Therefore, Georgia was higher up on the hierarchy. I had autonomy to manage our soldiers and keep the books, but I deferred to her in all other matters.

“You didn’t want me interfering before,” I pointed out.

“My baby sister wasn’t selling her house so we could inject that cash into our operation before. Deal with David. I don’t get what you get from him so you don’t have to bother telling me I’m right if you find out I am. But I also don’t do our books. Goes without saying, if I’m wrong, I want to know.”

“Okay, Georgie.”

“And I’ve got some stuff I’ve been working on for a while. Things are looking good with it. Once I know it’s solid, we’ll make a meet. Okay?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered.

I wanted this to be promising.

As hard as my sister worked and had done it for years, with the results of that so far I was not holding too much hope.

“Great, sis. Go out tonight. Have fun,” she ordered. “See you tomorrow.”

“All right. See you.”

She disconnected.

I dropped my phone hand to the counter but just stared at it.

I looked behind me to the fridge.

There wasn’t much in it.

I should go to the grocery store. Or I should call Bistro Vendôme and see if they had an opening. Or perhaps even find a nice, trendy bar with good lighting and expensive cocktails and go there, people watch, find someone to fuck then come home.

I looked from the fridge to my house which needed to be sold. I only had a few hundred thousand dollars-worth of equity in it, but with Dad shooting soldiers and ten thousand dollars in cash going out to doctors, not to mention other bills, salaries to pay—we needed every penny we could get.

I had a dinner appointment with my mother in a week.

I had a father who was out of his mind and no matter how much Georgie worked and I schemed and scrimped, he was going to bury us. I knew it.

I’d never see Green again and I’d miss him. He’d always been sweet and respectful to me. Also, I worried there was a good possibility I wouldn’t see Green again because Dad or Georgia would make it so no one would see him again…ever.

And I knew the last load of product Georgia had managed to get her hands on was of inferior quality, but more importantly, it was running out. If Georgia didn’t get the boys something, Green wouldn’t be the only one to go in one way or another.

I just knew the only two who couldn’t go were Georgia and me and I was probably the one who wanted to go most of all.