LOLA

He’s sitting on the edge of the cliff with his feet kicked out over the ledge. In the distance is a beautiful view of this rotten city. I’m thinking twice about approaching him. Lord knows that the last time I saw him he wanted nothing to do with me and why would he?

I promised him one thing and then dragged him and his twin brother into my father’s mad world of corruption, evil, and malevolence. And though I had begun to feel something for Zach Richards, it wasn’t enough to stop me from the work that had to be done.

What he didn’t know at the time, and to this day probably, is that I brought him into the organization for one reason only—to destroy my father. That ended in a fiery explosion that should have killed both my father and I… Only it didn’t quite work out that way. It ended with me pulling the trigger and then quickly changing my mind. It ended with me saving the one person capable of destroying me.

And to this day, it’s a decision I’ve lived to regret.

I was foolish for ever believing that my father could change. The evil malevolence that runs through his veins is who he is. It’s written into the code of his DNA. There’s only one way he’ll ever change and that’s with a bullet through his head.

But I can’t be the one to do it.

And when I glance back at Zach Richards kicking his feet over the edge of the cliff with a sullen look written all over his face, I almost think that he can’t be the one to do it, either. I almost think that I can’t drag him back into this world. Especially not after what transpired just a few short months ago between his brother and my sister.

He grabs a rock from beside his leg and tosses it over the edge. It’s so quiet up here, so damn peaceful—especially contrasted against the cityscape in the distance—that it almost doesn’t feel like I’m standing in the same city I grew up in. It’s so damn quiet that I can hear the rock skipping down the jagged path of the side of the cliff.

He draws his hands beneath his knees and cradles them there as he stares out into the distance. It’s like he’s lost in the view and lost inside his own head. I can’t help but to take notice of how much different he looks than when I had seen him last.

He’s darker, more tan. His hair has grown out slightly from the buzz cut he’s always worn and he’s more distressed. There’s a darkness hanging over him like storm clouds, the likes of which we never really see out here in Los Angeles.

He grabs another rock and launches it over the edge just the same as he had done before. That’s when I take my first step towards him, mustering the courage to do what must be done.

Though it’s winter, it’s still hot. That’s southern California for you, I suppose. There’s a light, gentle breeze that blows through my hair, kicking strands out into the front of my face as I approach him from behind.

As I draw closer to the point where I’m standing just behind him, with the sun lighting my shadow so that it hangs behind me, I take notice of the way he scoffs gently and then curses under his breath.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” I say from behind him. “The view, I mean.”

He nods. “Yeah, it’s breathtaking.”

“You know a lot of people talk bad about this city.” My feet kick against the rocks on the edge of the cliff as I shift to stand beside him, but still out of his line of sight.

“You seem really passionate.” He chuckles and drops his head, seemingly completely unaware of who’s talking to him. “Care to join me?”

“Oh, I would love that.” I drop down beside him so that my jeans scratch against the rough surface beneath me—it feels nice to be in something more comfortable than a tight dress although I’m still wearing heels. I kick my feet over the edge of the cliff so that I’m now sitting right beside him. I’m counting down the seconds until he realizes that it’s me he’s talking to. I’m counting down the seconds until he loses his shit, which I’m fully expecting him to do.

His eyes shift to me and a haunted look travels over his face as he freezes. All I can do in return is give him a wild grin.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

He swallows nervously, and then says roughly, “Lola Grimm?”

“That’s right,” I say with a gentle shake of my head. “You are seeing a ghost.” I comb one hand through my hair and shift the weight of my hair so that it hangs over one shoulder. “I bet you have a lot of questions.”

“How are you…?”

“Alive?” I cock a brow and then purse my lip before shaking my head again. “That’s a long story for another day.”

He drops his head and I’ve seen that very look before because the same look has passed over my face many times. It’s the look of defeat. It’s the look of giving up. “Are you here to kill me?”

“You mean like your brother killed my sister?”

“Wait, what?” he stammers. “She really was related to you?”

“Her name is really Lola Grimm.” I chew into my bottom lip and grimace, not because I’m particularly upset she’s dead, but because it’s an awkward conversation to talk about my sister who my father and I deliberately hid from the world. “Or I mean, her name was Lola Grimm before your brother put a bullet through her brain.”

His throat tenses as he swallows again.  “I had nothing to do with that.”

“Relax.” I drop a hand onto his muscular thigh and offer him a warm smile of sincerity. “I’m not here to hurt you.”

“Then what are you here for?” he questions and shifts his attention back out to stare into the distance where smog drowns out the views of the skyscrapers.  “And how did you find me?”

“All of your questions will be answered in time.” I shake my head first and then bow it low, almost sheepishly. It’s because I’ve always carried enough pride on my shoulders to power an entire army. “There’s something I need help with.”

“Absolutely not,” he spits out and climbs to his feet in an instant. I can’t exactly blame him for being apprehensive because those were the exact words I used the first time we met. Those were the exact same words that lit a chain reaction that almost ended in both him and his brother’s untimely demise. “I’m not getting involved with this shit again.”

“It’s different now,” I grind out and then hook my gaze upwards to meet his. “I need your help.”

“Need my help with what?”

I nod, but only to myself, before also rising to my feet to join him at his side. It’s a little bit tricky climbing to my feet in heels over the rugged terrain but I manage to do so without tumbling forwards off the edge of the cliff and I chalk that up to being a momentary win.

When I’m on my feet, I take a measured step towards him and he flinches backwards.

“It’s okay, Zach.”

“Tell me why you’re here and you don’t have a lot of time.” He crosses his arms defiantly over one another and narrows his eyes on me. “And this better be good.”

I swallow a gulp as both of my hands drop to tangle nervously with each other. It’s always been my nervous tick, my tell-tell sign that I’m uncomfortable. Try as I might, it’s a habit that I just can’t break. I wet my lips and avert my gaze, still unsure of how to best broach the task at hand.

“You’re running out of time.” He shakes his head furiously before pushing past me, his arm brushing against my arm. His touch is enough to bring back so many memories, but I know right now isn’t the time to reminisce. I spin around and latch onto his arm, stealing his attention once more. His eyes travel back to meet mine and for a second, I almost lose focus and get lost in those dark emerald orbs.  He scoffs under his breath, “Are you done wasting my time?”

I clear my throat and exhale sharply. These are the words that are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. These are the words that will serve as an impetus for something I can never take back. Once these words pass my lips, it means that my plans will become a reality. That will be the point of no return.

I swallow once more and muster the strength to force the words from my lips with total and utter conviction, “I need you to help me kill my father.”

He freezes in place again, a pale haunted look passing over his eyes as he realized just what I’m asking him, but more importantly, as he realizes what I’m saying… That my father is still alive.

“How the hell is he still alive?”

“Like I said,” I grit my teeth, “it’s a long story. Now are you going to help me or not?” I drop a hand to each of my hips and wait patiently for him to answer, but as the seconds pass by, I’m starting to realize that this might have been a terrible idea. Why would he ever want to help me after what I put him through? There’s more to the story—there always is—and though now is not the time to get into all the dirty details, there’s something I know will grab his interest. Something he needs to know. Something he deserves to know, but also something that will change everything. “And there’s one thing you should know before you say yes or no.”

“And what is that?”

I roll my lips over each other before staring him dead in the eyes and with a grave tone, I say to him, “Your mentor Dom is not who you think he is.”