“I bet this was that asshole’s idea,” he supplies, but his voice is resigned, not angry. I’m guessing that is more to do with the bruising shadows under his eyes and his pale pallor.
“When did you last sleep, Diesel? Last eat a proper meal?”
He shrugs. “I’ve a lot on my plate right now,” he admits.
“And I’m only adding to your burden.”
“You’re not a burden, Harlow. You never could be. You’re my priority.”
“Why, Diesel? You’ve got to give me, us, some answers.” I make a split-second decision, hoping I’m making the right call. “I know you work for VERO.”
“Shit.” He closes his eyes briefly, and air escapes his mouth. “Theo is more talented than I’ve given him credit for.”
“My man has mad skills.” Pride seeps into my tone, and Diesel picks up on it.
“You’re in love with him.”
I confirm it with my eyes.
“With all of them?” he inquires.
I don’t answer that question because I haven’t told the guys yet. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is, we’re supposed to be working as a team and we’re not. We need to know it all, Diesel.” I touch his arm. “I know you don’t trust them, but you trust me, and I trust them, so, please, come back to the barn, have a shower, eat some lasagna, have a beer, and just tell us what the fuck is going on.”
_______________
“Where do you want me to start?” Diesel asks an hour later after we’ve all eaten. Theo has lit a fire, and we’re all sitting around it, sipping beers. Diesel is drinking coffee, because he insists he needs to head home later, and it’s probably for the best even though I offered him a room for the night.
There’s no guarantee Saint wouldn’t try to slit his throat while he slept.
“How did my father find you?” I ask, curling my hands around my beer.
“Through my brother Lincoln.”
I sit up straighter. “Lincoln from the law firm is your brother?” He nods. “Huh. You look nothing alike.”
“We were both adopted,” he confirms, drinking from his mug.
“Lincoln never mentioned a word.”
“He wouldn’t. He’s been sworn to secrecy. Anyone who knows the identity of my employer is at risk, so I tend to limit the people I tell.”
I’m guessing it’s a lonely lifestyle and not one conducive to marriage and family life. My heart aches for Diesel for all he’s missing out on.
“How did you end up working for VERO?” Theo asks, idly threading his fingers through my hair. Saint is on the other side of me on the couch while Caz and Galen share the smaller couch and Diesel occupies the chair.
“I was recruited by the FBI straight from college. Spent a few years working for them, but the regimented structure went against my nature, so I quit. A couple months after I left, I was approached to join VERO. It sounded a better fit, so I took the job, and here I am.”
“How did Lincoln convince you to train Lo?” Saint asks, and I’m pleased he’s behaving himself now. When we first got back here, I thought he was going to put a bullet in Diesel’s skull.
“I only signed up for a few weeks. No offense, Lo,” he says, smiling at me. “But training a feisty thirteen-year-old wasn’t exactly on my bucket list.”
“What changed?” Galen asks.
“I met her,” he softly says, and all the guys stare at him.
My heart thumps behind my rib cage.
He turns to me. “You were so lost, but you had this fiery determination and this inner strength, and I’d never seen anything like it before. I knew you were special, and I also knew you were vulnerable. Your father was a shrewd player. He knew as soon as I met you I would change my mind, and he told me what’d happened and explained about the continuous threat, and that was all it took to confirm my commitment to a more permanent arrangement.”
“I’m taking it your employer doesn’t know.”
His jaw clenches. “They didn’t at first. But they found out.”
I shift uncomfortably, and the guys turn rigidly still.
“Explain that,” Saint grits out.
“I kept Lo a secret, fitting training sessions around my missions. I called in favors and built up a small, loyal team I could call on to go head to head in combat, but otherwise, I kept it on the down low. But one of the guys in the team ratted me out to my superiors a year ago. I expected a couple of potential outcomes, but the one they presented me with was not on my list.”
“What went down?” I ask, chewing on the corner of my nail.
“I’m guessing you weren’t able to dig up much intel on the VERO board of directors,” he says to Theo.
