by Hope Stone
Ten
Blade
I went back to the fighting ring two more times this week. It was making me a crowd favorite since I won all my fights, but even more importantly, it gave me the opportunity to get close to Kane, which meant that I was getting closer to Luca.
I’d even seen the snake that Kane had told me about, a big yellow thing that I wasn’t too proud to admit made me nervous. Luca came into the warehouse tonight with it draped around his neck like some living accessory. It made him look like the villain in a vampire movie or something ridiculous like that.
I came alone tonight for the first time. It made me feel jumpy, but the closer I got to Luca, the more uncomfortable I was with bringing Alex along. It was one thing for me to knowingly get close to a man that Outlaw Souls suspected to be a killer, but Alex didn’t know what he was getting into. I couldn’t tell him, so I didn’t bring him.
I’d decided to work a new angle to get information. Kane had mentioned that Luca was looking for some muscle, a man that could do his dirty work for a big payday. I’d put my name in for that, knowing that they’d all seen me fight and knew what I was capable of. What they didn’t know was that I wasn’t into roughing up people that were indebted to Luca. I preferred a fair fight.
“Blade, it’s good to see you here again,” Luca said when Kane brought me to him. He was always removed from the crowd, on a wooden platform that I suspected was built for him to see the fights from his chair. He was like a king on his throne here, surrounded by men that openly carried their guns on their hips. I was packing tonight, too, but mine was tucked away, out of sight.
“Luca,” I nodded in his direction, not getting close enough to shake his hand while that damn reptile was on him. “I hear you might have some work that I’d be suited for?”
Luca nodded. “I might. Depends on what you’re willing to do.”
“Whatever the boss tells me to do.” I could tell that was the right answer by the look on Luca’s face. This guy got off on being the big man in charge.
“Good. Walk with me.”
Luca put his snake into an open tank on the floor beside him, and I remembered what Kane had said about him being eccentric. That was an understatement. He stood, and two of his men came forward, stopping just behind him as we walked together out of the warehouse. The street was dark, with cars parked in the unused lots of the warehouses around us to avoid drawing attention to our location. It seemed like a wasted effort when I realized that I could hear the crowd yelling at the fighters out here.
I followed his lead as we made our way west, moving closer to the docks, which were abandoned at this time of night.
“Have you ever hurt a woman?” Luca asked, not looking directly at me. His eyes roamed over our surroundings, always alert.
My stomach somersaulted. What the fuck?
The answer was no, but I was sure that wouldn’t be what he wanted to hear. Whatever he wanted me to do had to be tied to this question.
“I believe in discipline,” I replied. The words disgusted me, but I had a part to play here.
Luca laughed as if what I said was hilarious. He clapped me on the back like we were old pals.
“Me too,” he said. “But some people don’t think like you and me, which is how we end up with a problem.”
“What kind of problem?”
“A mouthy little bitch by the name of Cecilia Groves.”
Shit. That was Raymond Groves’s wife, the woman that Outlaw Souls was supposed to protect.
“Tell me about her,” I said, glad that my voice didn’t betray anything going on in my whirring mind.
“She has something that I want, and someone has to persuade her to give it up.”
“What is it?”
He smiled. “A primo piece of land just five miles north of La Playa.”
My excitement nearly gave me away, making me keen to push for more information, but I forced myself to pause and take a deep breath. If I appeared too interested, he’d likely suspect something, and I’d end up with a bullet in my back before I even knew what happened. Luca’s bodyguards were still tight on us.
“Why not just look into something else? If it’s land you want, there’s plenty in La Playa that could be obtained more easily.”
Luca slowed to a stop, and I was sure that he was on to me. My pulse raced, and I tried to figure out how to get away from these three men in one piece, but Luca surprised me.
“You know what? I like you, Blade. You’re bold, an innovator. So, I’m going to let you in on a secret. It’s all about location, location, location.”
That wasn’t exactly a secret when talking about real estate, but I wasn’t going to correct him. Luca started walking again, quicker this time, but I kept pace with him.
“You see, there’s something special about this location. Something that Cecilia doesn’t know about. Her late husband was good at keeping secrets.”
“Secrets?”
Luca leaned closer so that only I could hear. “Raymond Groves used that land to store weapons.”
“What?” I couldn’t have heard him right.
“Yep. Military-grade weapons, supposed to be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
“How do you know this?”
“I’ll get to that. He got the stuff from a big-time arms dealer based in El Paso. The dealer smuggled the shit in from Mexico but needed a place to hide it while it was too hot to move. So he contacts a friend of a friend…”
“You mean Raymond Groves?”
Luca nodded, his eyes lit up with excitement. “So, Raymond takes it and tells the guy that he can hide on this unused piece of land he has.”
“I still don’t understand how you know all this.”
“You know that arms dealer? His operation was taken over by my boss two months ago. You’d think a hardened criminal like him wouldn’t talk, but I guess anyone with squeal if you push the right buttons.”
