by Wilder, L.
Before he had a chance to respond, I rested the palms of my hands on his chest and lifted up on my tiptoes as I pressed my mouth against his, kissing him softly. A light whimper escaped my lips when his grip around my waist tightened. His tongue delved deeper, and what started out as a soft and tender kiss, quickly turned heated. His hands were strong and demanding as they pulled me closer, flooding my entire body with an all-consuming desire. I wanted Jackson more than I thought possible. I was hanging on by a thread, and just as I was about to come completely undone, he pulled back, quickly breaking our embrace. His green eyes danced with lust as they locked on mine. He lifted his hand up to my mouth, gently brushing the pad of his thumb against my bottom lip as he said, “We still have things we need to talk about.”
“We do?”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Okay, then. What do you want to talk about?”
He reached for my hand, and just as we were about to sit down, his cell phone started to ring, stopping him dead in his tracks. He reached into his pocket, and a fierce look crossed his face when he glanced down at the screen. “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta take this.”
I stood silently as he answered, “Yeah?”
There was a brief pause, and then my heart sank when I heard him reply, “I’m on my way.”
As soon as he hung up the phone, he looked over to me and said, “Damn. I really hate to do this, but something’s come up, and I’ve gotta go.”
“I heard. Is everything okay?”
“No, but it will be.”
“Okay, then.” With a playful smirk, I told him, “I guess you’ll have to show me how crazy I make you some other time.”
“You can count on that.” He pressed his lips against mine, kissing me tenderly before he said, “I don’t know how long this will take, but I’ll call you as soon as I can. If you need me before then, just give me a shout.”
“Okay.”
“Get some rest.”
He kissed me once more, and then he was gone. For several seconds, I just stood in the living room staring at the closed door as I thought about all the things he said to me. I had no idea how he did it, but he managed to make everything sound so simple, so easy, but deep down, I knew nothing about this was going to be easy, especially when there were so many things he wouldn’t or couldn’t tell me. I wanted to do what he said and just trust him, but I’d never been good at trusting anyone. It was one of the reasons why I was so good at my job. I kept digging until I got the story, the whole story, and I didn’t think I had it in me to just walk away from my article, not when there were still so many unknowns. It was something I would need to really think about, so I decided to go check on Tate and sleep on it. He was still out like a light, so I went to my room and crawled into bed. Just as I was about to turn out the nightstand lamp, I heard my cell phone ringing. Hoping that it might be Jackson, I rushed into the living room to answer it.
“Hello?”
“Reece? Is everything okay?”
“Hi, Myles,” I answered, trying to hide my disappointment. “Yes, everything’s fine. Why?”
“You said that you would call to set up our next meeting, so I got concerned when I didn’t hear anything from you today.”
“Oh, I’m sorry about that. Things got a little hectic around here today, and I lost track of time.”
“I definitely know how that can be.” He paused for a minute, then said, “I’ve been thinking about something.”
“Yeah? What about?”
“I think we should go back to see that Jason guy tomorrow,” he suggested. “I think he knows more than he’s letting on, and with a little push, we might be able to get him to talk.”
“I think that’s a great idea. When do you want to go?”
“Why don’t we meet over there in the morning … say around seven?”
“Sure, I can do that.”
“Great. I’ll see you then.”
After I hung up the phone, I went back to my room and started to feel a little apprehensive as I got back into bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jackson had said about me putting myself in danger. I could tell that he was concerned, especially about Tate’s and my safety, and I felt certain that he wouldn’t approve of my decision to move forward with my article. Yet somehow, I managed to convince myself that he was most likely over-worrying, and that I would proceed with the utmost vigilance. Unfortunately, I was wrong. My decision to go back to Jason’s apartment would set my life on a course of destruction, changing my life in ways I couldn’t begin to fathom. Had I known what was coming, I might’ve listened more carefully to Jackson’s warning.
13
Riggs
I learned a long time ago that being on top came at a price. A fool might think that it was a position easy to maintain, and they couldn’t be more wrong. While you stood at the top of the mountain, there was always someone who wanted to bring you down, rip you apart limb from limb, and devour you whole. In order to maintain your position, you stood tall, kept eyes in the back of your head, and were always ready to face your enemies head on. When they tried to take you out, you gave them a fight they’d never fucking forget. Over the years, Satan’s Fury had encountered many adversaries. Some have been bigger than others, but we’d dealt with all of them the same way. We were fucking one percenters, and when it was all said and done, we didn’t just remain standing—we towered above all others. The city of Memphis was Satan’s Fury’s territory, and nobody, not even someone as powerful as Josue Navarro, was going to take that away from us. We’d face him with the same relentless drive and unflinching determination that we’d used to destroy all those before him and make him regret that he’d ever stepped foot on our turf. After my conversation with Reece, I was looking forward to bringing Navarro to his knees, so much so, that I didn’t complain when I had to leave her apartment in order to meet up with Blaze and Murph.
