by C. M. Owens
Not fucking happening.
“Why the feds?” Dash asks, processing things on a higher level than I can right now. My focus is on blowing Mikey’s brain full of holes.
“I’ll tell you. Just let me go. Please,” he cries. “I swear I’ll tell you.”
“Make a call,” Dash tells him, handing him a phone. “To Ben. Let him know you’re running. Let him know we have Eve back, but that we don’t know you and he are involved.”
He picks up Mikey’s phone, and starts scrolling through the contacts.
“Anything in there to tell us who our inside mystery man is?” Sledge asks him.
“Think I’d be wasting my time down here if there was? He keeps his call logs erased, and our tech guy says he can’t find anything linking his number to any of our guys.”
“All calls to him are made via burner phones only,” Mikey quickly inserts. “Set me free, and I’ll give you his number and his position in your crew. I swear.”
His position can’t be too high if he doesn’t know about the cars. His position in my crew…
“I need a list of any and all employees we have outside of our guys,” I tell Sledge. “If he was in the club, they wouldn’t have needed Cecil to leak info. It has to be someone linked to us indirectly.”
Sledge’s eyebrows go up as he pulls out his phone and walks away. Mikey looks wide-eyed and fearful. He knows I’m going to figure it out on my own.
“Make the call to Ben. Hope your acting skills are to die for,” Dash says dryly. “Your life literally depends on this.”
He verses Mikey on what to say a little longer before he turns on the interference router by the door. It’ll keep the phone from being accurately traced back here while Mikey is talking. If Ben looks for him, it’ll give him some random location far away from our warehouse.
“Put it on speaker,” I tell Dash.
“He’d probably know something was up if he could tell it was on speaker,” Dash argues. “But I have these.”
He hands me an earpiece, and I put it in. He puts one on as well, then the phone is dialing and he’s holding it to Mikey’s face.
“Fucking shit, dude! What the fuck is going on?” Ben roars when he answers. “Where’s Eve? Where are you and fucking Larry? If you’ve fucking touched her, I will—”
“Eve is with the Death Dealers,” Mikey says flatly, turning off his sniveling and tears like a pro. “They found her. Larry and I barely got out in time. He took off, Ben. Told you he was a waste.”
I can hear everything clearly through the earpiece, as though I’m on the phone with him myself. How I keep from losing it, I don’t fucking know.
“Damn it,” Ben hisses. “Where’d they take her?”
“I don’t know. I was too busy trying to get the hell out of dodge. Look, I’m laying low for a while. I don’t want this shit coming back on me when Drex does the math and figures out we were involved. Eve lost consciousness, possibly went into shock or something, so for now we’re safe,” Mikey lies, submissively bowing his head and looking me dead in the eyes like a whipped dog trying to prove his loyalty. “But they’ll figure it out eventually. You need to pull out and run too.”
“I’m not fucking running. It’s his word against mine, and Herrin will never allow a war over Eve. You wiped the hard drive, right? I couldn’t find the video footage. That was you, right?”
“Yeah,” Mikey lies again. “I used all emergency protocols. I’m pulling out, Ben. This shit is getting real and fast. I’m done.”
“Fuck you. Get your ass to the second location. We’ll meet there and figure out what to do. Like I said, Herrin won’t allow Drex to make a fucking move, and Drex has been on his leash for a really long time. He might care about Eve, but he’s a loyal puppy to his father. He even let his own sister go without a damn second thought when she crossed Herrin. She’s probably dead by now, and Drex probably killed her himself at Herrin’s request. Do you really think he’s going to go against Herrin just for Eve?”
My jaw grinds, and Dash’s eyes dart to mine. The one topic of conversation not allowed in the club was just spat out by someone who has no fucking clue what that will cost him.
“Drex might care about Eve more than you think,” Mikey says while continuing to stare at me. “I’m not willing to risk it.”
“Fucking pussy,” Ben growls. “Fuck you. I’ll remember this when we meet again. And we will meet again, Mikey. Count on it.”
