“Close that door behind you,” my brother grumbles, not looking overly happy at my arrival.
“Well, hello to you too.” I close the door to his office at the gym. He won’t hear me say it, but I’m proud of him. He’s done great for himself. The gym is legit and set up with high end equipment.
“I’m guessing you aren’t here on a social call.”
I flop down in the chair across from his desk. “It’s good to see you, Astrid. You too, bro,” I mock.
“Hold on. Let me go light the celebration fireworks.” He lets a big fart rip.
“Real nice, Torsten.”
“Why are you here?”
“I’ve got a situation. I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Way I hear it you found your way straight into Hound’s bed. He can’t help you with your situation?” His brows shoot up and he smirks.
“How did you…”
“It’s not every day a Harlot rolls up to the gate and nearly runs down a prospect. Fucking Link saw it on the security feed and sent the video to everyone in a text this morning. Funny shit.”
He won’t be laughing when I tell him what the fuck I’ve managed to get wrapped up in this time. “I’m glad I could amuse you.”
He catches shot of the worry etched into the wrinkles around my eyes and sits up. “What’s going on?”
I don’t want to tell him, only I know I have to. I just don’t want him to tell Hound and the two of them go off on some crusade to save me. I’m beyond redemption. “You ever heard of the Sanchez Cartel?”
“Skin traders?”
I nod. “That’s the one. You see I didn’t know when I got involved with Archer that he was dealing for the cartel. I also didn’t know that the Harlots are in debt to them and laundering money for them through Buzz’s. Archer got hooked on the product and was in for a lot of money and Carlos made a deal with him. He’d not kill him if he gave me to him for one night. Archer made it sound as though he had bargained to get the Harlots out of bed with him as well. I felt stuck and I didn’t want Archer to die so I agreed.”
My brother’s fist smashes into the top of his desk. “He whored you and you let him. What the serious fuck, Astrid?”
“I didn’t know what to do, but I got there, and Carlos said that Mona had been skimming money and he wanted me to get proof. I did what I had to for the club. What was I supposed to do?”
“Kill the piece of shit. Jesus. My sister.” He stares off past me as though he’s ashamed to look at me. My heart cracks.
“After it was over his driver took me back to Archer, and I found him in bed with Gia.” That gets his attention. “We fought and I kinda vandalized his truck before taking off. I went to Buzz’s and got drunk. Rosie woke me up when she came in to open. I decided I just wanted my stuff that Gia and Archer could fuck off for all I cared only when Rosie and I got there…they were dead. Both Gia and Archer. I panicked. I know that it was Carlos. To show me his reach if I didn’t do what he wants. He’ll blackmail me with evidence that will make it appear as though I killed them. I had to run.”
“And how long do you think it will be before this Carlos comes looking for you to collect the rest of his payment? Or how long before he makes you out to be a murderer? How do you know that Archer didn’t kill Gia then himself? The fuck. Who else knows about this shit?”
“Rosie, but Carlos doesn’t know to look for me here.”
“You’re dumber than you look if you think that.”
“That’s not nice.”
“Oh, forgive me. Want me to braid your hair and sing you a lullaby?”
“Just forget it. I’ll leave the country or something.”
“And then what? Spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder? I gotta call Prez.”
“No. You can’t. I don’t want your club involved.”
“Bit late for that shit. You tell Hound why you’re really here?”
I shake my head.
“He’s going to go ape shit.”
“You can’t tell him.”
“What’s your brilliant plan then? You gonna pretend none of it happened and play house with your old flame and hope the cartel is too busy to fuck with you. A man like that will think he owns you. He’s either going to come to kill you or to collect you to sell. You think I’m gonna sit on my ass and wait for that to happen?”
I shake my head. I didn’t think any of this through.
“Now’s a real shit time for you to pull this. We’ve got our own problems.”
“I’m sorry. You think I planned any of it. That I woke up and said today I want to be forced to suck a drug lord’s cock and after that I want to find the guy I’ve been sleeping with balls deep in my best friend. Then come back and find his head blown off and a knife in her back? You think I wanted this shit?” I sniff and wipe under my eyes.
“You gonna cry about it or are we going to do something about it?”
“That’s why I came to you.”
“Prez is gonna kill us both.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Nothing. Go back to Hound and keep your mouth shut for now. I’ll set up a meet between you and Murder to ascertain how he wants to play it. We gotta be smart about this. Meantime, I’ll call in a favor and run interference. Make it look like you went south. Charge some hotels to your bank account and shit.”
“You think that will work?”
“It’ll scramble him enough to give us a few days at least. He’s a business man. I’m sure we can reach an agreement.”
“And if he refuses?”
“Then I’ll kill him myself.”