“The thing that I need to talk to you guys about is this: we’ve got Ace and Spider in a safe place, and we’re protecting them.”
“Why the fuck are you protecting Ace?” Aidan asked, his tone far harsher than usual. “After what he did to Gabriela? And Maria?”
Dillon’s green eyes flashed with automatic anger as he remembered the Fallen Angels and Kirk Jensen sending some men to gun down himself and his girlfriend Maria up at Open Skies Ranch. At the exact same time, Aidan and Gabriela Torres – Aidan’s now-fiancée and Maria’s half-sister – had been attacked as well, back here in Denver. Aidan had been shot in the neck; Gabi had been buried alive by Ace and the former Fallen Angels President, Trigger MacGee.
So to say that he and Aidan weren’t fans of Ace Cuddy was a huge understatement. In fact, if Dillon and Aidan had their way, they’d happily serve that fucker up on a silver platter to anyone with the desire to end his pathetic, loathsome life. And here was King, protecting the beast?
“Yeah, why?” Dillon echoed Aidan’s words. “Let him fend for himself, man. God knows, he’s never been interested in or had any respect for other people’s lives. So he killed that scum-sucker Jensen. Good. He had it coming, and nobody in this room will be shedding any tears over that man’s murder any time soon. It’s what he deserved, and we all know it damn good and well.”
“You ain’t wrong, Dillon,” Mac growled. “King, do you have any idea how many injuries and victims and deaths have rolled into my examination room over the years, courtesy of Kirk Jensen and his merry band of monsters? How many lives I saw ruined because of them? The worst thing that I ever saw was one of Jensen’s sex-trafficking victim with head and internal injuries that killed her two days after she came into the hospital.” He swallowed. “She was three years old, man. Three. Years. Old.”
“Mac –” Aidan said, beyond horrified. Yeah, he’d seen plenty of bad shit when he’d worked DEA in Texas, but nothing like that. Not up close. “God…”
“So if Cuddy offed the prick, I’m with Dillon and I say hurrah.” Mac’s tone was hard again. “It’s just about the only good thing the man’s done in his life, but it doesn’t give him a pass on all the bad shit he’s done, and it sure as hell doesn’t explain why you and your people are keeping him breathing.”
“Yeah, well.” King drained his beer. “That’s what we need to talk about.”
“Shoot,” Curtis grated out. “‘Cause I for one can’t think of one single fuckin’ reason for you to protect Ace Cuddy.”
King sighed. “Nothing leaves this room?”
Right away, everyone shot him looks ranging from irritation to outright disgust.
“Seriously?” Jax huffed. “You’re gonna ask us to keep our mouths shut?”
“Sorry, sorry,” King muttered. “Just habit.”
“So,” Luke said, taking a seat at last and stretching his long legs out in front of him. “Talk, Kingston.”
At that, King launched into the story in its sordid entirety: for Luke, Dillon, and Curtis, he backtracked quite a bit. First, King explained how Aidan had saved Gabi by threatening to tell the MC about Ace’s sexual orientation. Then, King explained how he’d blackmailed Ace by killing Trigger and forcing Ace to turn snitch. Jax, Mac, and Aidan knew all of this, of course, but they didn’t so much as look away when King was talking: it was the kind of thing that none of them fully believed. Still, and despite having witnessed some of it with their own eyes.
Then King talked about the things that nobody knew but him and his team: about how Kirk had figured out who was ratting him out to King’s Men and the cops, and how that had meant Ace shooting Kirk earlier that day. How Ace had called King and told him what he’d done, and told King that he’d made his choice and he stood by it. How he’d told King about the pen drive of pictures, and then how he’d begged for someone to go and get Spider and hide him. How King felt responsible for both men now: Spider because he was an innocent victim, and Ace because although he was pretty damn far from innocent, he was in this mess because of King’s actions. That made him King’s duty of care now – no matter what Ace had done in his life, he’d done the right thing in the end for Warren and Shay, and that mattered to King. It mattered a lot.