My head spun with all this new information.
“So, you up for it?” Luca asked, and I had trouble figuring out what his question was referring to.
“Up for what?”
“Cecilia,” he said impatiently. “Are you up for persuading her to give me the land? She’s got a kid, and that might make it easier for you to convince her. I can’t access the property unless she does it. There are new home communities going up all around this land, and if I’m spotted where I shouldn’t be, there could be a serious problem.”
What he was suggesting made me want to punch him in the face, but I was still outnumbered here.
“Right, yeah,” I agreed, ready to get the hell out of there. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. I had a feeling I could count on you. Check in with me here next week. Let me know how it goes. In the meantime, just keep what I told you between us, or you’ll go the same way Raymond did.”
He said it lightly, as if he was just making conversation, not threatening my life.
“Of course,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Now, let’s get back to the warehouse. Your fight will be starting soon.”
I didn’t say anything as we turned around to make our way back to the warehouse. For once, I wasn’t in the mood to fight at all.
My date with Kat was that night. I didn’t actually have a plan when I asked her out, but I knew that it should be something fun.
“You ready to go?” I asked her as Ink Envy closed. She was smoking hot tonight with her tight jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was down, the long black locks flowing down to the middle of her back in waves, and I noticed that she’d put on a little more makeup than usual. I appreciated the effort, but she was gorgeous, even without it.
“Yep,” she said, pulling on a black leather jacket. “Where are you taking me.”
“I’m not saying,” I smirked.
“You’re lucky I like surprises.”
We exited the shop together, and I mounted my bike, straightening it as I raised the kicksta
nd. Kat didn’t have to be told what to do as she came over and climbed on behind me, swinging her leg up in a smooth motion that suggested she’d done this a hundred times. It reminded me of my first day of work.
“Hey, who was it that picked you up from work the day we met?”
It was risky to ask her about another man at the beginning of our first date, but I couldn’t suppress my curiosity.
“What, Jason?” she laughed lightly as she pulled her helmet onto her head. “You weren’t jealous, were you?”
I knew she was teasing, but I decided to be honest.
“Yes, I was.”
Kat scooted herself closer to me until her toned thighs were stretched around mine, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. Her face was beside my ear when she spoke.
“He’s my brother.”
Thank fuck.
I started the bike, feeling the vibrations from the engine at the base of my spine. Kat’s grip tightened around me when I took off, pulling out onto the street. The evening was perfect for a ride. We were heading to the eastern part of town, so the sun was at our backs as it slowly made its way across the sky to set in a couple of hours. The air was almost always a little humid in this town, being so close to the ocean, but it wasn’t overly so tonight. Cool wind rushed over us as the motorcycle picked up speed, and Kat rested her head against my back.
It didn’t take long to reach our destination. I pulled into the parking lot in front of a strip mall. There was a line of businesses, ranging from a video game store to a bakery. I had my sights set on the pizza place right in the middle, so I parked in front of it.
When we got off the bike and pulled our helmets off, Kat shook out her hair. The wind had whipped it around during the ride, and it was a mess, but I thought that it looked like she’d just had wild sex. I felt my cock start to stir at the notion of that, and I stepped closer to her. I hadn’t kissed her again since that first time in the back room of the shop, and I needed another taste.
Cupping her cheek, I tilted her head back, and she parted her lips for me. The kiss was gentler than last time, but I still felt a blast of arousal at the contact. I wanted to consume her, but she pulled away after a few seconds.
“Come on,” she said. “I’m starving.”
We walked into the familiar restaurant. I had been coming here since I moved to La Playa, and in my opinion, it had the best pizza in town.
“Blade, I didn’t know you were coming in tonight,” John, the owner of the place, greeted me from behind the counter as I walked through the door. He was always here, tossing pizza dough every day. His eyes landed on Kat beside me, and he grinned. “And you’ve brought a friend.”
“Kat, this is John, the owner of the best pizza shop you’ve ever been in.”
“Wow. Those are some big words.” She turned to John. “Does the food live up to the hype?”
“I like to think so,” he said with a humble look.
I gestured to a booth by the door, and Kat slid into the seat. The inside of the restaurant was exactly what you’d expect of a small pizza place. There were red vinyl seats at the booths and matching chairs at the tables placed in straight rows on the floor. The glass front of the building provided an uninspiring view of the parking lot, and there were close-up pictures of pizzas on the walls. What really set the place apart was the product. John’s grandmother came over from Sicily sixty years ago, bringing the recipe with her. It was authentic and tasted amazing.
There were a few other customers already seated, enjoying the food. It was never overly crowded here, making it the best-kept secret in La Playa.
“What toppings do you like?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Usually, just pepperoni.”
“A woman after my own heart,” I said, adding a little drama by placing my hand over the left side of my chest. It earned me a small chuckle.
