“Knowing Benny, he’s probably been working with someone to help him get this right. He knows he’s not good enough to outsmart us. He knows he’s not capable of outdoing us. So he’s got help, but he lost his shit tonight, and messed up by showing his hand. So why’d he slip up and attack now? What provoked him?”
I’m the one with the head injury, yet I’m the one doling out the facts and searching for answers, while everyone else sits around pissed off at Pop. There will be time for this conversation later. Right now, we need to worry about what the fuck Benny is up to.
Fortunately, Axle jumps on the wagon and offers something useful.
“You took your girl to Drake. You said he got threats after. Did he say something to you that might have put Benny in the corner and left him ready to strike?”
I slowly shake my head while silently recounting our conversation.
“No. I told you what he said. Nothing but vague… Fuck. Why would he tell me something? Drake and I have been on the outs for two years, and he’s never been one to meddle in shit. He keeps his mouth shut. He warned me about them the day I got Eve inked, and I didn’t even realize he was warning me. We gotta get ahold of him.”
And I’ve got to get Eve back. Thank fuck Drake isn’t a sick son of a bitch that would touch her without her consent.
“Calling him again,” Axle says, then curses. “Straight to voicemail now. He’s cut his phone off. He thinks we’re going to kill Eve, thanks to Dash’s big mouth.”
I cut my eyes toward Dash, who leans over and shakes his head.
“I thought the girl was fucking you over. Never knew it was our president.”
Pop explodes, spouting off a litany of curses, and suddenly three more of his guys barge through the door when Axle, Dash, and Snake look like they’re ready to strike.
I groan while dropping back to the bed, covering my thundering head with my pillow while absently grabbing my phone. Again, Drake’s phone goes straight to voicemail, and cold blood pumps through my veins.
Damn it.
How the fuck am I going to find Eve? Drake knows how to lie low, and I have no idea how to find him.
Chapter 2
DREX
“Doc’s letting you go,” Axle says four—yes, four—hours later. “Feds and cops are still clueless that you’re here. Our guy in the local PD station let me know that they didn’t know the house we torched was yours. So all’s good.”
I glare at him. “All’s not fucking good. We still don’t know where Eve is.”
He purses his lips before sitting down in one of the chairs on the far side of the room.
“We’ll find her. Drake will eventually answer one of our calls.”
I start to object, but my phone rings in my hand. I jolt when I see it’s Drake’s name flashing across the screen.
“Drake, where the fuck are—”
“Thank God you sound okay.” Eve’s voice shocks me into silence, and I sag in relief.
“It wasn’t me. I know you don’t believe this, but I’m not some kind of spy—”
“Eve, where are you?” I ask, interrupting her.
She gets quiet for a minute, and that’s like a slap to the face. Not that I blame her for thinking the worst.
“You sound good, but are you okay?” she asks instead of answering.
Out of everyone who has been in and out of here today, she’s the first person to ask that. “No. I won’t be until I get you back from Drake. Where are you?”
She sighs as though she’s torn about what to do.
“Drake went to get us something to eat. He left his phone, so I sort of took advantage. I didn’t know your number, or I would have called you sooner from the landline here. I didn’t grab my phone from your house before… well, you know. I just needed to know you’re alright.”
I groan while glaring at Axle. “Eve, I heard what happened. No one is going to hurt you. It was a major misunderstanding. Have Drake bring you to the warehouse.”
Silence. Motherfucking silence.
“Eve,” I warn, trying not to lose my temper, but it’s really hard to do right now. “I said I won’t hurt you. You should be able to trust me by now.”
She laughs bitterly, which surprises the hell out of me. “Like you trust me? Drex, anytime something goes wrong, I’m suspect number one to the Death Dealers. I have bruises on my arm from where your friend tried to drag me away for a death sentence.”
My jaw grinds. “Which one left bruises?”
“Doesn’t matter. The point is this thing between us will never be anything more than it is. I’ll always be under a microscope, and you’ll never trust me. I’m just the expendable toy, and what happens when you’re done playing?”