by J. L. Drake
Bruno’s men formed a horseshoe around him. They carried at least four guns each, and their eyes scanned the room carefully. Not guys to mess with.
“Let’s skip the shit and jump right in,” I started. “Why are you here?”
“I want my coke back.”
My face twisted in confusion. “Everything I had from you sold. Your cut was signed off by your own men. I have nothing left of yours.”
“Ah, my friend, but what about the one-point-one million you took last night from my coyotes?”
What? I tried to calm myself. I had never stolen from the cartel, not once. I wouldn’t be that stupid.
“We’ve worked together long enough for you to know I would never touch another man’s product. I believe I’ve earned that respect.”
He leaned back and looked up Tess’s skirt as she leaned to put a drink on the table. I knew what he was doing, and I tried hard not to let it bother me. She set a shot of tequila in front of him and stepped back next to Brick.
At least she listened.
“Pictures don’t lie, Mr. Vineyard.” He signed for one of his men to drop a photo in front of me.
I snatched up the photo of a man on a quad. The back was piled high with bricks of cocaine, and there was my fucking reaper staring back at me. What the fuck? I held it closer and studied the face. I handed it to Brick, and his face went hard. Tess leaned forward and looked at the photo Brick held, then she cupped her mouth when she saw who it was.
“That’s not my man. The cut is mine, but that man is Zay. He works for my father.”
“Interesting you let the chica in your business.” He tilted his head at Tess.
I hated that he even paid attention to what was mine. It felt like Serpents were back in the room.
“Are we here to talk about pussy or the fact that I was set up?”
His face snapped over to mine. “Why not both?” When I didn’t budge, he unfolded his fingers and held them up. “Fine, educate me. Who is this Zay in the photo?”
“He’s some hit man my father hired to help him kill me. I’m sure you’ve heard that my father holds no love for me.”
His eyes darkened when he made the connection. “Yes, I have heard many things lately, and I wondered about the timing of this unfortunate theft. Your father owes me a lot of money. I have been very generous with him, even loaned him guns. I have been very patient. Now he steals over one million in drugs from me as well?”
“Looks that way.”
I wasn’t aware my father owed money to the cartel. It was a game changer. I couldn’t help but wonder why he would take such a risk.
“Interesting.” He rubbed his chin and eased back into his seat. “What to do now,” he said, more to himself than anyone in the room.
My mind mulled over all the possibilities, and after a few moments, I knew what the best move might be for me and my club.
“I have an idea that I think will work for both of us.”
“I’m listening.”
***
Tess
“Holy shit, Tess.” Minnie rose from her chair. “I’ve never seen a more badass wedding dress in my life.”
“I’d do you,” Rail sputtered.
“Huh, like you’d ever get a chance,” Minnie scoffed. “Why on earth Trigger would send him to watch over us is beyond me.”
I stepped out of the tiny dressing room and stood in front of the mirror. There was zero way I was going to wear white, so any traditional wedding shop was out of the question. No, I wanted something that was me, and this—I turned around and admired my ass—was me. A tight black leather dress hugged my body. It looped around my neck, low in the front, and sexy lace held the two pieces together. The back was my favorite. It dipped dangerously low and settled right above my ass.
“I can’t wait to see how Trigger will react!” Minnie squealed with joy.
“That’s her wedding dress?” a lady whispered to her friend. “What are her bridesmaids wearing, pasties?” They laughed and rolled their eyes.
“Hey, Tess,” Rail leaned over the back of the seat to see me better, “remember how you stabbed that asshole over twelve times because he hit on you? That should be in your vows.” He winked at me as the nasty women grabbed their bags and ran out of the store.
“Not a bad idea, Rail.” I laughed. “Okay, this is it, I’m done. Ring it up.”
“What else do you need to do?” Minnie slurped back a rum and Coke in a Big Gulp cup.
“Nothin’, really. Just needed my dress and shoes.” I patted my bag. “The rest will fall into place. It’s just a party in the back yard. That’s all we want.”
“I love that you love simple.” She grinned. “Because there’s no room for a white wedding in the MC world.”
“Amen to that shit,” Rail piped in and draped his arm over my shoulders. “I’m still waiting for Trigger to change his mind so I can swoop in and steal ya.” He grinned playfully.
“Did you feel that way before or after you thought I was the mole?”
“No, I got my hard-on after you slapped me.”
“Thanks for the visual.”
I should have known something was up when we were on our way back. Rail had spent most of our walk home on the phone, texting like mad, and not at all paying attention to the people around us.
“Want to play a little?” I nodded at the parade up ahead that was just about to start.
“Oh, God, you make life so much fun.” She laughed, and we continued our lazy walk past our street and into the sea of half-naked men. We dove behind a float, and I pulled my phone out and hit record.
A chick with giant tits stuck them in Rail’s face and waited for him to glance up. When he did, his eyes bulged out, and he grinned, clearly interested.
Poor Rail didn’t have a chance in hell to understand what was happening before she grabbed his neck and plunged her tongue in his mouth.
“Holy shit.” Minnie nearly pissed herself. “It’s like a train wreck. I can’t look away.”
I could barely hold the phone upright, I was laughing so hard. He was going to kill us dead.
The chick let him go, and he looked up, dazed, until she spoke, and he noticed the Adam’s apple.
“Wait.” He backed up and looked around. “What the hell?” He immediately spotted us, and to my utter shock, he smiled and muttered something to her.
“Come here!” he shouted, and we bolted for the clubhouse.
“Run!” Minnie grabbed my arm, and we dodged traffic as we whisked across the street and flew into the clubhouse.
“Brick!” I shouted as he came out of Trigger’s office. “Catch!” I tossed him my phone as Rail’s body slammed me to the ground.
I rolled around, trying to catch my breath while I laughed. With all the heaviness the club had been through the last few months, it felt amazing to laugh all the stress free from my insides.
“Wait,” Brick’s face broke out into a confused smile, “isn’t that a fuckin’…”
“Man? Yup.” I shoved Rail’s shoulder when he went to cover my mouth. “Tongue and all.”
“It explains so much.” He glanced at Rail, who was sweating but made one last attempt to grab the phone from Brick.
“Fuck you, Brick.”
A set of boots stopped near my head, and Trigger stared down at me. “Having fun?”
“The best.” I kept my composure.
“Rail, get ready. We leave in twenty.”
He hopped to his feet, but not before he glared at me.
“Oh, wait,” I sat up, “you’ve got a little something right there.” I pointed to the corner of my mouth, pretending he had lipstick on his lip.
“I hope you trip and fall in that dress.”
“I bet you do.” I winked and took Trigger’s hand to help me the rest of the way up.
***
Allen
“Two, four, six.” I counted the bundles as the three men and Zay piled them into the back of the van. We had a buyer wh
o was willing to take it all, but at a discounted price. I didn’t give a shit. My plan was to fire one in his head and rob him blind, anyway.
I just needed to have enough money to give the green light to the men I hired to blow up the Devil’s Reach. Everything came with a cost.
The sun beat down on my shoulders. I wanted to remove my jacket, but we’d had some unexpected guests twice today already. People really needed to find a hobby. I still took pleasure in their adoration and wondered if I wasn’t meant to be a prophet in another life.
When the last brick was packed, and my dear weasels were safely tucked in, I tossed them a little treat and enjoyed their squeals as they fought over the tidbit. I threw my bag inside and slammed the doors shut.
Zay drove, and the three other men I had recruited to grab the cocaine squeezed in the back while I took the front.
“This will be a life changer for us, boys!” I slapped Zay on the shoulder as he pulled out of the dusty driveway. Well, for me, but they didn’t need to know that.
I leaned my head against the headrest and closed my eyes.
“I won’t lie, you’re the last person I thought would call on a Tuesday morning.” I settled in at the back of the bar. I was pleased with the location, but I had two men outside, and Zay was in view if I needed someone to step in. One could never be too careful.
“It seems you and I have similar interests.” She jumped right in and fiddled with the light blue scarf that hung loosely around her neck.
“Oh?”
“Yes, we’re both after the same thing.”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a bit more specific, here.”
She leaned forward and gave me a familiar glare. “Look, I don’t want to screw around here and waste anyone’s time, so I’m going to cut to the facts.”
“You have my attention.”
“I want the flash drive, and so do you. I have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of, and by the looks of things, so do you. I know your copy got destroyed, and I know she has a copy.
“And you know this, how?”
“I know a lot more than most think.”
“So, what do you believe is on it?”
She closed her eyes and sank back in her chair. “Look, Allen, I might look like a billionaire’s wife, but I built my business from the ground up, and I removed more than a few who got in my way. If you want to ignore me, that’s fine, or we can work out some kind of deal and get back what’s rightfully ours.”
“Interesting use of the word ‘ours.’”
“Who do you think gave him the idea to start blackmailing high-profile people? He sure as hell wouldn’t have come up with it on his own.”
“Okay, so, what’s the deal?”
She leaned in, and her eyes flashed with rage. “Kill anyone who gets in our way.”
“What about…”
“Anyone,” she reiterated.
I thought about it for a moment and let myself get excited. Oh, how the plot thickened.
“You want to team up with me and get it back?”
“Yes.”
I rose from my chair and thought for a moment. It could be a trap, or she could be an asset. Life was like Russian roulette sometimes. You just needed to be in or out.
“You have a deal, Felicia.”
My eyes opened once we hit the dirt road. The afternoon sun was low on the horizon, and the excitement for what was to come bubbled through my core.
Zay flipped the sun visor down and squinted ahead at the airplane hangar in the distance. I hit the back of the seat to get the men behind us to wake the fuck up.
“Ready, boys?” I tugged on my collar to make sure it sat perfectly straight. There was nothing better than these high-tension deals. I liked to watch their expressions when I’d step out of the van. I loved that moment of discomfort and uncertainty. I would always act quickly to twist it in my favor by taking charge of the situation first. Once you established who was in control, the rest typically fell into place. I couldn’t help a small smile. Soon my son would feel my wrath.