As instructed, Gunner and T-Bone had been keeping eyes on Navarro and his crew, and when they spotted them heading down towards their SUVs, they called Gus to let him know that they were on the move. Gus had one of his gut feelings and ordered Blaze and me to meet up with them at Navarro’s hotel. I wasn’t exactly thrilled about leaving Reece in the middle of our conversation, but if it meant getting that much closer to Navarro, it would be worth it. I was ready to end this shit with him and was willing to do just about anything to make that happen. It was after eleven when I came up on T-Bone’s SUV at the rear entrance of the Peabody. I pulled up next to them, and as soon as I was parked, I went over and got in the backseat with Blaze. “Any word?”
“Navarro just got in the limo to your left. He’s got three men with him, and two more parked behind him in the black BMW.”
“Any idea where they’re headed?”
“Not a clue.” When he noticed the limo pulling out of the parking lot, Blaze nodded his head forward and said, “But we’re about to find out.”
Once both vehicles made their way to the end of the street, T-Bone eased out onto the road and followed behind them, making sure to keep a safe distance between us. After we crossed several blocks, T-Bone announced, “Looks like they’re headed to the industrial part of town.”
I felt unsettled as I watched the taillights turn down Russell Street, a road that had become all too familiar a couple months back when Josue’s brother sent some of their associates, the Culebras, to Memphis to set up a high-tech meth lab at the old paper mill. They might’ve actually pulled it off if they hadn’t tried to wipe out any and all competitors in the area, including us. They blew up our garage and shot up our diner, killing two of our brothers in the process. Our thirst for revenge was at an all-time high, and after discovering that the Culebras were behind the attack, we set our sights on taking them out. The assholes never saw us coming, and by the time we were done with them, there was nothing left of their gang or their fucking meth lab.
When we noticed that Josue’s limo was slowing down, we killed the lights and pulled back
, hiding our vehicle between two large metal cargo carriers. We all sat in silence as we watched Josue and his men drive past the paper mill and up to what looked to be an abandoned warehouse at the end of the road. Blaze leaned towards the window as he whispered, “What the hell are they doing?”
“Maybe Josue is looking for a new place to set up shop,” T-Bone suggested.
“No.” I shook my head as I replied, “He’s not looking. Check out the front entrance. The motherfucker’s already set up shop.”
“What are you talking about, brother?” Gunner asked. “I don’t see shit.”
I leaned forward, and as I pointed to the new cameras mounted above the front door, I said, “He’s already installed a new security system.”
“Damn.” As he looked closer, he announced, “He’s got the place covered with them.”
“Yep.”
“So, what does that mean?”
“It means he’s planning on being here for a while, but that shit isn’t gonna happen,” I answered.
“What are we gonna do about it?” T-Bone asked.
“For now, we’re gonna keep an eye on them and see what he’s up to.”
I’d barely gotten the words out of my mouth when another black BMW pulled up to the warehouse. Two men stepped out and walked over to the back of the car. None of us spoke as we watched them pull a blindfolded man out of the trunk. His hands were bound behind him, and he was struggling to walk as they led him inside the warehouse. Once they were no longer in view, T-Bone asked, “Who the fuck is that?”
“Hard to tell with the blindfold, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before,” Blaze answered.
T-Bone looked over to me and said, “From the looks of it, he’s in for a rough night.”
“You’re right about that.” Everything was dark, making it impossible to see what was going on inside the warehouse, so I said, “We need to get closer.”
“How the hell are we gonna do that? They’ve got the place covered with cameras, and you don’t have your computer to shut them down.”
As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. We had no choice but to sit there and wait. And wait we did. We waited for hours and hours as they did God knows what to the blindfolded stranger. It was almost eight in the morning before they all came barreling out of that warehouse. There was no sign of their guest as Navarro barked out orders to his men. As soon as he was done talking, they piled into their vehicles and pulled out of the parking lot. I patted T-Bone on the shoulder and announced, “They’re on the move. Let’s get ready to roll.”
He gave me a quick nod and cranked the engine. As soon as they were a good distance away, T-Bone pulled out and started following them back towards downtown. He did his best to keep his tail, but it wasn’t easy. We were trying to remain unnoticed by Navarro and his men while following them through fucking rush hour traffic in a city that had a population of over a million people. Even with all of us watching, all barking orders to stay in this lane or turn left at the light, T-Bone wasn’t able to stay on him, and we lost him in the mass of traffic. He slammed his hand against the steering wheel as he shouted, “Goddamn it! Fucking traffic!”
“Just stay on Popular for a little longer. Maybe we’ll run up on them,” Blaze suggested.
After several miles, it was clear that they’d gotten away from us. Knowing we had to track them down fast, I turned to T-Bone and said, “Head over to the clubhouse. I need my fucking laptop.”
“You got it, brother.”
The SUV lurched forward as T-Bone pressed his foot against the accelerator, making us all shift in our seats as he soared through a red light. Horns were blowing, and people were shouting as we held on for dear life. Thankfully, we made it to the clubhouse in one piece, but Gunner was clearly rattled as he muttered, “Damn, brother. I’m pretty sure we were almost hit back there … twice.”
“You’re still breathing, ain’t ya?” T-Bone snickered.
