“Whenwego in,” I said, “Ido the talking. Fitz owes the Syndicate money. A lot of it. He’s been dodging Ezra, so she wants a hard and fast reminder. One he will never forget.”
Neon streaked past the windows, Vegas blurring into color and heat. My knee bounced, fast and restless, a hum lighting up under my skin.
“It’s been a while since I’ve left the lab to get my hands dirty.”
Rack’s even tone settled over me. “Working off some aggression now might make the next few days easier.”
That nudged another thought loose.
“Oh—heads up. I’m taking Val out of town this weekend. I’ll give you the details once she tells me where she wants to go.”
Thinking about that little box in my desk, my stomach filled with butterflies. The box. The ring. Five carats, ruby halo. Perfect.
I hadn’t decided yet how I was going to ask her. Should I do it in some dessert? Slip it on her finger in her sleep? Maybe set something up in public so she felt special in front of everyone?
My heart thumped hard in my chest before I realized that she was probably already waiting for me.Shit!I pulled my phone out, shooting her a quick text.
Cal:Running late. Syndicate stuff.
I braced for it. The crying. The yelling. The long text about how I was putting her last, but I was going to prove to her soon that she wasn’t last.
Her reply came almost immediately.
Val:I understand. Take your time. I’ll wait for you at home.
Staring at the screen longer than necessary, my teeth caught my lower lip.
Huh. I guess treating her and her friends out for the night worked.
Rack turned off the strip, the noise dropping away as the car rolled into shadow. A single neon sign buzzed ahead of us: Ride or Die Chop House.
I huffed a quiet laugh as I stepped out.
The motorcycle gang, The Fanged Beasts, had come to Ezra months ago asking for some help. Their leader, Fitz, pitched her his dream: a machine shop, steady income, something solid for his pack. Ezra listened, weighed out the pros and cons, and ended up investing in them. At twenty percent interest with monthly payments due on the fifteenth of the month.
She gave them a fair shot, but they’d burned through the goodwill fast.
No marketing. No training. Muscle instead of manners when customers complained. The shop dried up and payments stopped.
Three months missed, and prior warnings were ignored, which meant they needed to feel the hammer of the Syndicate.
I took two steps toward the building, ready to take this group on in full force.
“Don’t.”
Rack’s voice cut clean through the night. I turned halfway and lifted my brow at him.What the fuck is he talking about?
He closed the driver’s door, his head bowed, shoulders heavy as he took a breath. When he looked up, those silvery-violet eyes pinned me in place.
“Don’t ask her to marry you.”
The words landed wrong. Too precise. Too close.
My stomach dropped.
“How the fuck?—”
He sighed, running his hand through his hair. “Who do you think organizes your desk?”
