I walked in front of Pico and approached Walsh, Ember’s brother, it was uncanny to see the resemblance between them. They resembled their mother. I’d only ever seen photos of Ember’s mom briefly when I was in her room. She kept a photo of them when she was a baby tucked behind her desk inside her bookshelf. As if she was ashamed, leaving her in the shadows, not ready to face that yet.

“Walsh.” I swallowed, and he stood up and shook my hand.

Walsh looked at Pico and then back to me.

“I thought we were coming alone.” He eyed Pico one more time, giving him a once-over. “Not bringing our dogs.”

“Pendejo.” I placed my hand on Pico’s chest before he pressed.

“He is an important part of this conversation,” I encouraged. “Plus, he, too, had no idea who we were meeting with.”

I slid opposite Walsh on the other side of the bench.

“Are you going to explain why we are here?” I knew Pico wanted to ask the same question, but would never question me in front of Walsh. That’s why I knew what I was doing was the right step with what I was about to do.

“Yes—”

“What can I get you guys?” The familiar waitress came over with a pad of paper and pen in hand, ready to take our orders. It always fascinated me that the people who actually lived in Isles had no idea what this place stood for. I mean, they had to have known with how the place reeked of blood and war every spring, but none of them ever said anything if they did suspect.

“Chocolate milkshake,” I told her, the corners of my lips turned into a smile.

“Who the fuck orders milkshakes for this type of conversation?” Pico said, and I chuckled. Walsh was also laughing.

“What? They’re fucking good. In fact, you all need one.”

I looked back at the waitress. “Make that three chocolate milkshakes.”

She nodded and rushed away before I gave them a smile, thankful that ordering milkshakes had broken the thick ice pulsating between us.

“We are all graduating this year. Well, I am a bit behind both of you, but nonetheless, we are respectively going to be heads of our new worlds.”

Walsh gave a quick confused look at Pico, furrowing his brows. I was technically bound to be the leader of the Cartel in the US. When Ash died, everyone knew it.

“I don’t want to be in the organization,” I confessed, and this time, Pico broke his stoic stature.

“What?” he balked.

“Listen, I was never meant to be a leader. It was always supposed to be Ash, and without him here, I realized I am a shit leader.”

“Why are you saying this right now?” Pico pressed his lips together, and I could only read between the lines of what he really meant. He was calling me an idiot for confessing this in front of our enemy, but that was my whole point.

“Because I am tired of having this decades-long fight between us. Our parents are stupid, stubborn assholes.”

“What the—” Walsh slammed both hands like I offended him personally.

“Come on, Walsh. You and I know that your mom and my dad were the first people to get sucked into this whole shitty ass world and then somehow a pawn for a larger war that was at play between our two organizations.”

“My mom was innocent.”

“My dad was fucking power-hungry, but was innocent, too. At the end of the day, we need to make sure Mr. Ortiz steps down nicely. In order to do that, we need to all sit down together, end this fucking . . . tryst between them, and show them that there is strength in power and numbers versus constantly fighting over each other.

“And when the time comes for it, I need both of you to know that I will not be taking over. In fact, with Pico’s permission, I want out of the organization altogether.”

Pico looked at me and gave me a small pat on my shoulder. “Of course, brother,” he said sincerely, as if he’d forgotten that Walsh was sitting across from me.

When he pulled away, he coughed before regaining his composure back into his ice-cool stance in front of Walsh.

The waitress came back and dropped our milkshakes off. They all had bright-pink straws in them and some of those cocktail umbrellas you get at fancy restaurants.

“I like the extra flair, Sue.” I winked, and she laughed the entire way back to the kitchen.

I plucked the umbrella out and took a sip of the creamy shake.

“Come on,” I encouraged. “They’re fucking good.”

Walsh and Pico did the same thing, and getting two mortal enemies to drink umbrella-style milkshakes out of pink straws had me feeling pretty fucking invincible.

I waited until they tried their shakes and then asked, “So?”

“I can see why she likes you,” Walsh said, and it sobered my goofy mood.

He knew.

“How did you…” I asked, cocking my head.

“You put her name on a house. I am not stupid. I have dings on my sister if she buys anything new or whatever just to make sure no one is taking advantage of her.”

Note to self: remove the tracker he has on her.

He raised his hands. “I’m not upset. I just wish she’d see I want what’s best for her.”

We all took a pregnant pause.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Walsh added, breaking the awkward silence. “I think we need to sit down with our parents and tell them about this. There are a few things I also want to tell them together.”

“I agree. It’s time to end the feud,” Pico added. “But I have one request if we are going to work together.”

I waited to see what Pico had to add because I was curious.

“Yeah?” Walsh inquired.

“I want to stop the spring bonfire tradition for good.” I swallowed, thinking of what this could’ve done last year.

Walsh looked at me and nodded to respond to Pico, but his gaze never left mine. “I agree.”

His tone was suddenly far more somber, and I knew he knew more.

“Pico”—I turned toward the man next to him—“I think we can hash out the details on how to get the guys together later. If you wouldn’t mind letting Walsh and I have a few personal words.”

Pico agreed. “I’ll just be waiting outside.”

Pico slid me one of his Glocks, and I slid it behind me on the booth just in case this conversation took a turn.

If Walsh was nervous, he didn’t show it. As Pico walked away from us, he extended his hand to him. “I look forward to hearing from you.”

Pico looked down at his hand and then back at me, and I shrugged.