Ignoring their bickering, I got out of the truck and raced inside for my laptop. Once I retrieved it, I headed back to the parking lot to join the others. I just got back inside the truck when my cell phone started to ring. Without bothering to see who was calling, I answered, “Yeah?”
“Jackson?” Reece whispered with pure terror in her voice.
“Reece? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know what to do.” I could barely hear her as she answered, “They’re going to kill him.”
“What are you talking about?” I pushed.
“They’ve got him tied up in a chair, Jackson. He’s bleeding really bad, and I’m not sure he’s even conscious anymore.”
“Baby, I have no idea who you’re talking about. Where are you?”
“A guy I interviewed … his name is Jason Brazzle.” She paused for a moment, then whispered, “I’m at his apartment … on the fire escape.”
“Goddamn it, Reece! What the hell were you thinking?”
“I just wanted to ask him a few questions,” she muttered.
I was overcome with panic as I leaned towards T-Bone and ordered, “Get over to Jason’s place. Now!”
Knowing she was in grave danger, I pleaded with Reece, “Baby, you gotta get the hell out of there!”
“I can’t, Jackson. They might see me if I move.” She gasped as she said, “He just pulled out his gun.”
“Who?”
“Navarro,” she whispered in shock. “Oh, my God, Jackson. Navarro is going to kill him.”
“Dammit!” I turned to Blaze as I announced, “Navarro is there with him, and shit is about to go down.”
Suddenly, I could hear the sound of sirens echoing in the background. “Is that the cops?”
“Yes! Thank God! I didn’t expect them to get here so soon.”
Fearing Navarro and his men would try to escape, I told her, “You gotta move, Reece. As soon as they hear those fucking sirens, they’re going to do whatever it takes to get out of there.”
“I’ll try, but …” The line went dead.
“Reece!” My blood ran cold when I could no longer hear her voice. “Fuck!”
When I realized we were still ten minutes away, I nudged T-Bone’s arm. “I need you to hammer it, brother.”
“You got it.” He floored the accelerator and asked, “You got any idea what’s going on over there?”
“Not exactly sure, but I think Navarro is about to kill Jason.”
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Gunner complained. “We can’t let that happen.”
“I’m afraid we may be too late. The cops just showed up,” I snarled. “If Jason wasn’t already dead, he will be now.”
Even though T-Bone was driving as fast as he could, I felt like we were moving in slow motion, making every second absolute agony. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as we sped towards Jason’s apartment. I had no idea what we were going to find when we got there, and the thought of something happening to Reece had me all torn up inside. That feeling was only made worse when we finally arrived at the apartment complex. It had been almost a half hour since I’d heard from Reece, and the place was covered with cops. Squad cars and ambulances lined the streets. Their lights were flashing bright, and there was yellow police tape draped around the entire area, preventing anyone from getting too close. T-Bone pulled up to one of the businesses down the street, and once we were parked, he looked over to me and asked, “Now what?”
I opened the door and pulled off my cut as I got out. “Wait here. I’ll go see what I can find out.”
“Be careful, brother. We don’t need the cops on our asses,” Blaze warned.
I nodded, then closed the door and started walking towards the chaos. I was looking for Reece when I noticed a couple of cops getting medical attention from the paramedics. I glanced over at the front door of Jason’s apartment, and I was surprised to see several cops escorting one of Navarro’s men over to one of the squad cars. Once they had him secured in the back, they went back inside only to return with two more.
Three other men were brought out on stretchers with two more following close behind in body bags. As I stood there staring at all the mayhem, I wondered if Navarro might’ve been in one of the body bags, but those hopes were quickly squashed when I saw him appear at the front door. There were four cops at his side, and his hands and feet were shackled as they led him over to one of the empty police cars. They were just about to put him in the backseat when Blaze came up behind me. “Is that who I think it is?”
“Yeah, it’s him.”
“Damn. I can’t believe they actually got him,” he scoffed.
“They may have got him, but I bet he’ll be released on bail within the hour,” I grumbled.
“Any sign of Reece or Jason.”
“Not yet,” I answered as I scanned the area again.
“You think Navarro knew Rodrigo was in Jason’s apartment?”
“Don’t know any more than you do, brother. I’m just hoping he wasn’t one of the guys in those body …” I started but stopped when my focus was drawn to the side of the building. Reece was there with the guy from the diner, and they were talking to one of the officers. I had no idea what they were saying, but it was clear from the expression on Reece’s face that she was rattled. She seemed okay, physically, but I had to go over and check. I looked over to Blaze and said, “I’ll be right back.”
I skirted under the yellow tape, surprised that no one tried to stop me as I made my way over to Reece. Her bottom lip was trembling, and her fists were balled at her side. She was doing what she could to keep it together, but the minute she spotted me walking towards her, she broke down. Tears started streaming down her face as she rushed over to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. I held her tight as I whispered, “You okay?”
“No,” she mumbled into my shoulder.
“What happened?”
Her words were jumbled as she sobbed, “They killed that poor guy. It happened right there in front of me, and I didn’t do anything to stop it. I should’ve helped him, but I did nothing! What kind of person does that make me?”