I wouldn’t count on it.
“I’ll take my chances,” Mikey says while tensing his lips.
Dash ends the phone call, and I crack my neck to the side.
“I did what you wanted. You’ll let me go, right? I’ll tell you his name as soon as—”
Two gunshots almost deafen the room when the sound echoes and resounds off the basement walls. Mikey’s head is thrown back, and his body jerks like a headless snake for a few seconds. Then, a long breath leaves his lips as blood runs down in a steady stream from the entry wound.
I don’t bother viewing the exit wounds that will be gaping open, as I toss my gun to the side.
“Have someone clean this shit up and get rid of the body,” I calmly tell Dash.
“Damn it, Drex! We needed him to tell us who the fucking leader of this shit is. It’s obviously not Ben. He’s just a pawn in a bigger game of chess. Someone went through a lot of trouble to fucking set this all up.”
“I don’t give a fuck. We’ll figure it out without Mikey. I wanted him to suffer longer, but it turns out I didn’t have the patience because I’d like to get back to Eve.”
Sledge walks back in, and we turn to face him as he eyes the mess I’ve made then rolls his eyes at me. “I knew that would happen.” He blows out a breath. “I’ve made the calls. Helen, Colleen, and Liza are pulling up all employee files right now.”
“Good. Let me know when they’re in. I’m going back to the hospital. And let me know when you’ve got that meeting set up with Benny.”
“Still think that’s a bad idea,” Sledge groans. “Herrin is going to be furious when he finds out you’re doing all this behind his back. And I doubt Benny will meet with us, considering he would think it was below him to meet with the son.”
I shrug carelessly. “I think Pop is figuring out his leash on me is long fucking gone.”
I’m about to prove it in more than one way. Mikey ripped open an old wound and gave me a sick reminder of who my father really is. I guess I should have figured it out a long fucking time ago.
Chapter 26
EVE
“Why do you keep staring at me?” Rush growls, glaring at me as I sip my water. My throat is already feeling better.
“Because I don’t trust you,” I tell him honestly.
He snorts derisively, but he goes back to messing with his phone while Axle’s lips twitch. Since I found out Drake is just down the hall, I’ve wanted to go see him, but no one will let me out of this room. Rush is the asshole who just glares at me when I ask to go.
I don’t actually feel strong enough to walk just yet, but I still want to see Drake. Especially since Axle told me how bad he was hurt in the wreck. I’m just relieved he’s still alive.
“You don’t like me,” I say to Rush when my staring no longer seems to bother him. Maybe I’m feeling antagonistic or just bitchy. I’m not sure.
But with Axle right beside me, Rush doesn’t scare me. That could be stupid on my part.
“I don’t have a problem with you,” Rush says without looking up.
“You’ve acted like it since I first met you.”
He groans while looking back at me again. “You’re one of those girls, aren’t you? The kind that drives a man fucking crazy for explanations.”
“I call out a contradiction when I see it. You act like you don’t like me, and yet you say you have no problem with me.”
“I helped save you. Guess that should contradict your own statement,” he says with a ghost of a smile.
I bristl
e in the bed. No one has elaborated yet on how they found me or how I got here. No one seems to want to either.
I continue staring into Rush’s cold blue eyes, and he finally rolls those eyes while glancing at the door then back at me.
“I hate Herrin. Everyone knows it and they know why. I’ve hated Drex for being Herrin’s obedient little bitch for years. You were just a means for me to fuck with Drex. Now you’re the reason Drex is off his leash. Life is about to be fun because of you, so no; I don’t have a problem with you. Never actually did. I didn’t trust you, but don’t take the trust thing personal. It’s rare I trust anyone. Occupational hazard.”
I’m not so sure what he means by all that, but Axle tenses beside me before cutting his eyes toward Rush like he’s saying too much.
“Why do you hate Herrin?” I pry.