Theo shakes his head. “It’s all sealed, but there is a lot of speculation on the darknet.”
“About it being government funded and led?” Diesel asks.
“Yeah.”
“And it is, but it’s way bigger than that. The board is made up of powerful figures in business and government. All these guys stand to lose everything should their involvement in VERO ever come out.”
I notice he hasn’t mentioned what his missions entail, and I’ve no desire to pry. I know this is dangerous for him, and the less we know, the better. I want to keep our questions focused on how this impacts us.
“How is this connected to Lo and us?” Galen asks.
“When my superiors pulled me in, they told me I could continue training Lo and they’d let my disobedience slide provided Trey worked with the FBI to take down The Sainthood.”
“What?” I yell, completely taken by surprise.
“Are the FBI involved with VERO?” Theo asks.
Diesel shakes his head. “They are aware of VERO’s existence, but they operate as completely separate entities. VERO wanted to supply intel to the FBI in a way that couldn’t tie back to them. When they found out about Trey’s connection to Neo “Sinner” Lennox, they knew they’d hit pay dirt.”
“Do they want to take The Sainthood down, or is this part of a personal agenda?” I ask.
“Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. I don’t know if it’s Sinner they want to take down, or the entire criminal organization, or it’s about the Leydon murder, or maybe, it’s a combination.” He rubs his hands together. “They wanted Trey to spy for the FBI, and they specifically asked him to find the evidence connecting The Sainthood to Daphne Leydon’s murder.”
“Holy hell,” Caz says, toying with his lip ring. “This gets more complicated by the minute.”
“Everything seems to be connected to that poor woman’s death.” I bite down on my lip, needing to ask a question but wishing I didn’t. “Did you know about the false intel?”
He shoots me a soft smile. “I did. I do.” I avert my eyes, shame washing over me. “You were a kid, Lo, and I’ve always known they blackmailed you into it.”
“Dad told you?” I ask, and he bobs his head. Another question forms in my mind. “Was the FBI supplying the reports Dad was leaving for me to pass to Sinner?” Diesel nods. “And do you think Sinner knew it was them? Is that why Dad was killed? Because he was working for the FBI and trying to find that evidence? Have they known all along he didn’t have it?”
“I think it’s possible they found out about the FBI connection, and your father’s murder was a warning to them to back off. But Sinner’s actions since Trey was killed seems to confirm the evidence is missing and he’s desperately trying to find it. Everything hinges on that evidence. We need to locate it.”
“We’re coming up empty so far,” I say.
“There are various entities seeking the evidence, so we don’t have time to waste. Especially when Sinner is asking you to take out the commissioner. That makes me suspicious as fuck.”
“You think he’s involved?” Galen asks.
“Yes.” Diesel doesn’t falter. “I’m not sure how, but I think he’s up to his neck in this, and Sinner took Daphne to threaten him into silence.”
I’m beginning to s
uspect the ramifications extend even farther than we think.
“Why were you meeting the DEA agent?” Saint asks.
“He’s the one who gave Ruben the recording,” Diesel confirms.
“They’ve been watching me?”
“Not you.” Diesel glances at the guys. “The Sainthood. I was meeting with him to find out why and to see if I could get my hands on it.”
“And?” Saint asks, growing impatient.
“And he’s a fucking asshole.”
Caz chuckles, and I smile.
“He’s DEA,” Saint drawls. “That’s basically a mandatory requirement if you wanna work for them.”
“He doesn’t care that he’s made you a target, Lo. All he cares about is fucking with the Saints and taking Sinner down.” Saint opens his mouth to ask the obvious question but Diesel holds up a hand. “He fed me the usual bullshit about wanting to remove the biggest player from the streets, but it was fucking lies. I don’t have any facts yet, but this is personal for that guy, and I get a sense he’d trample over everyone and anyone to achieve his goal.”
“He was the one who got them set free,” I say.
“Yep, and the local cops are spitting blood. But The Bulls are his informants, and he got the powers that be to let them go.”
