by Jayne Blue
“Good!” I said, when Jinx’s eyes started to flutter. “Now we can talk a little.”
Jinx struggled against the tight plastic bindings. I had him on the floor between the two double beds.
“You fucking cunt,” he said.
I sucked in a breath. “I really don’t care for that word, Jinxy. It’s just crass.”
He snorted and coughed but his bindings were secure.
“Here’s what I need from you. I need to talk to Kagan,” I said. “But after what you just tried to pull, he can shove it up his ass if he thinks I’m getting into another car with him. Neutral turf. Got it? There’s a waffle joint the next town over. McGee’s. I’m guessing he knows it. I’ll meet him there this evening. Six o’clock. And if he sends you or anyone else back to try and grab me up, they’ll get gut shot, not just a goose egg. Got it?”
Jinx rocked back and forth trying to sit upright. I knew he’d eventually figure it out but it might take him a good hour. More than enough time to get the hell out of here. “You’re gonna get that sweet little ass of yours killed and I think I’m going to enjoy watching.”
“Oh, I just bet you will. Six o’clock. Tell him that. And if he doesn’t show, he can consider this little contract of ours null and void. And if he tries to hurt me or hire someone else to poach from me, there’s going to be a body count.”
“Well, how the hell do you expect me to tell him anything like this?”
I smiled and leaned down. I patted him on the cheek and dodged neatly when he tried to bite me. “You’ll figure it out. It’s going to be a workout for you, but the landline on the bedside table works just fine when you find a way to get to it. Ya got kind of a tortoise-and-a-hare choice, my friend. The quick route would be to bust through those ties. It’ll hurt like hell and you’re gonna get some nasty cuts in the process. Then there’s slow and steady wins the race. Pace yourself and you’ll be able to crawl there.”
“Fucking bitch. Kagan’s gonna make sure you suffer good and slow for this.”
I nodded. “Sure. Just make sure you tell him about the meeting. I don’t really appreciate being kept waiting. It’s just rude, you know? Very unprofessional.”
Jinx grumbled low. Beads of sweat dotted his brow and his skin was flushed. I had mild concern he’d work himself into a heart attack before he figured out how to use the phone.
“It’s going to be okay, Jinx. I promise. Deep breaths. Count to ten then make your move. Do you think you’re going to join us for dinner? I’d be happy to order you some pancakes before you get there.”
“Fuck you,” he said, his breathing labored. It occurred to me to maybe help him along by cutting a notch in one of the ties. But then he lobbed one more “cunt” at me and I decided against it. Instead, I patted him on the shoulder and wished him luck.
I checked my phone on the way out. It wasn’t even noon yet. Jinx was taken care of and the hotel parking lot was empty. Jinx had apparently pulled watch duty all on his own. Unlucky for him. I headed down to the lobby to pay my bill and check out. Now I just had about seven hours to figure out a way to save Sly’s life and my own.
Chapter Fifteen
Sly
If Scarlett and I had spent the last twenty-four hours in a cocoon, without her, reality had a way of crashing back in and kicking the shit out of me. It came in the form of a wicked scowl on Colt and Sawyer’s face when I showed up at the Den. Tiny was with them. Big bastard that he was, Tiny hated confrontation. He just gave me a sad puppy expression.
“Glad to see you, boss,” Tiny said. “We were starting to get worried.” It would have been easier if Colt and Sawyer had just laid into me. Tiny just made me feel bad. I hated letting him down.
But never mind Tiny’s feelings. I was getting damn sick of answering to a committee. “Am I the only one who doesn’t get to take a day or two off every once in a while?”
“You’re off your game,” Colt said. “You’ve barely been to the Den all week. Nobody’s saying you’re not entitled to some you time, but you gotta admit the timing isn’t great.”
I didn’t like his tone or the scowl across his face one damn bit. “You telling me you can’t run things for a little while without me hovering over your shoulder?”