“And that brings you to where we are now,” King said heavily. “With Ace and Spider hidden away, and with the Fallen Angels probably hours away from finding the pictures – if they haven’t already – and with Jensen’s men hours away from heading to Denver to kill Ace for killing Kirk.” He paused. “If they aren’t here already.”
“Fuck,” Jax said softly. “Fuck, man.”
“No kidding,” Mac chimed in. “When you go looking to make trouble, Kingston, you make sure to call down the goddamn apocalypse.”
“And us?” Aidan said, fists clenched. “What do you want from us? Because I don’t give a flying fuck what Ace did for you, he’s one of the men who buried Gabriela alive. If you think for one second that I’m gonna guard him and protect him, then you’re out of your motherfu–”
“No,” King cut him off. “Never, Aidan. Never. I get where you’re coming from.” He glanced at the others. “Same with you Jax, Mac, and Dillon. You guys have got personal history with the MC and Ace Cuddy, and I don’ t expect any of you to look past it. But Curtis and Luke… I am asking for your help on some back-up bodyguard duty for Ace and Spider.” He hesitated. “And Luke, just to give you a heads-up… I’ll be approaching Dallas Foreman and asking if any of his people are available, so Selena might end up assigned if he agrees.”
“Shit,” Luke muttered. “I’d hate that, King.”
“I know, man. I wouldn’t want my woman anywhere near this fucking disaster area either – but Naomi isn’t ex-military or a trained, professional bodyguard. Selena is, and she’d be insulted if she got special treatment because she’s a woman or your girlfriend.”
“Shit,” Luke said again, this time because he knew that King was right. Selena Perez would never stand to be patronized or handled with kid gloves, just because she was a woman. Hell, the woman was a better shot than Luke was, for damn sure, and she could take down any man with her bare hands. “OK, so if Dallas puts Selena on guard duty, then I’m definitely in. I want to work with Selena. I want to have her back.”
“Understood.”
“Why all the extra people?” Curtis asked suddenly. “You short-handed?”
“Badly.” King rolled his neck. “I’ve got Tex, Honey, Jack, Tank, and Valentina here in Denver. Everyone else is out of the city, if not the state.”
“Why ain’t five people enough to guard two people in one safe house, if they rotate and work in shifts of two or three?” Curtis demanded. “Actually, it’s six people, counting you. I don’t see the need to involve Foreman’s people at all, let alone me and Luke.”
“No shifts,” King said. “My people stay in place. No coming or going done by anyone but you and Foreman’s people, and I’m not going anywhere near the safe house.”
“You think you’re all going to be followed because the MC knows that King’s Men were involved,” Aidan said. “So you think that you are going to be followed.”
“Yeah,” King confirmed. “Everyone’s in place already, and nobody’s leaving until it’s OK to do so. And I won’t lead those fucking MC animals to a place where I’m trying to keep people alive.”
“OK, fine,” Mac said. “But I still don’t get it. If you have five people already in place for one safe house, why do you need more? I’m no gun-toting, special-ops type, but I can count, and it seems to me that’s plenty.”
King hesitated. “Because… because there’s going to be a second safe house full of people which needs guarding, so I’m splitting my team and I need more support.”
“Who?” Jax said. “Who else needs to hide?”
“The women,” King said, looking uncharacteristically abashed. “I’m sorry, guys
.”
“Which women?” Mac snapped. “You break up a sex-trafficking ring?”
“No.” King cleared his throat. “The women. Our women.”
Everyone froze. It was like to a man, they’d stopped breathing and turned to stone.
Aidan recovered first. “Our women?”
He wasn’t shouting; his voice was barely above a whisper, but King almost flinched at the rage and disbelief in it.
“Yes,” King said. “Naomi, Gabi, Sarah, Mirrie… they all have to hide.” He met Dillon’s furious gaze. “And you should ask Maria to stay up at Open Skies Ranch for a while, Saunders. I know that they’ve really beefed up their security since you and Maria were shot at there. I think she’d be safer away from Denver.”
“No fucking way,” Dillon barked. “Maria stays here, close to me. Non-negotiable, so don’t ask again, or I’ll break your goddamn face, Kingston.”