“They’re overlooking the murder of a nobody because taking down one of the largest criminal organizations is worth way more,” I surmise.
“We need to make The Bulls go away,” Saint says, plucking at his lips with his fingers. “They’re getting in the way of what we need to do.”
“Agreed,” Diesel says. “And this is where I can help.” He takes a folded sheet of paper out of his back pocket and hands it to Saint. “That is a shipment of drugs and weapons The Bulls are taking possession of on Thursday. The cargo ship is due to arrive at the docks at four thirty a.m. Ruben will have a few vans waiting. Get that intel handed to the Fenton police chief. He’s a decent guy, and he’ll do what needs to be done. Make sure the message is handed only to him. And use someone reliable.”
“What if the DEA steps in again?” Theo asks.
“They won’t be able to make this go away. I have a few media contacts. I’ll get them there. The DEA won’t be able to turn a blind eye to millions of dollars of seized weapons and drugs. They’ll have no choice but to prosecute.”
“Meaning The Bulls go to jail, the target is gone from my back, and we get to focus on finding that evidence and nailing Sinner to the wall.”
CHAPTER 32
Harlow
SCHOOL MONDAY IS totally anticlimactic after the weekend we’ve had. I’m tired too, because I didn’t sleep well last night after everything Diesel revealed. Theo and I ended up cuddling in bed and talking until the early hours, and then, I slept fitfully until it was time to get up.
“Any change?” Saint asks when I climb in the car after leaving the hospital.
I shake my head. I can’t form words over the lump in my throat. Why isn’t she waking up? It feels like forever since I last heard Sariah’s laugh.
“Maybe, we should reschedule this,” Theo says.
“No,” I croak. “The meet with Darrow is going ahead.”
“You have your knife?” Saint asks as Galen peels out of the parking lot.
I tap the side of my calf and then hold out the inside of my leather jacket. “I have my gun too.”
“And you have the locket, right?” Caz says.
I nod. “Relax, guys. This is one thing you don’t have to worry about. In my current mood, I’ll gut Dar if he even looks at me funny.”
Galen pulls the car off the road a mile from the biker bar, in front of an abandoned store, and I let them out. They duck inside to wait for me. I slide into the driver’s seat and head to the bar, pressing down on my locket to activate the audio recorder before I step foot in the seedy establishment.
Darrow isn’t here yet, so I order a bag of chips and a bottle of water and wait in a booth for him. He arrives ten minutes later, swaggering in like he owns the place. The tetchy blonde who was behind the counter when I visited Johnny flies across the room like she’s got a bee up her butt. “Hey, Dar.” She leans her elbows on the table, pushing her tits up and practically shoving them in his face. “What can I get ya?” She blatantly eye fucks him, and an amused grin spreads across my mouth.
“Tempest is gonna kick your cheating ass, Dar.”
“I never promised her exclusivity,” he says, winking at the bottle blonde. “I only ever gave that to you,” he adds, earning me a venomous look from the waitress.
He’s clearly forgotten he cheated on me with that redheaded witch, but I have zero fucks to give. “Relax, babe,” I say, leaning back in the booth. “I’ve no interest in fucking him. He’s all yours.”
Dar scowls, yanking the blonde to him and slamming his lips down on hers.
I sip my water as I sext Caz, grinning at his equally dirty reply.
“Who the fuck are you texting?” Dar spits, yanking his mouth from the blonde.
“One of my boyfriends,” I say, repocketing my cell.
“One?” the girl inquires, losing the dour face.
“Yep.” I tilt my head to the side. “I have four, and they’re all hot as fuck.” I’d love to show her some pics, to really rile Dar up, but the guys are well-known, and I don’t want word getting out that I was meeting the enemy for fear it ends up getting back to the psycho. This is already risky enough as it is.
“Well, damn, girl.” She plants her hands on her hips. “Where can I get me some of that?”
“I don’t have all day,” Dar snaps. “Get me a beer.” He dismisses her with a flip of his hand.