Colt let his breath out hard. He shot a look to Sawyer and Tiny and they took the hint. There was an uncomfortable silence, then the two of them made awkward excuses to leave the room.
So we were going to have it out, Colt and me. It wasn’t even noon yet and already I needed a stiff shot of bourbon.
“What’s going on, man?” Colt said.
Before he laid into me, I took a seat behind my desk. Among other things, he needed to remember who was in charge. He was getting bold and a part of me couldn’t blame him as much as it pissed me off. But this club only had room for one alpha wolf. Colt took a seat in front of me. His scowl dropped a little as he realized this was turning into a formal meeting. This was my office, my club. He knew I’d listen, but I wouldn’t be lectured by him or any of the others.
“Is there something happening?” I asked. “Any problems with the fighters? The promoters are getting paid on time? The beer distributors? Food deliveries are running smoothly?”
“Yeah. Sly, all of that’s fine, it’s just . . .”
“Just what? What the hell, Colt? You’ve been riding my ass ever since Dex left.”
Colt narrowed his eyes at me. “You really think the shit with your bike was just some fluke, Sly? I mean, really?”
I shrugged and folded my hands behind my head. “Honest? It’s not something I’m giving a whole lot of thought to. That was weeks ago. Nothing weird has happened since. I’m not being careless. I’m watching my back.”
“No you’re not! Shit, Sly, you’ve been riding and driving alone for days. It’s a bad idea, man. It’s our job to watch your back. Tiny’s scared shitless, you know? And you can’t really blame him. He’s got his own little PTSD brewing after the trouble we had not so very long ago.”
I let out a sigh. “Look, I’m sorry. I hear you. I’m just not willing to hide in some hole with a tinfoil hat over this.”
“No one’s asking you to do that. We just think you need to stick close to the club right now.”
I rubbed the flesh between my eyes. These were my brothers. Colt had been with me for fifteen years. But dammit if I was going to let whatever the hell that was out on that cliff make me run scared. I’d fought too long and too hard to make this club safe and legit. We were going to stay that way no matter what.
“What do know about this girl, Sly?”
Colt leveled a look at me. One of the reasons I had always trusted Colt’s counsel above all was because he was never afraid to say what he thought. Though at the moment I wanted to pretty much throat punch him for it.
“What do you want me to say?”
Colt leaned forward, resting his forearms against his knees. “Look, I’m not trying to say you gotta run who you fuck past a committee.”
“Yeah? Cuz that’s what it’s sounding like.” My temper flared. I didn’t like where this conversation was heading.
“Just with things being how they are ... we just shook off the Pagano family. Dex is out for a while. Then there’s what almost happened to you. It’s just, now’s not the time for you to be taking chances.”
“What chances are you worried about?”
“Shit, Sly. You want me to come out and say it?”
My blood simmered. I stayed seated but balled my fists at my sides. Colt didn’t break eye contact. He was about one of three people who would meet my rage head on. His dark eyes narrowed and tension went into his shoulders. He was ready if I decided to make this into something else.
“Look,” Colt said. He tore a hand through his hair, making it stand up in black peaks. “She came out of nowhere, all right? I’m just concerned. And I’m concerned that you’re not concerned.”
I let out a breath and did a mental ten count. “What do you want, Colt? Obvio
usly you and the rest of the guys have been talking about this when I’m not around.”
Colt tapped his knee with his fist. “Not like that. No one’s been talking shit behind your back.”
“But they sent you in here to talk to me about this?”
Colt nodded. “Yeah. They figured I was the only one besides Dex who was brave enough and stupid enough.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “So what then?”
“Why don’t you just let us ask around? See if we can find out if she’s connected to anybody we need to know about.”
It was in me to rail at him, tell him and the rest of the club to mind their own fucking business. But the rational part of my brain knew I’d be saying the same things if Colt and my positions were reversed. Scarlett had given me non-answers and half answers since the minute I met her. My instincts said she was good for me. But I’d be lying if I said I was sure my instincts weren’t clouded by my dick where she was concerned.
