SAX
Shifting my leg, I sighed when the asshat across the street still hadn’t moved. I’d been trailing him for the past hour, and all he’d done so far was sit on this stoop like a pigeon. I was already bored and about to call it quits when Spitfire’s message came through.
Deciding to leave and see what the douche she’d been married to was up to, I stepped out of the shadows and turned in the opposite direction. Of course, that was when Mason, Cami’s brother, pulled up in his souped-up piece of shit. He was one of those dumbasses who had hydraulics that cost more than the actual car. He revved it up, and I stepped back, watching.
Cameron walked forward, leaning down into the window, and exchanged something with Mason. He stepped back, righting himself, and put whatever Mason had given him in his pocket. The obnoxious car jolted forward as the tires went up and down before he gunned it, smoke billowing behind him as the loud muffler rattled from the acceleration.
I watched Cameron glance both ways before he took off again. My phone buzzed again, and I was officially out of patience. Spitfire needed me, so it was time I enacted my asshole gene. Crossing the street, I let the shithead get a few blocks over before I increased my speed. When he was about to pass an alley, I sped up and yanked him into it before anyone saw me.
He squirmed under my hold, but I glared, promises of death in my eyes as I stared down at him. “I’d calm the fuck down, Cameron, if I were you. You don’t want my arm to slip and accidentally crush your esophagus. Sometimes, I just don’t know how strong I am, and well, mistakes occur. I’d hate that to happen to you.”
The kid froze, all pretenses of bravado fading away, and I could’ve sworn the faint scent of ammonia filled my nostrils, but it was hard to tell in the alley full of piss to begin with.
“Now, I need to go take care of something, so you’re gonna go with my good friend Topher. And when I’m ready to see you, I’ll come and visit, and then you can tell me all about how Mason is connected to you. If you play along, then I won’t have to break any fingers or other appendages you might be a little more attached to and have less of to spare. Though,” I spat, looking him up and down, “that might be small too. Jude is ten times the man you are. Some big brother you turned out to be.”
I let him go, shoving him toward Topher, who grabbed him, ushering him to the waiting SUV. He paused before climbing in, looking over his shoulder at me. “If you know Jude, then he’s in trouble. I was only doing what I thought was best. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into until it was too late. Please, I’ll tell you anything, just keep him safe because you’re right. Jude is better than all of us.”
He stared at me with panic, and Topher waited to see what I would do. Eventually, I nodded, acknowledging his words, but not giving anything away. If he cared about Jude, it would be a lot easier to get him to talk, even if that meant I needed to lie to do it. Topher dipped his head once the boy was secure, walking over to me.
“The warehouse?”
“Yeah. Don’t be too nice to him, but don’t rough him up too much, either. He’s Jude’s brother, and I don’t want the kid to hate me if it turns out his brother was trying to protect him. But feel free to scare him a little and let him know we’re the bigger threat.”
Topher nodded, walking back to the SUV, pausing at the door, and glancing over his shoulder. “I like Jude. He’s a good kid. Though, I hear you’re only in second place because you scare him. Do with that what you will. I don’t pretend to know anything about how your relationship works.”
My eyes narrowed, and he swallowed, averting his eyes. “Second place for what?” I finally asked, making him remember I wasn’t someone who needed his opinion about my relationship status, and he’d do well to remember it. Topher swallowed, a slight smile breaking free as he opened the door. Before he got in, he looked at me and said, “His favorite daddy.”
A laugh broke free as I sputtered. His comment had caught me off guard. The door shut before I could respond, so I flipped them off, knowing he’d see it. Shit, I didn’t know if I liked I was second, merely because I scared him or hated it. When it came to Immy, I definitely wanted to scare the kid to keep his sausage to himself. But… when it came to Loren, I wanted him to see the value I brought and not just be scared of me. It would be a tricky balance to navigate.
Pulling out my phone, I hit redial on the call I missed, not even looking as I made my way over to my bike. It felt nice to have made progress on Cameron, and hopefully, I’d be able to solve one problem on our list.
“Where are you?”
“I’m on 10th. Topher is taking the weasel to the trap. Mason was here.”
“Fuck. Okay, send someone to follow him and bring him in.”
“Already done,” I said as I straddled my bike and unhooked my helmet from the bars. “Update?”
“It’s not good. I’m headed to her place. I called Mr. Young to take the dogs over.”
“Shit. If you’re calling in the dogs, then I know it’s not good.”
“Her ex…” he started, his teeth grinding through the phone as he tried to keep his temper in check. I could picture him sitting at his desk, his hands wrapped around the desk chair as he tried to reign in the anger. Atticus didn’t like being out of control, and the fact he was struggling told me whatever it was, was bad and how much he’d finally let himself care about Loren.
“Fuck,” I hissed when he didn’t say anything else; his silence spoke volumes. “Alright, I’m heading there. What about the golden boy and the kid?”
“The first is already there, and I haven’t been able to reach Nicco. I’m having Beau pick up Jude from school and bring him to the house. I’m not sure what will go down tonight, but I didn’t want Lore to have to worry.”
“Ah, guys, look, the coldhearted asshole cares. I think I just shed a tear,” I teased, hoping to calm us both down some. My own heart pounded in my chest, and I knew it wouldn’t do me any good to ride that way; no matter how much I wanted to storm the castle and sweep my princess up, I couldn’t. Not right this second, at least.
“Very funny. Stop by Ignite on your way over. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He hung up, knowing I’d follow his order despite wanting to ignore it. It wasn’t a request, though, and as much as the kid irritated me at times, he was part of our bro club now, and I needed to respect that. As I drove over, my mind tossed around words to describe our group, helping me to avoid thinking about the things weighing heavy on my mind.
Bang brothers? No, it sounded like we all sexed one another up, and I only wanted to fuck Loren. I’d have to look something up because nothing else was coming to mind or get the kid on it. He was more of the creative one anyway.
I pulled around to the side, parking my bike next to Nicco’s, some relief that he was here coursed through me. When I stepped in, Cassandra smiled wide, giving me her best flirtatious grin.