Page 40 of Grim

“And now I’m here to tell you that you better fill me in on what you know, or I’ll involve your family in this shit you’re playing with.”

“I don’t kn?—”

I grabbed his hand and jammed the steak knife through it. When he screamed, I pressed my napkin over his mouth and held his head back. I took the water pitcher and poured slowly over his napkin, waterboarding him into a manic state. He squirmed and choked, his eyes wide and fearful, but he needed to know I meant business. I wasn’t one for showing weakness, especially with so much at stake.

“Now,” I tossed the glass pitcher against the wall where it shattered into a million pieces, “I’m asking you this one last time. Tell me what you know, or your wife is next.”

“Mr. Gates,” he heaved, “please?—”

“Maybe I’ll start with the hands. Lord knows she can’t cook. I’ll start with her pinkie and then work my way up to the important fingers.”

“Fine,” he moaned as he held his bloody hand to his chest, his breath coming in heaves. “Tupot said he made a deal with someone.” He fought to catch his breath. “He’s a slimy bastard who does work with all kinds of shit. There was one name mentioned…” He struggled and squeezed his eyes shut. “Alina Li.”

I froze then swung around to sit in front of him. “Are you absolutely sure the name was Alina Li?”

“Positive.” He stared at me, his face the picture of pain, “Mr. Gates, at the risk of overstepping, I think whatever’s happening is far bigger than you realize.”

“Why?”

“Because Tupot is a cocky son of a bitch. He even bragged when he won your bid, saying he’d got you by the balls.” He shook his head as though he couldn’t believe what he’d just said. “Sorry,” he huffed. “What’s strange is that he got a call, and whoever it was scared the shit out of him so badly he didn’t show up the rest of the week. Tupot never ever misses his daily visit to the worksite. He makes our lives a living hell.”

“I see.” I slowly let everything process. Rarely was a developer at a worksite every day. That in itself rang a bell in my head. I had to admit, I’d been pleased to accept that bid. It was lower than the others. Not at the bottom, but comfortably mid-range. Leo had given me the particulars, and the firm checked out as being a very competent company.

“My-my phone,” he painfully nodded at his phone on the floor, “his address is inside.”

“I have it.” I tapped my fingers on the table then stood and buttoned my jacket. “Kids are chatty and share more than they should. Remember that if you find yourself in a position to share tonight’s events with anyone else. I got in once. It’ll be much easier a second time.”

“I won’t say a word, and neither will my family.” The sweat rolled down his face as he spoke, and I nodded.

“If you remember, see, or hear anything, I’m the first person you call. Understood?” I leaned down in his face. “Anything at all.”

“Understood.”

I pushed my chair in and looked around the house. Then I took my time and left via the front door.

“Jesse.” I waved him over from where he kept watch in the bushes. “We have a problem.”

The next day came and went, and though we got another crew in to work, countless manhours and money had been wasted, and I was still in the dark on what happened with very little to go on. Sonny had been with an escort all night, and my men confirmed Salazar—not that he was our main focus—was at Indulge for drinks with friends almost all evening. We couldn’t rule anyone out at that point in time, so we kept a close eye on them anyway.

I rested my forearms on the railing and peered down at the busy life below. The sun was hot and heated my shoulders through my dress shirt. The rooftop of Indulge was one of my go-to places when I needed to get away. You had to have VIP access, so it weeded out the general public and anyone under the age of twenty-one.

We had tables at the far end, so you never had to stop gambling. One pool was designed to lounge in, not splash or play games. Part of it was covered, one part had chairs so you could soak and tan, and the other had a fully stocked swim-up bar. Servers catered to the select customers’ every need from a water massage to something to eat, to a lap dance. Indulge had it all. It catered to a more sophisticated crowd, which was why my father wasn’t concerned that I wanted to build Secrets. It would scoop up the younger clients on the other side of the market without hurting what we had here.

“Only a few days home and you look more stressed than a church boy in a titty bar.” Rail chuckled from behind his cigarette. I just huffed and continued to watch the people below. Rail was one of Trigger’s closest men, and I trusted him with my life. Rail, Brick, Morgan, and of course Trigger were welcome at Indulge anytime. Trigger’s uncle Gus and my father became close after Trigger and I met back in the day, and we welcomed the Devil’s Reach bikers whenever they were in Vegas. The guys always had our backs, as we did them.

Once Trigger’s wife Tess took over her mother’s burlesque house, the Devil’s Reach fully took over Vegas as their territory. Trigger was fiercely protective of Tess and his club, which worked in my favor, given how close I’d become with both Trigger and Elio Capri, the mafia boss in Italy.

There were a lot of people who weren’t pleased to have an active bike club in Vegas, but I didn’t give a shit. My family’s companies were booming, and so were Trigger’s. Well, most of our business was. Secrets was my baby, and I planned to get her built as soon as I could. My anger flared with that thought. I was determined to get to the bottom of what was happening sooner rather than later.

“Shit’s going on, and I can’t figure it the fuck out,” I confessed to Rail as he stood smoking quietly next to me. I knew whatever I said to Rail would stay private.

“Shit always takes figurin’ out. Makes life interesting.” He coughed then dragged more smoke into his lungs. “But I guess it also comes with people always wantin’ ya dead.”

“Mm.” I nodded.

“Heard Sonny’s in town.” He eyed me. “Son of a bitch got some balls.”

“Yeah, well, new money will do that.” I glanced around. “Dad wants his business, but I think he’s a ticking time bomb. It’s only a matter of time before he fucks up again and causes more trouble.”

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