I went to the counter to place our order, and John got to work immediately. He made the food right there in front of the customers, showing off as he stretched the dough by tossing it into the air and catching it.
“So, you’re a regular here?” Kat asked when I sat back down.
“I’m not much of a cook, so I have a few favorite places that I go to eat regularly. You ever heard of Tiny’s?”
“I don’t really go to that part of town often,” she said.
An emotion that I couldn’t decipher flashed across her face. I was just about to ask her about it when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I didn’t want to be rude, but as a prospect, it was important that I could be reached at all times. It was a message from Ryder telling me that there would be a meeting tomorrow night.
“Sorry, just a second,” I said, typing out a quick affirmative that I would be there.
Those bikes aren’t going to watch themselves.
“Anyway,” I tried to recall where we were in the conversation. “I come here at least once a week, but I chose it tonight because of our after-dinner activity.”
She shot me a heated gaze, and I knew what she had in mind. My cock, still half-erect from thoughts of getting her naked, gave a little twitch in my pants.
“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “And what activity do you have in mind?”
Leaning closer to her, I beckoned for her to do the same. She did until our faces were only inches apart. I wanted to claim her sweet mouth again, but instead, I turned my head and pointed to a black building across the street.
“Laser tag?” Kat asked, and I could hear the surprise and excitement in her voice.
“Yep.” I sat back in my seat. “But I have to warn you, I’m pretty good. You might not stand a chance.”
“I’m gonna wipe that smug grin off your face once and for all,” she said, also leaning back. “I can’t believe you’re taking me to play laser tag.”
“Why not? I told you it would be more fun than a movie.”
“It’s just that some people might consider it childish.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” I asked. “I think we should all be a little childish sometimes.”
“I agree.”
The pizza arrived, and we dug in. Kat was honest when she said she wasn’t afraid to eat in front of a man. She put away even more of the pizza than I did, and I found myself trying to figure out where it all went.
“I’ve always had a fast metabolism,” she said, answering my unasked question.
Damn, it was refreshing to be with a woman like her. I had the impression that she wasn’t putting on airs at all. I was getting the real Kat here, through and through. No games.
She offered to pay for half of the meal, but I took care of it. I wasn’t the most old-fashioned of men, but I believed that the person that initiated the date should cover the bill. Besides, I’d planned everything.
I bid John a quick goodbye, and we left the restaurant. It seemed silly to get back on the bike just to ride such a small distance, so I took hold of her hand as we walked across the parking lot, then the street. The building that housed the laser tag course was brick, painted black with no windows. I had never been here before, but I’d played the game in other places.
I’d called ahead to reserve a time slot for the two of us, so it took no time to check in and get into our vests. The lights on my chest and back were blue while Kat’s were green. If we shot each other, the lights would flash red for a few seconds. We had an hour, and whoever got the most shots in on their opponent would be the winner.
I knew I’d made a good choice when I looked over at Kat just before we went into the course. We were both standing in front of doors about ten feet apart, which were our individual entrances to the course. She was smiling from ear-to-ear, and her body was practically humming with excitement. She was pumped up.
The countdown clock above our heads was set to one hour, and we heard the locks click before the attendant told us we could begin.
I surged forward, opening my door and stepping into blackness. I froze, waiting for my eyes to adjust as the heavy door I�
�d just entered through closed behind me. There was loud techno music playing, drowning out any other sound. I wouldn’t be able to tell where Kat was by hearing her footsteps.
After a few seconds, my eyes adjusted enough to see that there was a long wall to my right, which must be separating Kat and me. I held the plastic gun with two hands and headed to the left, where there was another hallway. At the end of it, the room opened up, revealing a space illuminated by blacklight, and the walls practically glowing with the paint on them. It was a large space, filled with square objects that could be used to hide behind or get in the way as obstacles. I touched one and found it to be cushioned on all sides for safety. There were doorways all over the room, leading to a maze that connected them and would be a good place to ambush an opponent.
My adrenaline spiked, and I tried to decide my next move when the light in the center of my chest flashed red.
“What the fuck?”
Movement made me turn to my right, where I spotted Kat running away, clearly laughing her ass off. I had just started to follow her when she disappeared through a doorway. My light turned green again, and I smirked while I raised my gun. She got the first shot, but I was ready for her now, and I loved a good challenge.
It was on.
Eleven
Kat
Playing laser tag with Blade was a blast. I was pretty sure it was the most fun I’d ever had on a date. He won in the end, but I put up a hell of a fight. After an hour of running, ducking, and diving in the laser tag course, I would have expected to be too exhausted to do much else tonight. But as I climbed onto the back of Blade’s bike, I felt energized by my need for him.
He started to head back to the tattoo shop, to drop me off at my car, but I wanted to be alone with him now. To hell with the car, I could pick it up tomorrow. I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention.