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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DIXIE
Delphine walks out the door without glancing at me. She’s freezing me out. I can’t blame her, but I can’t deny it hurts. However, she can’t stop me from busting my way back in. I just have to survive this meeting with Hex. I turn to face Hex, but he isn’t looking at me. He has his phone out and is texting someone. I suspect he’s calling in the other brothers, but I soon discover that my assumption is wrong.
“I’ve asked Cleo to take Delphine out for a bit of pampering,” Hex says as he puts his phone back in his kutte. “You have thirty minutes to convince me your life’s worth saving, because right now I’m looking at gator food.”
I try to calm the turmoil coursing through my veins. Losing my life is the least of my concerns. I know I’m in danger of losing everything that makes my life worth living. My brotherhood, and Delphine.
“Do you remember when we met?” I ask Hex, who nods.
“You were checking out my bike and we got to talking about the club,” Hex says. “You told me you had just retired from the Irish Army and traveling the states. Was that a lie?”
“No, that was the truth. I just didn’t tell you everything. I was with the Irish Army and I had just retired. However, before I went into the army, I was working for an organization that specializes in contract kills. I’m a paid killer. My skill set is vast, covering everything from poisonings to sniping. I can make someone disappear or I can execute a public killing. I’ve never failed. The organization I work for, Sigil, needed an agent in the States. I volunteered. Originally, my plan was to head to the Midwest so I could be centrally located. But then I met you, learned about the club, and met Delphine.”
Hex’s nostrils flare at the mention of his mother, but I ignore him and keep talking. “This city drew me in and took hold. So, I stayed.”
“You joined my club and helped me get this place livable. But I don’t fucking remember you ever telling me you were a gun for hire.”
“I never planned on telling you. Not right away. At first, I didn’t trust you enough to share that secret. Then, as I got to know you and the others, I didn’t tell you the truth because it could put you in danger. Also, I didn’t want to lose my place here. For the first year, I took my assignments and paid into the club more than my fair share of the dues. I wanted this club to succeed, and I had the means to help get it off the ground.”
“I asked you once where you got the money from and you told me you got it by killing for your country.”
I shrug. “That wasn’t a lie. The organization I work for is based in Ireland. The money I paid into the club came from my time with the Army and Sigil.”
“You put us at risk.”
“No. I didn’t. I made sure to always protect the club. Every job I took was away from New Orleans. Even if the target was from here, I planned the job so the execution happened elsewhere. I never wanted to put you or my brothers in the crosshairs.”
“Still doesn’t explain why you didn’t come clean sooner. You waited until we found you out.”
I hang my head and nod. “I know. Once you made me VP, I thought about telling you everything, but I didn’t want to drag you into it. By keeping my other life a secret, you had plausible deniability.”
While I talked, Hex leaned against his desk with his arms crossed. He kept his face neutral and his tone even. He’s always been a master at keeping his emotions under wraps. When he straightens and closes the distance between us, I brace for his reaction. He’s swift in delivering it. His fist flies out and knocks me on my ass. “Don’t fucking try to con me. You lied to me, you motherfucker. You lied to your fucking President. I trusted you. Made you my VP, and you didn’t have the fucking decency to tell me the truth.”
He stomps away as I regain my feet. Working my jaw, I watch Hex pace the room, muttering about traitors, liars, and misplaced trust. When he turns towards me, I brace for his next outburst. I’m fully expecting him to tell me to hand over my kutte and get the fuck out. The thought of leaving weighs heavily on my heart, but the thought of losing Delphine almost breaks me. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t put a bullet right between your eyes?”
Well, fuck, I hadn’t even considered that he might want to kill me. I guess I should have. Honestly, death would be preferable to losing Delphine and my brothers. But I have a good reason for him to keep me alive. “If you kill me, they’ll send someone else after Vladimir. Someone who won’t hesitate to kill him. You need me to help you figure out who wants him dead so we can eliminate the problem.”
Hex glares at me for a good three minutes before he nods. “Good answer. This is what you’re going to do. You’re going to get the details on who wants Vladimir dead. I’ll figure out how we’re going to handle it, and you do as I fucking tell you. I’m calling Church and the club will decide if you keep your place here. If not, I’ll skin that tattoo off your back before I toss you in the bayou.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to protect Vladimir. Not just for you, but for Delphine as well. That was my plan as soon as my handler told me about the assignment.”
“I’m not losing my brother now that I’ve just found him. Call your fucking handler and get the information. Put it on speaker.”
Taking my phone, I make the call.
“Dixie, what happened?”
“Got interrupted. Had to get off the phone. This was my first opportunity to get back to you.”
“Were you compromised? I can get you out of there if the natives are wise.”
“No, I’m good. I told you these guys are solid. They aren’t snitches. Now about the target, Vladimir Zoloth. What are the details?”
“As you know, Maxim is in New Orleans, as is his son. I know you don’t normally take jobs this close to home, but it’s an urgent request. The client is paying us ten times our normal fee to complete the hit in the next five days.”
I glance at Hex. The same deadline as Maxim’s. This can’t be a coincidence. “Why?” I ask.
“No idea, but that’s the deadline he gave us.”
