Oh, this isn’t going to be just about me. “No, let’s talk about how you locked me in a fucking basement, you dick!” I growled.
“You weren't listening. I’m sorry, but you had to be safe. And look what fucking happened, exactly what we thought!”
“That could have happened at home. He was your damn family,” I pointed out, throwing my hands up. He stared at me for several beats, trying to calm his anger.
“Just tell us about your secret gun business,” Kill said in a gentle tone, the lack of fight enough to deflate mine.
“Alright, listen. When he let me go, Eros sent me with money, but I wanted something he couldn’t trace,” I started, but Ky cut me off.
“We already know about the pay by the month apartment,” he argued.
“Okay,” I gritted out, wishing they’d just shut the fuck up and let me speak. “Well, game stores are pretty fucking good fronts, so I opened one, made some contacts in the city, th
en started selling weapons on the side.”
“And who were your suppliers?” Killian asked, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees. And so the fun begins.
“I’d found a contact on the internet. It helps if you know what you’re looking for, but I had done a similar deal for Eros before. Once I had that, I found some locals who were looking. Some were just gun collectors, others not so nice. Though, as a disclaimer, I have to point out that if I sold to any Lachs, it was unintentional. I had no idea who they were at the time,” I said, holding my hands up.
“You potentially sold arms to my enemies?” Keir shouted, standing up and pacing. “Are we talking shipments?”
“No, of course not,” I laughed, but he didn't find it funny. “I only sold individual guns. Hell, the last sale was weeks ago. It was for a rare rifle. I made good money off that one.”
“You know we can’t allow this to continue, right?” Ky asked, raising an eyebrow.
“I assumed,” I grumbled. “I want my store back.”
“You will. We said we’d handle it,” Killian said, “and we keep our promises.”
“How did Angelina take Hector and Devin’s deaths?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“She knew how underhanded he was, so she wasn’t surprised, but dissent in the Family always upsets her. There was a reason he wasn’t handed the title, so I doubt there’ll be many who’d take the risk of making waves over this,” Keir explained, finally sitting back down.
“Fuck, he just had to find out about me, didn’t he?” I groaned, hating that Angelina was upset.
“We couldn’t have just found a nice girl who collected wine for a hobby?” The statement had me doubled over laughing, imagining some primped girly girl having to deal with what I’d done earlier today.
“Yeah, right. You know what you signed up for with me; I’ll always meet you bullet for bullet and shot for shot. You’d be bored as fuck with anyone else. Plus, who else could fuck you like I can?”
“She has a point,” Killian agreed, taking a swig of whiskey. “Why don’t we just set her up with my weapons guy, Frank? She can be an extension of our weapons trade.”
“That means vetting clients through Joe,” Kyrell warned. “No more accidental Lach encounters.”
“I’ll vet my clients through him the best I can, but I can make my own trades and deals,” I countered, unwilling to just hand over my shit.
“How? You think they’ll be willing to just come in with my men surrounding your fucking shop?” Keir asked, giving me a look that clearly said ‘checkmate.’
“Fair point,” I said, keeping my poker face in place. They knew as well as I did that I was resourceful, and having Dani meant I could do drop-offs while leaving her behind to run the shop. Either they found a way to work with me, or I’d find a way to work around them.
“She has no plan to stop,” Ky said, shaking his head. “You’re a bratty little bitch, you know that?”
“Only for you, baby,” I snarked, blowing him a kiss. At that, he couldn’t help but crack up. “How long until I’m up and running?”
“Two weeks is the last estimate I got. They have to remodel the front now,” Keir said, “but they can also take as long as we need for you to agree to work with Joe.”
“It’s my business,” I bit out, his eyes narrowing immediately.
“Watch your tone with me, Otsana,” he said, and I returned his glare at the use of my first name.