“Because he’s the kind of man that causes those trust issues. In this life, having a president you can’t trust is like living in paranoia central. I’ve seen what he’s capable of doing to his own flesh and blood—”
“Lips are getting too loose, Rush,” Axle interrupts, glaring at him.
“Drex told her our secrets,” Rush tells him with a cold smile. “I think she deserves to know his.”
Bile rises to my throat for reasons unbeknownst to me. Whatever is so secretive can’t be good. It’s really, really not good, judging by the look on Axle’s face and his tense jaw.
“We don’t even know the truth,” Axle growls. “She almost put us all at risk when she went against him.”
Me? Are they talking about me? No. They can’t be. I haven’t done anything.
“We only know Herrin’s version of the truth, since she didn’t get to talk to any of us. Hell, she’s been in hiding for years. You still trust him? Still believe he’s telling the truth?” Rush drawls, acting like this is casual, but I notice the subtle way his fists clench.
Whatever is going on is really pissing him off.
“I hate Herrin too,” I admit when the tension seems to get suffocating between the two. “He’s an asshole.”
Axle’s glare melts into amusement, and Rush laughs lightly as the tension starts to ebb.
“Don’t let just anyone hear you say that,” Axle says with a puff of laughter, shaking his head.
“She can just blame it on the trauma for a while,” Rush snickers.
The door opens, and my breath lodges in my throat when Drex walks in, looking freshly showered. Drex’s eyes drop to the empty bowl of soup I had earlier. It was the best taste in the world, and Sarah left to go buy more.
“You still hungry?” Drex asks quietly, looking over at me. Four days has wreaked havoc on my appetite. I was starving, but had a hard time eating. I finally managed to get it all down. I also know my body isn’t exactly lovely to look at just yet, considering I lost the weight in weird places, such as my legs and arms. Not so much anywhere else.
Rush speaks before I can say anything. “Anything left for me?” he asks Drex.
Drex smirks while cocking an eyebrow, and Rush curses while running a hand through his hair.
“Fucking knew you shouldn’t be the one going in. Did you at least find out anything?”
Drex shrugs. “Sledge can fill you in. Anything happen while I was gone?”
“Your girl called Rush out,” Axle says with a grin.
Rush rolls his eyes while standing and walking out, and Drex cocks his head in question… toward Axle. Yeah, he’s still acting like I’m not in here.
“You don’t want to know,” Axle says with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I need to go check in on Drake. They’re going to take him off some of the painkillers today.”
“Is it common to keep him so drugged up?” I ask Axle, ignoring Drex like he’s ignoring me.
I feel like I’m on the damn elementary playground.
“We pay for abnormal care. No one wanted Drake in any pain, and the doc said it was unlikely he was conscious when they took you due to the trauma he suffered.”
“He was definitely unconscious,” I confirm.
Drex sucks in a sharp breath, and I look over at him. It’s almost like he looks relieved.
“Good,” Axle says softly. “The one time they tried to wake him up, he was crying out in a lot of pain. It was right after the first emergency surgery on his right leg. He couldn’t really tell us anything, and the doc was worried about his blood pressure from the stress of the pain.”
I grimace at hearing that, and Axle frowns.
“He’s been mumbling ‘that fucker’ a lot in his sleep. We thought he knew who took you.”
I shake my head. “He’s referring to Cecil probably. Right before the wreck, I had assumed Cecil was coerced by Benny to turn over information to the feds. Obviously now I’ve reworked it to where he was working for Ben and not Benny.”
Axle looks surprised. Drex looks furious.
“You figured it out?” Axle asks.
I nod. “Yeah, it made sense after working with Drake for a bit. What I can’t figure out is why involve the feds? Is the other guy linked to this inside the FBI? If so, how didn’t Ben know about the Hell Breathers’ FBI problem? I mean, I guess it could have been a deep cover operation where only a few other FBI guys knew, but if you guys figured it out, one of their own should have been able to. Right?”
“Stop,” Drex growls, glaring at me as Axle swallows whatever he was about to say. “Don’t think about it. Don’t even try to think about it. Just fucking forget anything and everything dealing with this.”