“You in love with her?” Colt asked. I hadn’t expected that.
I shrugged. “I’m in something with her. She’s got my head turned around. I won’t lie about that.”
Colt nodded. “And that’s a good thing, boss. I’m happy for you. But since she does have your head turned around, let us do what we do and look out for you. She’s legit. I’m sure she is. Let’s just make sure. You know you’d do it for me.”
I knew Colt was right. As much as I was starting to care about Scarlett, my club was my club. These were my brothers. I would lay down my life for them as they would for me. I wouldn’t—couldn’t—let anything in that would hurt them, even if it came wrapped in Scarlett’s sexy package.
So, I told Colt what I knew about her. The more I talked, the more serious Colt’s face got. The truth was, I knew very damn little about her. A niggling sense of dread crawled up my spine and again I had to suppress the urge to bash the messenger on this one.
“Don’t sweat it, boss,” Colt said when I was done talking. “I’m sure she’s gonna check out just fine. I gotta feeling about her too.”
“Oh yeah?” I arched a brow. “What kind of feeling is that?”
Colt shot me a sheepish smile. “Just let me call our guy to look into her. And why don’t you bring her down to the Den tonight? We like her too, you know. And it does Mo good to see you happy.”
I laughed. “Yeah. You maybe need to be careful what you wish for. If Mo stops needing to worry about me, who do you think she’s gonna train her matchmaking sights on next?”
Colt shivered. “Fuck. I forgot about that. She’s doesn’t need any encouragement.”
“Exactly.”
“Come on, let’s give her the thrill of getting us some lunch. She hasn’t had the chance to force feed me in like two days.”
Colt laughed and I threw an arm around him, glad that things were easy between us again. I felt better as we walked out into the bar together. But the thought of what had to happen with Scarlett tore a small hole in me. I knew in my gut her feelings for me were as real as mine were for her. She couldn’t fake that. I knew what it did to her when I whispered her name in the dark, how her body responded to mine.
She had her secrets. I’d never been blind to them. I could not—would not—believe she wasn’t falling as hard for me as I was for her. The question was whether I was willing to risk the safety of my club to find out.
Chapter Sixteen
Scarlett
Kagan’s SUV pulled into McGee’s parking lot at ten minutes to six. I picked a corner booth with my back to the wall. The waitress brought me a stack of waffles nearly as high as my chin. I set about eating them as if this were just like any other day. Kagan had to believe the charade. Both mine and Sly’s lives depended on it.
I raised my chin in greeting as I shoved a forkful of waffle in my mouth. They were actually delicious. I waved my fork at Kagan as he watched me from across the room. Jinx was nowhere to be found but Kagan had brought reinforcements. I recognized two of his club members from back at the farmhouse. They each took a seat at the bar as Kagan made the slow walk to the end of the restaurant where I sat.
“Just a black coffee, honey,” he said to the waitress as she set down his menu.
I shook my head. “You’re missing out. This is just a big stack of heaven right here is what this is.” I waved my stuffed fork at him again, watching syrup drip onto the plate.
Kagan sat back. He wore his silver-white hair long today. It hung past his shoulders. He fixed his steel blue eyes on me and smiled as I took another mouthful. The waitress came with his coffee and I busied myself cutting the rest of my waffle stack into quadrants.
“Bring us an extra plate if it’s not too much trouble,” I said. Kagan raised a brow. “Seriously. Stack of heaven. It’d be a crime if you missed out.”
He leaned forward and caught my wrist, pressing his fingers hard against the bone. “Cut the shit.”
I twisted and wrenched my wrist away and sat back, dropping my napkin into my lap. “Fine. No bullshit. I’m having a little crisis of conscience and I figured we should talk it out.”
He shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re still breathing. I’m thinking I might let Jinx do some of the things he wants to you. He’s got a hell of a colorful imagination. Those zip ties got him thinking.”
I nodded and pointed my fork at him. “See, I knew he’d figure himself out. He doubted me. He’s pretty limber for such a big guy, hey?”
