Ace (Syns of Desert Angels MC Book 1)

by L. M. Reign

  “They do. Mila tossed a knife at my head this mornin’ when I scared her,” I point to the groove in the pantry door. Brass’ laugh fills the kitchen.

  “Take it that means it went good?”

  “I think so. How ‘bout you and Ness?”

  “I don’t know, man. That girl is fragile.”

  “Like a flower?”

  He snorts. “Hell no. Like a bomb.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah. We had fun, but she’s on a whole other level, man. They all are. The way they think, act, and blend. They definitely ain’t club bitches.”

  “You act like they’re tryin’ to make a dress out of your skin.”

  “They might.”

  “You’re stupid. What’d I miss in church?”

  “Bloom wanted me to tell you that she’s havin’ a Christmas dinner at the house. Wants all of us in the same room.”

  “Shouldn’t be hard.”

  “Wants Syn there, too. Ness told her they had no plans since they can’t go back home while they are in this.”

  “Okay. I’ll catch up with Ma later.”

  “Bodi’s been up hammerin’ out details with the dagos and he’s on the fuckin’ edge. Strung out like he’s on speed about tonight.”

  “Probably is,” I shrug, brushing it off. Bodi was never one to set the standard for sobriety or fidelity.

  “Tank got out, went home with his ol’ lady. Babs doesn’t want him comin’ around for a while. He’d be useless anyway. Said he’ll still do his secretarial duties from home. Jolk got another infection, so he’s stuck in there. And Asher is MIA. You seen her?”

  I shake my head. “I’m not her fuckin’ keeper.”

  “Just curious. She hasn’t been around since that night she slapped Mila. She’s probably scared. Your girl is fuckin’ insane.”

  He’s right.

  Insane as she may be, she’s mine.

  _____________________

  Mila

  “You get the prints?” Ness asked when I shut the car door.

  “Yup. I need to shower and blow up the images before we meet.”

  “How was it?” She asked, her attention focused solely on the road.

  I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if someone paid me to. The way he loved and worshipped every curve of my body is still fresh in my mind.

  “Earth to Mila,” she snaps her fingers in front of my face.

  “Phenomenal.”

  “Did you two confess your love for each other?”

  “No,” I roll my eyes. “I avoided all talk of the past, and just enjoyed the moment where nothing held us back. And I did.

  Now it’s over. I know I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but he’s adamant we don’t have any secrets. I told him we could address those later since I’m still here because I have a job to do.”

  The Cheshire cat grin Ness was sporting almost split her face in half.

  “What about you?”

  “See for yourself,” she tossed me her phone, maneuvering the car on the interstate.

  “If there is a wiener on that screen, I swear to god,” I halted my threat, reading the text on the screen.

  Beast: Don’t kill anyone sparring. You’re too pretty for prison.

  “Beast?”

  “Girl,” she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Anxiety makes me smash my right foot into the floorboard. “Get your foot off your air brake,” she tells me pointedly, popping an eye open. I give her a strained smile as the impending sense of death passed “And yes. He’s a fucking beast.”

  I gasped, throwing my hand over my heart. “We better put out a disclaimer, then.”

  “Yes. The headline should be, ‘Pussy Found Good Home’.”

  I laugh so hard my stomach starts to fight back, telling me enough is enough. Tears spring to my eyes and I gulp the air greedily.

  “I thought you weren’t doing relationships? Just penis fun?”

  Ness lifted her shoulder, suddenly shy. “We’re just having fun.”

  “That’s it. If he can keep up having fun with you, then he’s the one. Maybe he’ll profess his love in complete sentences and shit.”

  “Unlike you, though. Your man is professing his with words and actions.”

  “He’s not mine,” I say softly, focusing my gaze on the passing city line.

  “He will be,” she says matter-of-factly. “‘Tis written in the stars.”

  _____________________

  A shower and some fresh clothes later, I’m hidden safely at the training warehouse going over the plans for tonight. Nerves weigh heavily on my shoulders as I lean over the map, memorizing every nook and cranny, every entrance and exit, and every single fucking room that could possibly hide him.

  “While we do the transport tonight, you two,” he swings a finger between Ness and me, “are to get in, look, and get out. I mean it, Mila,” he glares at me. “If you see him. You. Do. Nothing.”

  Holding up my hands in surrender, I nod. “I get it. I do nothing.”

  “They’ll be meeting us at Lotus disguised as a supply vendor. We’ll take over there, escorting the cargo. Dash and I will be focused on the transport. It needs to go smooth.”

  For us. I heard his unspoken words clearly. We need this transport to go well or we lose our chance of getting close enough to find him.

  “Since you’re working at Lotus today, keep an eye on them while they are near the shop. Once we’re on the road, you’ll receive a text message at each mile marker. It’s a sensored program, but it’ll let you know we’re alive.”

  “After scoping the building,” Dash starts, laying a clear layer of vellum over the map. “I noticed they have cameras here, here, and here,” he circles the three main entrances. “I suspect they have cameras in all the corners within the building, which is why you need to get above here,” his finger jabs the paper roughly.

  “The tech room. Do that and one of you can emit the interruption signal to loop the video for as long as you need. You’ll be able to watch the looped and live feed simultaneously. Whoever is looping into the system can guide the other through the halls. Up to you to decide who.”

  “I’ll go in,” I say the same time Ness says, “She goes in.” Dash and Milo chuckle before returning their focus back to the map.

  “I swiped one of the badges from the guard and copied the strip.”

  Before I can ask a question, Dash holds up his hand. “I returned it to him. Don’t worry.”

  I give him a soft smile, appreciating his ability to indulge me even though he’s thought of everything.

  “I’ll manufacture the logs to erase any uses by you,” Ness tells me, picking up the keycard and studying it with intensity. “Impressive stripping,” she commends Dash’s work.

  “That’s all you do, Mila,” Milo says. “Look around. Memorize the layout and get the fuck out.”

  Fed up with his bullshit, I square my shoulders, regretting the words the second they flow through my lips.

  “Féach air. Rinne mé amach as tú.” Watch it. I outrank you.

  Milo’s eyes widen before narrowing on me. His nostrils flare, showcasing the depth of his anger. Widening his stance, he crosses his arms over his chest, facing me directly.

  “Holy shit,” Ness whispers, eyes wide. “Dash, let’s... go.”

  They leave us in silence as we stare at each other. I’ve never pulled rank on my brother. Ever. Milo and I don’t even know who’s older because our parents didn’t want us to not treat the other as an equal.

  Now that I had, I regretted it, but I needed to stand behind my decision as head of our team to exercise that right. I couldn’t tolerate his blatant disrespect of my ability to do my job. Regardless of my emotions, I always perform.

  “I’m not fragile and I will not have you treating me as such. I’m ready for this. I deserve this. We deserve this. Disrespect me again, brother... and you’ll regret it,” I say, mirroring his stance.

  He clears his th
roat, rubbing his hand over his beard.

  “You’re right.”

  I keep my features impassive, not revealing how shocked I am that he admitted that.

  “I’m afraid, Mi. We’ve worked too hard and too long for this. I don’t want you to fly off the handle and do something risky. I’m worried about what they will do to you if they catch you. You saw what happened to Stella.”

  I deflate at the mention of his longtime girlfriend. Stella was captured by the Italians years ago and was found dismembered in trash cans across the city.

  They delivered her head to our front door, the initiation scar on her neck was mutilated with their brand. As was her face.

  Milo hasn’t been the same since. Always hopping from one bed to the next with no real attachment or obligation.

  “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

  “Hey,” he pulls me into a hug. “I love you. You’re all I’ve got.”

  “I love you, too. I’m not going anywhere. Promise,” I whisper.

  “You better not,” he backs away. “Because I’m about to kick your ass.” He lunged at me, taking a swing at my side. I dodge, backing onto the sparring mat, thankful that we were back to normal.

  _____________________

  Cole

  We kept watch in the back parking lot of Lotus, waiting for the dagos to arrive. Fucking bastards couldn’t even be on time.

  “Fuck this. I’m goin’ inside. It’s fuckin’ cold,” I tell the guys, relishing the rush of warm air that hit me when I walked inside.

  Ness sat up front, wrangling the influx of customers while Brass filed through some paperwork in his office before we leave.

  “You let her run the front?”

  He shrugs. “She’s got nice tits.”

  “I’m sure that’s not the only thing she’s got.”

  “Fuck off,” he growled, flipping me his middle finger.

  I wave him off and made my way to Mila’s station. Leaning against the door, I watch her get lost in the music blaring through the studio speakers.

  Her head is bent over the lightbox, sketching intently at irregular intervals before stopping to drum her fingers on the edge in time with the beat. Her hair swings with the motion and all I want to do is tangle my hands in it.

  “You going to come in or just stare at me?” She looks at me over her shoulder, and all I can think about is how she did the same thing last night. Wearing next to nothing.

  Fuck me.

  I come up behind her, leaning over her to see what she’s sketching. It was just lines, but I could tell it was an image of Rocky Point.

  “Who’s this for?” I ask, picking it up.

  “No one,” she takes the paper from me. Slipping it under a notepad.

  For a sketch, it was extremely impressive. I looked around for a picture of the drawing to find none.

  “You’re drawin’ this from memory?” Shocked didn’t begin to cover how surprised I was that she was able to conjure such a perfect still.

  “I want it.” I tell her, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

  She responded with a shake of her head. Cupping her neck, I brought our faces close enough that I could see the ash rim around her iris.

  “I have ways of convincing you. Come home with me.”

  “I’m sure you do. But I’m afraid the time for that was yesterday. I’m planning on going home alone tonight.”

  “Really? Because I was fully willing to let you take me home after this,” I say pretending to be shocked. Mila drops her stare to the floor, shoulders shaking with laughter.

  “Fine. I’ve got something to do, but I’ll meet up with you later.” She flashes me a dazzling smile and I swear my knees almost hit the floor with a proposal of marriage for this girl.

  Mila Davenport has a nice ring to it.

  “Cole!” Bodi’s grating voice barked from the doorway, interrupting us. “C’mon. Now.”

  “Comin’!” I toss over my shoulder, moving to sever the line of sight between Bodi and Mila until his heavy footsteps retreat. “Whatever you’re doin’ tonight,” I cup her cheek, whispering. “Be careful.”

  “You too.”

  Planting a chaste kiss on her lips, I follow the path that takes me away from her.

  Again.

  _____________________

  Mila

  I touch my fingers to my lips, tasting the lingering remnants of his kiss. He called it home. I couldn’t dwell on it much longer when Ness bounded into the room, gesturing for me to follow her out.

  We stood in Brass’ office, lights off, staring out the window as we watched the Italians mill around next to the truck. One catching my eye in particular.

  Sangster.

  “I can’t believe Sangster isn’t with the family,” Ness gave voice to my thoughts.

  “Something’s wrong.” The sinking feeling in my gut told me something wasn’t right if Sangster wasn’t protecting the family.

  “There’s something else on that truck,” I tell her, pulling out my phone to text Milo. The sinking feeling began gnawing at my gut, begging me to rip those doors open to see what’s inside.

  “Come on,” I whisper to no one in particular, silently urging my brother to check his phone.

  Watching Milo feel his vibrating pocket, he swiped across the screen, taking one look at my words before calling Dash over. They both began scanning the truck, looking for any cause to open it.

  “Check what’s inside,” I muttered to myself.