“You too, man,” Pico finally said, and shook his hand before heading out of the diner.

“How is she?” Walsh muttered, and I leaned back in the booth, because talking about a business I didn’t give a flying fuck about and talking about Ember were two different things. I felt protective, fearless, and I also knew that Walsh was withholding a secret from both of us. A secret that he’d tucked in for a while.

“You should ask her,” I said.

“I tried. She came to see me—”

“I know.” I refused to cede control of the conversation. Leaning across the table, my elbows supporting my weight, I locked eyes with Walsh.

“Walsh, don’t misconstrue my attempts to end this as kindness or gratitude. I’m doing it so that I can move forward with your sister. Because I fucking love your sister and I want nothing but her happiness.” His expression tightened.

“But let me be crystal clear. I’m well aware you’re keeping something from us. Ember knows it, too. Your silence speaks volumes. Neither of us understands why you won’t open up, but we have his phone now. Our IT team is looking into it. If you’re involved in any way, I’ll find out.”

Walsh audibly swallowed, mirroring my posture by leaning over the table.

“Tell Ember that she only needs to know that I can’t tell her,” his voice barely above a whisper, “but the answer is there.”

I rolled my eyes. “You need to figure this out before our meeting with our parents. It will resolve a lot of problems for all of us. It will also give them the look that we are a united front. There should be no secrets moving forward..”

This time, desperation laced his tone, as if he clung to a deep secret he wanted to bury.

“I can’t.”

“Just answer me, were you there?” I pressed, my hands tightening on the table.

After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded without uttering a word.

“Did you do it?” I asked again, my fingers now gripping the table’s edge, waiting to see what he had to say because part of me wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know the answer to the question. I didn’t want to because had he done something, I’d have to fucking kill him.

There were two people I would kill for, and one of them was no longer here.

Slowly, he shook his head. I let out a sigh of relief, but that was brief before the anger washed over me yet again.

“Damn it,” I muttered as I rose from the booth. I appreciated that he’d answered the questions I’d already known the answers to, but his mysterious and ominous behavior grated on my nerves.

Before exiting the restaurant, I cast a final look his way. “If you’d lost Ember in the same way, wouldn’t you search for answers to understand why?”

“I would,” he replied through clenched teeth.

“Ember and I lost a lover, a brother. Both of us lost a deep friend. We’re seeking closure, just like you would. Your evasiveness is infuriating, Walsh. You hold the missing piece of this puzzle.”

He swallowed hard. “I promised him.”

I was certain he’d said that, but before I could respond, he abruptly left the booth, shoved his hands in his pockets, and exited the restaurant.

“Fuck,” I screamed as I grabbed the gun and shoved it in my pocket before throwing a couple twenties on the table for Sue.

As I stormed out of the restaurant, Pico pulled me aside before I jumped onto the bike.

“You good?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted me in your spot?”

He looked pissed, but I just didn’t have the fight in me left.

“Because you deserve it. Come on, you see how I can barely control the Den for our meetings or I pass them along to you. Hell, you know how to manage Mr. Ortiz better than I do. It’s something you’re good at, and from what I gather, you fucking like it.”

He nodded. “I do . . . like it.” I offered him a tight-lipped smile.

“Listen, for what it’s worth, I won’t let him down.”

“I know you won’t. That’s why I think you’re perfect for this.” I paused. “Walsh didn’t shoot Ash. He told me so much tonight, but he also admitted he knew something. I am fucking pissed and exhausted, so I am taking Ember to the lodge tonight if you need me.”

“Cool.” He winked at me before he turned away laughing. “Use a condom.”

He was shouting so everyone in the deserted parking lot could hear him. I revved the bike, trying to drown his shouts.

“Be safe.”

“Remember you can’t spell class without some ass.”

“What the fuck?” I shouted, and both of us broke into a fit of laughter before I headed toward her apartment.

“We are finally getting out of here.” I was laughing as we started to pack our clothes into bags, separating whose was whose in Ash’s room.

I turned over to look at him, and his tone didn’t match the same excitement as mine. No, he was much more somber and sadder.

“What’s up with you?” I asked, shoving him a little, but he looked up with me in the same face.

“Dad wants me to take over as leader junior year, which means the spring bonfire,. I’ll be a target starting next year.”

“Damn,” I commented. Mr. Ortiz sat both of us down to explain the bonfire earlier this year. It was the most dumb and chauvinistic use of force that I’d heard in a long time, but the fear in Ash’s face was intense.

“I got your back, though,” I told him, grabbing the shirt from his hands and folding it, forcing him to sit on the bed.

“I know, but you won’t always be here for me, Rain. You’ve done so much for me, and I feel really fucking guilty.”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Ash, that’s what brothers do for each other. We weren’t born brothers, but you’re the closest thing to me. You are my family.” Ash feigned a smile before he laid back onto the bed.

“We aren’t going to let anyone get in between us. No pussy, no beer, no fucking dads,” I added, which only produced a little chuckle from Ash.

“Like you and I would ever go for the same girl, anyway. You like them quiet and meek.” I rolled my eyes, throwing a pair of socks in his face while he laughed.

I was worried about him. He’d battled with his mental health for so long that I could only hope that going to Isles would help him and give him some separation between his dad and the life he had here.

“It’ll all be okay in the end,” I whispered to myself, hoping that he didn’t hear me.

“In the end . . . I’ll always take care of you too, Rain. Love you, brother.”