“Neither do I.” I slide the piece of paper across the table to him.
“What’s this?”
“Details of a shipment The Sainthood has coming up from Mexico Wednesday night.”
“Mexico?” He rubs at his brow. “I thought they got their supplies from Europe?”
“They’re testing a new supplier.” I pop a chip in my mouth. He grins as he unfolds the paper, reading the details. “You’re welcome.”
“This is good, Lo.”
“I know.” I stand. “Don’t fuck it up. I can’t wait to see the look on Sinner’s face when he finds out you ambushed his delivery.”
“I’ll need more,” he adds. “If you want me to keep quiet about your betrayal.”
“Like I said,” I say, slipping out of the booth and taking my knife from where I placed it on the seat beside me, “I want to see them taken down.” I lean into his face, deliberately lowering my gaze to his mouth and licking my lips. “You don’t need to threaten me.” I press the tip of my knife to his cock. “Or next time, I’ll stab you in the balls.”
I walk off toward the counter, smiling like it’s my birthday, because I just fucking love it when a plan comes together. I hand the blonde a twenty, smirking. “Keep the change, and take my advice—make sure he wraps it before he taps it.”
_______________
We’ve just finished eating our takeout in the basement when Bry shows up at the house a little after nine. “Hey.” I greet him at the door with a quick hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“You too.” He eyes the marks around my neck with suspicion. “You doing okay?”
“I’ve never been better.” I shoot him a cheeky wink as I lead him downstairs to the guys.
“Sit your ass down,” Saint says, gruffly, pointing at the couch across from us. I smirk, because he’s such a grumpy shit.
But he’s my grumpy shit.
Saint pulls me down on the couch between him and Galen, slapping a possessive hand on my thigh. I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes.
Bry casually flips Saint off before dropping onto the couch beside Theo. He leans back, crossing one leg over his knee and smirking. Caz hands him a beer, with a matching smirk, before plonking his butt on the arm of the couch. “Thanks, man.” Bry nods.
“What’s the update?” Saint asks
.
“Not a lot,” Bry admits. “Whoever the rat is, he’s well protected. I’ve dropped a couple hints, put out a few feelers, but no one seems to know anything, or if they do, they’re not saying.”
“How can we move this forward?” I ask.
“I suggest we install some cameras and break in to the prez’s office. Nothing goes down without Archer Quinn knowing.”
“You think the rat approached him and he’s dealing with him directly?” Galen asks.
Bry nods.
“It would explain why no one seems to know anything,” Theo supplies.
“Get the cameras set up,” Saint says. “And we’ll plan a B&E after all the shit goes down this week.”
“What shit?” Bry inquires, his brows climbing to his hairline.
“Things that don’t concern you,” Saint says. Until we know exactly where Bry’s loyalties lie, we can’t let him know our true agenda.
“Did Dar mention anything about his deal with me or Galen?” I ask.
“Sly fucker hasn’t said a word to me.” Bry swallows a mouthful of beer. “But he’s shitting bricks. He’s on edge and snapping at everyone and anything. It’s clear he’s rattled.”
“You heard anything about the DEA sniffing around?” Saint asks, and Bry almost chokes on his beer.
“Shit,” he says when he’s composed himself. “No, but that’s not good.”
He won’t meet my eyes, and all the tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck.
Saint bores a hole in his skull, and they enter into a silent face-off for a few beats. “You sure you don’t want to amend your answer?”
The vein in Bry’s neck pulses, but outwardly, he looks unfazed. “I’m sure,” he coolly replies. “I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
Silence slices through the air, and everyone feels the tension.
“We have something else for you to do,” Saint says, breaking up the heavy atmosphere.
“Taylor Tamlin,” Theo adds. “We need you to hook up with her again and drill her for intel.”
“Pun intended,” Caz cuts in, wearing a goofy smile.
“We want to know what part she’s played and what she knows,” Galen says.
“Consider it done.” Bry finishes the rest of his beer in one go and stands. “Anything else? I need to get home.”
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 54