“One, two, three,” Zay counted the men he could see. “Five on the left, and one on the tip of the wing.”
“They’re not going to come alone.” I sighed. I really wished he’d relax. This was going to be easy. We were in the middle of nowhere and had the upper hand. We had the drugs they wanted and enough ammo to take out a small community, not to mention three expendables in the back seat.
“I don’t like this.”
I rolled my eyes and reached for the bottle of Jack I had in my bag, “As soon as this is over, we can buy three women who look exactly like that bitch you seem to care about so much.”
He shot me a look then shifted his eyes back to the road, and I rubbed my hands together as the power started to prickle the tips of my fingers. Once Zay slammed the van into park, I felt almost giddy.
Showtime!
I kicked open the door, tugged my jacket into place, and slapped on one hell of a grin.
“Gentlemen,” I raised my hands in greeting, “shall we do some business?”
The hangar had a layer of dust over everything except the silver bullet Eclipse 550 aircraft.
Shit, she was beautiful. The plane was just under three million and worth every penny. They had good taste.
The man dressed in a suit and tie checked his watch before he stood and stepped behind a steel table. I assumed this was the man I had been dealing with over the phone.
“Mr. Bellium?” I held out my hand, but he didn’t make a move toward it. I slowly dropped it and stood still. It was a battle of the alphas.
“Check them,” he ordered, and two men hurried over, stuck rifles in my men’s faces, and told them to raise their arms while they removed their weapons. One stepped in front of me and tapped my arms so I’d do the same. I glared at him, but I wanted to show I would cooperate. He removed both of my guns, dropped the clips, and tossed the rest on the table in front of Bellium.
Once they went back to their posts, I smirked. “Now it’s your turn.” I nodded at his gun sticking out of his waistband.
“No,” he simply said.
I sucked in my bottom lip and tried not to lash out. If I wanted this deal to happen my way, I knew I would have to let him think he had the power.
“Can we get started, or do we need to draw blood next?” I dripped with sarcasm.
A long smirk raced across his mouth from one corner to the other.
“Interesting choice of words, Mr. Vineyard.”
I cocked my head to the side. How did he know my real name?
“You did your homework, I see.”
“Indeed.” He undid the buttons on the front of his suit and shrugged off his jacket to hand to one of his men. The man waited a beat and huffed something I couldn’t make out, then he hung it over the back of his chair.
If one of my men hesitated and disrespected me in front of a client like that, I would have shot him straight between the eyes.
“All right, then, let’s do business.” I snapped my fingers and heard the double doors open on the van. Brick by brick, the cocaine was carried to the table and stacked in rows.
After the last one was placed, I stepped back and waited for him to take a sample.
To my surprised, he didn’t. He just stood there.
“Are you one of the few men who trusts the word of another?” I tried to see what the hell was going through his head.
“I’d never trust a man who portrays the Lord by day and the devil by night.”
I smiled my confusion at how well he knew me. “Have we met before?”
“No, but he has.” He nodded over my shoulder, and a slow chill raced up the back of my neck and over my skull as I turned and met the eyes of my son.
Fuck me.
Chapter
Twenty-One
Trigger
I stood tall while I lit my joint and squinted as the smoke consumed my lungs then broke free past my lips.
I’d waited a lifetime to do this the right way, and now, standing fifteen feet away was the man who had carved me into the monster I was today.
His eyes searched mine before he swallowed and rubbed his fingers together.
“I wondered when I’d see you again, son.” He tried to smile, but his confusion got the better of him.
Morgan stepped into the light with his rifle over his shoulder. Tristen followed, and Brick joined my other side.
My father looked around and back to me. “Seems I’m at a disadvantage here. Shall we make it an even playing field?” He went for his weapon on the table, but Rail pointed a gun to his head.
“Okay, okay.” He raised his hands.
I held his gaze for another beat before I switched my sight over to the “buyer.”
“Cray?”
“Every last brick is accounted for, boss.”
My father’s face dropped as he made the connection that the buyer was one of my men.
“You’re not the only one who can mislead people.” I stepped forward and tossed my gun on the table. “Rail, go get them,” I ordered, and he walked by me and out to the back of Allen’s truck.
“Okay, now, guys,” his face twisted into a look I knew all too well, “let’s take a moment and discuss this.” I moved to stand directly in front of him, and he puffed up his chest like he used to when he wanted to intimidate me. “I have money now. Think of the possibilities.”
I slammed my fist into his face and knocked him straight off his feet. He fell to the ground hard but quickly scrambled to his feet.
My father was a dirty fighter, but a fighter nonetheless. He could take a few good cracks to the head before he’d stay down.
“Still have a killer right hook.”
“That was my left,” I corrected and seethed with anger. “Is that how you bribed Joe?” I snarled.
“Not hard to flip a simple-minded doorman.” He smiled and wiped his lip clear of blood. “Maybe you should treat your men better, and you wouldn’t have so many holes in your club.”
“Must have missed that lesson in my upbringing.”