King nodded, accepting that without protest. He’d do the same; in fact, he was doing the same. “So she’ll join the other ladies in the second safe house.”
“Goddammit, King,” Jax said now. “I can see why Mirrie needs to hide, alright? I get that the MC has been gunning for her since she walked away all those years ago. I get that they might want to take out Gabi, too, since she did witness that murder and escaped death once.” He shot Mac and Aidan apologetic looks. “Sorry guys.”
“No, you’re not wrong,” Mac said, his voice hollow. “Mirrie’s always said that she knows that her Dad and Joker are still dreaming up ways to hurt her. This is the perfect climate to do maximum collateral damage.”
“And I’ve always known that Gabriela’s safety was tenuous,” Aidan admitted. “We had Ace’s word that she’d be off-limits… but anybody else in the MC was a big question mark. If Ace is gone as Prez, then she’s fair game now.”
“Right,” Jax said, his voice rising. “But what the hell have you gotten Sarah into, King? She has fucking nothing to do with this. ”
“OK, look.” King held up his hands. “You’re right, Jax… she doesn’t.”
“So who –” Jax stopped. “Me. This is about me, isn’t it?”
“They hate you,” King said. “You beat the shit out of them that night here at Curves, and you kicked the MC out of this place. They’ve been looking for ways to get back at you, Jax, and if they’re running wild and settling scores, why not get to you through your fiancée?”
“Fuck,” Jax said, running his hands through his dark hair. “Just – fuck.”
“And that’s why Naomi’s hiding too, isn’t it?” Mac said to King. “Because of you.”
“Yeah.” King stared at the heavy silver rings on his hands. “Yeah, this is on me, and I know it. All the things that I’ve done have put her in the direct line of fire… if Nails and Joker and Jensen’s people want to hurt me, they won’t take me head-on, and they won’t go through King’s Men or you guys. That’s not their style, and we all know it. They hurt people through the people that they care about the most, so they’re gonna make a bee-line for my woman, and they’re gonna do their worst to her.” He looked up at his friends, and he met every one of their eyes. “And their worst guys… believe me when I say that we haven’t even seen it yet.”
That stopped the men. They’d never seen Matt Kingston look like this before, not once. The man was hardcore and he’d seen it all, at least twice. He’d shot men point-blank-range, and never even blinked as he did so. He’d walked into some of the most unimaginable nightmare situations humanly possible, and walked right back out again in one piece, leaving piles of dead bodies and rivers of blood in his wake. He was ruthless and he walked all the lines – legal, ethical, moral – very closely; some would say way too closely. But here and now, in this moment, he looked…
Afraid?
And that – more than anything – told the men that this was bad. Because if King was afraid, then they sure as hell should be too.
Everyone should be.
“What’s coming our way, King?” Mac asked his friend, and his handsome face was more serious than anybody had seen it in ages. “Just what are we up against here?”
King thought back to that lonely mountain cabin, thought back to standing in that kitchen over Kirk Jensen’s dead body. Thought back on his words, thought that he’d been surprisingly bang-on with what he’d said then, in that time and place.
So – with nothing but dread and fear and the heaviest of heavy hearts – King repeated what he’d had said to Ace and Jack:
“All-out war.”
Chapter Four
The next morning, Tex was standing in the safe house kitchen, thanking the good Lord above for coffee. He and Honey had been up all night, of course, and that was no biggie because they were well-used to pulling all-nighters. He wasn’t tired, but a cup of black coffee with sugar was starting to sound damn good right about then. Maybe with a cheese omelet.
He had just opened the fridge to see what they had in the way of food, and what he’d have to ask to be delivered from the grocery store, when he heard a noise behind him. He and Honey – all the Men, actually – knew to identify themselves when entering a room from an unseen position, so he knew it wasn’t her. Besides, she and Jack were out in the yard checking the security equipment, cameras, and fences, and no way they’d have walked the entire perimeter yet. Lightning-quick, Tex spun, arms extended, gun steady and aimed to kill.
“Jesus!” Spider leapt back, raising his arms in front of his chest automatically… like that would do any damn good if Tex fired. “You gonna shoot me, man?”
“Let’s get something straight.” Tex slid his gun back in its shoulder holster. “You never – and I mean never ever – sneak up behind any of us on bodyguard duty. You make sure we see you coming into the room, and if our backs are turned, you speak up and say you’re behind us. We clear?”
Still shaken, Spider nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”
“Rookie mistake,” Tex said, gathering up eggs, milk, cheese, and bacon. “But don’t do it again.”
“No way.” Spider came into the kitchen at last, still keeping his distance. “I’m not looking to have a gun pointed at my chest again.”
“I was pointing at your head,” Tex said cheerfully. “I always go for the head, son.”
“Oh,” Spider muttered. “Awesome.”
“Hungry?”
“I was.” Spider looked at the food on the counter, looked away as his stomach clenched a bit from the still-fading adrenalin rush. “Maybe later.”
“Coffee then?”
“Oh, yeah. Please.”
“Help yourself,” Tex said. “It’s fresh.”
Spider poured a cup, held the pot up. “Want one?”
“Hell, yeah,” Tex said, busy stirring the eggs in a bowl. “Black and strong and with two spoons of sugar.”
Spider fixed the other man’s coffee, set it on the island between them. Then he perched on a stool, and took a huge sip of his milky, sweet coffee and sighed.
Tex glanced up from tipping the eggs into the pan. “Doing OK?”
“I guess.” Spider drank more coffee, reconsidered. “Well… I will be. Right now, I’m still a bit – shaky.”
“Shaky?” Tex sprinkled grated cheese on the eggs, watching Spider closely. “You scared, man?”
“Sure I am,” Spider said. “I think I’d be crazy not to be scared, don’t you?”
“Yep.”
“But I’m not just shaky from that.”
“So what else is it?” Tex flipped the omelet perfectly and in one smooth move, and Spider almost applauded. “You get any sleep last night?”
“Not much. But again, that’s not it.”
“No?”
“No.” Spider set the mug down with a crack. “I’m pissed, Tex. Like really, really pissed. I’m shaky with anger, and I swear to you, I’m barely hold
ing myself back from storming down the hall to that idiot’s bedroom and throwing a punch.” He gazed at his hands. “I know he’d kick my ass, of course, since I’ve never been much of a fighter. But God, I’d take my chances because it would feel so good to land even just one punch on his face, and this is bizarre for me, ‘cause I am not a violent person.”
“Totally understandable.” Tex started frying the bacon, and at the smell, Spider’s stomach growled. “He really screwed you over, huh?”
“Yeah. And it’s not like it’s the first time.”
Tex glanced over at the other man, and yet again, he fought down his curiosity about just how the hell this gentle, law-abiding, hard-working, business owner had ended up head-over-heels in love with one of the most despicable human beings that Tex had ever had the misfortune of coming across.
Spider looked up, and smiled a bit at the expression on that hard, gorgeous face. “It’s OK, Tex. You can ask.”
“Yeah?” Tex slid the omelet onto a plate, set it in front of Spider, then returned to flip the sizzling bacon. “You sure, man?”
“Totally.”
“OK. But first, let’s get something straight between us.”
“Alright.”
“I was raised by my Daddy, who was one hell of a good ‘ol boy back home. You get me? He was what is not-so-nicely called a redneck, and he raised me to believe that it was God’s will that men and women muct be together to procreate, and any other combination is unholy.”
Spider narrowed his eyes. “Go on.”
“I believed that for a long, long time. I ain’t proud of it, but I said some horrible things to gay men and women over the years – but then I had a gay man in my special-ops unit in Afghanistan, and he changed my thinking.”
“How?” Spider asked. “I’d have thought that being around a gay guy in the military would have made you furious… that you’d have thought that he had no earthly business being there at all.”
“And you’d be right.” Tex plated up the bacon, then joined Spider at the island. He sat, drank some coffee. “I did think that at first, and I thought it for a long time.”
Extreme Curves (Dangerous Curves Book 7) Page 6
