Before I can say it, he’s already reading my mind.
He jerks his chin toward my phone. “Who is it you don’t trust with that?”
“Just a gut feeling. Not sure. Maybe I’m just a fucking paranoid motherfucker. Either way, we have the twins where we want them. Our contingency plan is in place, but I do not want to use it if we don’t have to, understand? We need to know who is backing them. Without that, whoever it is can cut ties and find more stooges to use if we don’t play our cards just right. And we have our golden ticket currently back at the clubhouse.”
“Aren’t you calling victory a little early? Her being cuffed to your bed hasn’t given us anything yet.”
“I’m aware. I just need her to do her hacking shit and trace the money to the source. With that information we can finally cut them off at the knees, find their backers, and clean our territory of their filth.”
“Does she know yet?”
I know what he’s asking but I still ask the question. “Why I bought her?”
An eyebrow jacks up as he surveys me. “The whole shit and caboodle, Ares. You literally let her get kidnapped with two other girls and did nothing. I think buying her is the least of your sins in her eyes, brother.”
I can see the irritation taking hold in his expression. I don’t have all the answers. Hell, not even a handful. Especially where the angel-haired woman is concerned. “Not exactly how it happened and you know it, brother.”
“Shit, I know man, but she’s not going to see it that way when she does finally come around to talking to you. She’ll see it exactly howIsaid.”
My cock still throbs from how she rotated those perfect hips and curvy ass over me. The feel of her soft skin under my rough hands nearly had me giving in to her demands. My gaze rakes over the cracked and broken windows of the warehouse. I don’t know what I’m looking for. Maybe something to anchor my senses back where they need to be in the current situation, but she stole my sleep, my bed, and now my concentration. I force myself to forget those few precious moments where her gaze landed on mine. Rage would call me a pussy for thinking it, but the woman grabbed hold of something inside me when I clicked those cuffs onto those dainty wrists. “I’m working on it. Let’s get this over with so we can get back,” I gruff out and leave it at that.
My eyes latch onto the north side of the warehouse. Our conversation is cut short when the purr of an expensive motor cuts into the eerie quiet of the abandoned location.
A Rolls-Royce aptly called the Ghost with black tinted windows glides to a stop in front of us and I exchange a look with Rage. I know the make and model because I have the exact same car under a tarp in my underground garage. Arriving to a meeting in that makes a strong statement.
I speak to Rage without turning my head. “Ready for this?”
“Just don’t die before I do, brother.” I grin when Rage repeats our mantra. We can dig at each other day and night but when it comes down to it, we’d give our last drop of blood for the other. We both swing our legs over our bikes to stand in front of them as the car eases to a slow stop several feet from us.
“When we get back to the club, I’m going straight for the hottest shower of my life.”
Rage spreads his feet wide and locks his arms over his chest. The leather of his cut pulls tight overtop a long-sleeved sweater that does a good job of showing off his love for a gym.
“What do we know about these assholes anyway?”
“They’re friends of a previous client and come recommended. They’re looking for arms. Small numbers but willing to pay our prices.”
That sounded like only one person we know. “Reaper?”
Liam “Reaper” Black is president of his own club. Or would be if he would buck up and take over for his ailing father already. But my friend for over a decade swears the MC life isn’t for him. He’s a roaming nomad between clubs which is a contradiction. I just think he’s scared of stepping into the shoes of his grandfather and father. Who wouldn’t be? They did well by their town’s community. But not all they did was above board either and the Savages have done enough business with the Dirty Sinners of Haven, Tennessee to know where some of the bodies are buried. And they’ve helped us. Reaper is former special forces. I’m sure he’s battling his own demons. Taking on more isn’t an easy decision.
“He finally took over for his father?”
“Looks that way. Or is about to. The man was giving me a major case of anxiety with all the back and forth on the matter. But he did say he’d see this as a personal favor to him if we go through with helping these gentlemen out.”
Normally we don’t do anything under ten million. With all the government payoffs it’s not worth it otherwise. But there are on rare occasions moments when it benefits us to do the smaller local deals. We’d gone over the potential client’s information before, but with everything going on the brief overview helps refresh my memory.
Right. It’s coming back to me. “Chicago. Something about a turf war between them and a rival family trying to muscle in and take over. It’s getting bloody is all I know.”
“Something like that. Goes deeper, but not our problem; that’s how I see it.”
With Reaper’s endorsement, I see them as potential future allies and this little meet and greet also tells me they are in short supply of support on their end which might work to our advantage. Why else would they be stepping into another family’s territory eleven hours away to make a deal of this nature?
“Why the hell couldn’t we have done this at the Asylum?” Rage asks without turning to face me.
I chuckle lowly. “Because I wanted to see them squirm a little,” I admit. “Keep them on edge and see how they handle it.”
“You’re a sick bastard, Prez.”