“So, once again, we have no proof that these are the same assholes.” Frosty swivels in his chair to look at Edge and me.
“Christ, Frosty.” Taking another swig of Jack, I pass it to Edge.
“No, I need to stay sharp in case Dolly needs me.” He looks worried. I can’t tell if it’s because someone tampered with the security at his club, or that his wife Dolly is five months pregnant and her emotions are all over the place. Which sucks for Edge since Dolly is already drama.
Someone bangs on the door and we turn to see Blade and David through the camera. Edge buzzes them in.
Blade snarls and I hand him the bottle of Jack. “I’m two seconds from losing my shit, Frosty.” He turns to him as he brings the bottle to his lips. “I need you to tell me you know who’s fucking with us.”
Frosty rubs his hands up and down his face, looking like shit. He probably hasn’t slept yet since he usually stays up all night, and we needed him in the daytime to handle this mess. “I don’t. But I do think it’s the same guys.” He drops his hands and sighs as he turns to queue up the footage again.
I throw myself into a chair and prop my feet on the black conference table. “Blade, it’s Benny. It has to be. Quite frankly, I think he’s in with the Russians.” I look at him as he takes another swig and reaches for my pack of cigarettes.
“I was up until one a.m. with Bullseye and it’s not coming from them.” I lean my head back and close my tired eyes for a second. The exhaust and dirt from the road and smoking my mind stupid last night are all catching up. Big violet eyes blink at me.
What the fuck?
I sit up, making an instant decision.
After all this settles, I’m getting her a studio. I’ll stop by to fuck her when I feel like it. But we’re not living together. She gets free rent and I get her.
I reach for the pack, which Blade tossed back on the table, and watch all my brothers. They’re worried. I tried to warn them we needed to be on this. I’ve been saying for years we’re getting soft in our old age. The more money we get, the more kids we have, the weaker we become.
Not killing Benny when we had the chance was a mistake. It was the first time Blade let his personal life dictate the club’s business. I get it. Eve’s his woman and Benny’s her brother, but now we’re dealing with his mess. Again, that unease fills me. I shake it aside, focusing on Benny.
He’s a greedy fuck. He should have taken all his money and whatever else he’s managed to steal and slunk away. But crazy people never do what they should do.
The room crackles with emotions. None of the guys want this. All of them are thinking about their families and lives.
It’s why Blade got out of selling drugs, slowly moving all of the businesses to legit, trying to get the club back to riding bikes and being a family. But we’re too rich and have too much power for that ever to truly happen.
Someone’s always gonna want to be the king, and either you kill or be killed.
Power.
The mental ability to command and outsmart your opponent. I love it, live by it.
But not tonight.
Tonight, I’ll give in to my obsession.
My cock is hard at the thought of her and I adjust myself. I need to get Antoinette, bring her home and fuck her, smoke some weed, and sleep for hours, in that order.
“I’m going home. Call if you need me.” I rise and grab my keys. David looks up from his phone and Blade turns away from the monitor.
“Wait, Axel, I need to talk to you for a second.” Blade takes a deep drag off the cigarette. “It’s about Antoinette.”
“Yeah?” My eyes narrow because I know what’s coming. I’ve felt it since I walked in here.
“We need to know what is going on.” His green eyes narrow on me. “The girls have gotten close to her. My wife is worried. They don’t want you hurting her.”
David puts down his phone and folds his arms to listen. His sanctimonious attitude makes me want to punch him. I guess he’s forgotten when I had to pick him off the floor because he was so high he was sleeping in his own piss.
“You’re kidding me.” I look at them both.
Edge is pacing in the corner on the phone, but it’s only a matter of time before he finds out. Frankly, I’m surprised no one has told him yet.
“Dolly. Hold on.” Edge brings the phone down from his ear. “What’s going on?”
His eyes swing around the room. “Babe, I have to go. I’ll tell you later.”