“You want to tell me what the hell this is about? Or why I shouldn’t just end you right here?”
I set my fork down. “I said. Crisis of conscience. See, this job hasn’t been going the way I like from the get go. I blamed you at first but that’s not fair. I did some things that were against my better judgment on account of who vouched for you. Well, not so much vouched as ... but you’ve got a hell of a reputation and I wanted to show respect for that. That’s why I agreed to meet with you. You know that’s not normally how these things are done.”
“And here I am starting to think your reputation is bullshit.”
I shrugged. “I asked you last time we met, what is it you really wanted? You remember your answer? I asked you if you cared more about taking Sly out or hurting his club.”
Kagan put his palms up, gesturing me to continue. “Well, as you know, I’ve been able to spend some alone time with Sly. See, you just questioned my reputation, but I really am good at what I do. And customer service is a bit of a specialty of mine. That’s important too. And it would be easy for me to just do the job you paid me for, but you’d end up dealing with an even stronger rival than you started out with. And normally, I wouldn’t care. But you dragged me into this with your little show out at the farmhouse. You made it pretty clear what you were trying to accomplish. So, if you really want to cause a shit storm for the entire M.C. I have to tell you, you’ve picked the wrong mark.”
At this Kagan leaned forward. His eyes widened and I held my breath. The hook was baited. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“For a sharp guy, I’m actually kind of surprised you haven’t worked this one through. You have to know Cullinan’s made some big, bold moves lately. He says he’s running a one hundred percent legit operation. Now, I’ll leave it to you to figure out if that’s true. I don’t really give a shit. But I get the distinct impression that not everyone in that club thinks that’s such a good idea. As you and I both know, legit is all fine and good, but it’s kind of a lousy thing for serious cash flow.”
He tapped his fingers on the table and worked his jaw. Good. He was still listening. “You saying someone’s trying to take his patch?”
I shrugged. “Club politics is more your area. I’m just saying, taking Sly out might work to the advantage of the club more than it would hurt it from what I’ve seen. I mean, think about it. What would happen in your club if you told your members you were ah . . . changing your business model?”
Kagan laughed. “You know. You’re stupid but you’re not
stupid.”
I smiled. The waitress came back with the extra plate I’d asked for. I transferred a half stack of waffles and put them in front of Kagan. “Seriously. Heaven.”
“You saying some of them want him dead?”
I shrugged. “Nobody’s dumb enough to come out and say that directly. I’m just saying, extrapolate. Would you feel like that patch on your chest was secure if you killed your club’s golden goose? So yeah. If I were a betting woman, I’d say somebody at his own table wants him out.”
Kagan scratched his chin. “Who approached you?”
My heart thundered in my chest. He made the leap. It had been easier than I could have ever dreamed. Which meant I didn’t trust it.
“Have you been made?” he asked before I could answer his first question.
I let out a breath. “I’ve been careful. But I think I’m about to get made. Yes.”
“Who is it? Who’s got balls enough to take him out?”
I flipped a lock of hair out of my eyes. Kagan could see my hand was steady. “You know his veep is out on the road. That leaves Cullinan vulnerable. From what I can tell, his second in command is Colt Reddick.” The minute I said it, I felt the slow rise of bile. But this was the worst time in the world for me to start growing a conscience if I had any hope of killing the hit on Sly.
Kagan slapped his hand to the table. “Ambitious fuck. I’m not surprised.”
“Right. So you have some decisions to make. I think I can goose it along a little. Drop the right kind of hints. By the end of the week, I think your Mr. Reddick is going to want to pay for my services. Seems like a win-win for you.”
Kagan’s eyes narrowed. A slow smile spread across his face and my heart flipped. I had him. I could have sworn I had him. But something dark flickered behind his eyes. He clenched his teeth hard and grabbed my wrist again. I tried to wrench it free but he held on tight, pressing hard on the small bones. I kept my face even. I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how badly he was hurting me.