His eyes are icy cold and almost verging on murderous. I don’t like that look. Especially when it’s pointed at me.
“So you’re back to not trusting me?” I glare back. “Really? You’re such an asshole.”
I cross my arms over my chest, and Drex stalks toward me. I don’t move or flinch. He stops short, then looks at Axle.
“I’ll go check on Drake. You stay here. And don’t let her fucking talk about any of that shit,” he snaps.
When he turns and storms out of the room, Axle cocks an eyebrow at me.
“You’re right,” he says, shrugging. “The feds don’t make sense.”
My smile curves up, and he and I start running any possible scenario that would involve the feds.
The problem is me. I thought I fit into this puzzle, but thanks to Ben, I know I was an unexpected coincidence. I’m really starting to hate the word coincidence. I also became the wildcard that exposed part of their hand.
Someone is going to be pissed, and a bigger target is going to be on my head when they want to seek revenge for fucking up their elaborate scheme.
The question is… who?
Chapter 27
DREX
“The doc said she could go home yesterday. Why are we keeping her here?” Axle asks me as Eve whimpers my name in her sleep.
I gently crawl into the bed beside her, and she stops whimpering the second her head is resting on my chest and my arms are around her.
She’s been in here a week, but I don’t want to risk her leaving too soon.
“I’ll let her leave tomorrow. She had a headache today,” I explain.
“She had a headache because of the dickheaded way you’ve been acting,” he growls. “Hell, you barely stay in here when she’s awake. The fuck is your problem?”
I don’t answer that. In fact, if I wasn’t holding Eve right now, I’d be punching him in the face to show him how much that question pisses me off.
“Get anywhere with that list Liza brought you?” I ask to shift the conversation.
He rolls his eyes. “No. I’ve looked over every name we have. Eve’s right about the feds not fitting in.”
My blood boils. “I fucking told you not to let her talk about that shit. Have you still been talking about it?” I snap.
Eve shudders against me, and I internally curse myself while pulling her closer. The second she sighs peacefully, I turn my glare back on Axle.
“She’s fucking smart. You
should hear her out. She was piecing this thing together before Ben. She’s right about the feds being involved, and that’s what we need to focus on. Why would Ben want Cecil to give them info when it wasn’t enough for a warrant?”
“They did get to raid one of our places with a warrant,” I remind him. “Stop fucking talking about it with her. I want her far away from all this shit.”
“She’s right in the middle of it,” he groans, exasperated as though I’m being difficult.
“I’m perfectly aware,” I growl. “Doesn’t mean I want to drag her in it deeper.”
“Not sure she’s going to give you much of a choice.” The bastard seems amused right now. “She’s stubborn. She also seems to be adapting to our world a hell of a lot quicker than anyone I’ve seen. It almost seems like she was just dropped off in the wrong world for the first part of her life.”
That has me glaring at him harder. “The last fucking place on earth she belongs is with us.”
His expression sobers. “So you’re giving her up again?”
Blowing out a heavy breath, I kiss her forehead as she nestles into me again. “I fucking wish. But no. She’s stuck with us. At least until this is all over, shit is handled, and she’s ready to get back to her own life.”
“And if she chooses this life?” he muses, probing for more info than I plan to dole out.
“Anything else from the video footage? I know people have been watching it all week.” So what if I’m deflecting. I’m not going to start having heart-to-hearts in a fucking hospital room while Eve is sleeping on top of me.
The asshole rolls his eyes while leaning back in his seat.
“We know it was Ben instead of Benny who planned the massacre shooting at your house, but I don’t think it was ever intended to kill you. I don’t even think they wanted Drake dead. I do, however, think they spooked Drake on purpose so he’d lead them right to you. They planned it all out, got things in place, and then forced him to come to you, knowing how paranoid he is. Drake doesn’t do a lot of shady info over the phone, something everyone knows about him. It makes sense, considering they showed up right after he did.”