  Minutes ticked by anxiously and Milo’s spine shot straight. He found it. He sauntered over to Cole, discussing something heatedly before pointing at the truck.

  We watched as they approached Sangster and a few others guarding the front, pointing to the sides and the top. Sangster crossed his arms, adamantly shaking his head.

  “He looks like G-Eazy,” Ness mumbled. I chuckled at the comparison.

  The discussion continued, becoming heated when Bodi strode up behind them, drawing his gun, forcing everyone on the defense before firing a shot at the lock on the door. The chain slid through the handles, clattering on the ground. The guys took advantage of the distraction, wasting no time jumping onto the truck, and flinging the doors open.

  The look on their faces chilled my bones when a lone blonde with scuffed, bloody knees was helped down from the truck in nothing but a thin shirt and panties.

  I watched the familiar body take a few steps forward, collapsing into Cole’s arms.

  It was Asher.

  _____________________

  “How the hell did she get tangled up with them?” Ness asked for the millionth time. Like all the other times, I didn’t offer a response, focusing on the road as I sped down the blacktop.

  I couldn’t think about Cole right now. Or the way his hands immediately assessed her, sweeping her hair out of her face before scooping her up in his arms without a second thought.

  I couldn’t acknowledge the surge of jealousy that I felt trying to rear her ugly fucking head. We made no promises to be loyal to each other. We have no strings that I can hold him to. He didn’t break any promise where none were made. I can’t take it up with him because he’s not mine.

  So, why does my mind constantly go back to her in his arms? To his hands on her face?

  “Mila,” Ness says warily as I approach the corner I’m supposed to turn, at full speed. “Mila!” She yells, clutching the grab handle.

  I tap the break lightly while turning, causing the back end to fishtail until we straighten; barely losing any speed as we get closer to our destination.

  “Jesus Christ. I’m going to kill Ace if you don’t kill us first,” she mumbles when I come to a stop.

  “Let’s do this,” I swing the door open. Leaving all that bullshit in the car.

  _____________________

  “Testing. One, two, three. Testing,” Ness’ voice crackles to life in my ear. “If you can hear me, lift your right arm up and grab your boob.”

  I follow her instructions, fl
ipping her off while I do. I hear her laugh before seriousness settles over us. This is it.

  “The videos are looping. Live stream is up. Whenever you’re ready.”

  I give her a nod, jogging across the street to the seemingly empty warehouse. Skirting around the back alley, I find the entrance I memorized.

  Go in, go left.

  Swiping the card, I crack the door open slightly, waiting on Ness before I continue.

  “Clear.”

  Slipping inside, I quickly follow the length of the dim hallway, committing all the details to memory. A few minutes in and I’ve cataloged most of the first floor when a loud ding interrupts the silence. I began looking around for a place to hide.

  “Room to your right,” Ness effortlessly provides my shelter. Slipping inside the room, I peek through the curtains, freezing when I see Sangster.

  Fuck.

  “Is the run over?” I whisper into the mic clipped to my shirt.

  “Hold on. Let me find out.” The clacking of Ness’ aggressive typing kept me on edge until she responded.

  “No. Dash says Sangster left when they did, not going in the same direction.”

  “I need to get down there,” I explain, going still when Sangster stops in front of the door, pulling his phone from his breast pocket.

  “Saltali i motociclisti all'incrocio finale,” his gruff voice barked. Jump them when they get to the final intersection. He paused listening to the receiver.

  “Non mi interessa. Gli ordini del capo. Morte prima del disonore.” I don’t care. Boss’ orders. Death before dishonor.

  He aggressively ends the call, taking out his frustrations on the poor touchscreen. His eyes sweep over the window - I freeze - backing away slowly from the curtain when I swear his steely gaze landed on mine.

  Fuck.

  He saw me.

  “He’s just checking himself out,” Ness soothes the panic settling into my heart. I stifle a laugh as I watch him smooth his eyebrows before making that confident face men do in the mirror before walking off.