Meet me at the warehouse in twenty.
Checking the time he sent it–ten minutes ago–I curse under my breath and hurriedly mount my R1. The warehouse is about fifteen minutes or so from here, located in the midst of a ghost town. Starting my bike again, I fire a text back before shoving it in my pocket, shifting into gear and pulling out of the neighborhood as quietly as possible.
Right on time, I walk into the warehouse that Karson and I use to train our new guys, unzipping my jacket with one hand and holding my helmet in the other. The sound of I Prevail’sViolent Naturestill plays through the speakers as Karson glares at me. I level him with a look that tells him I’m not in the mood for his bullshit and he rolls his eyes.
“I thought I said twenty minutes. Where the fuck have you been?” My best friend demands with a shitty tone I’m not about to entertain. His legsare raised–resting on the side of a boxing ring we acquired from a mixed martial arts gym that had shut down–and the old, metal folding chair he sits in is kicked back on only two legs.
“I had some errands to run. I’m here now. What is it?” It isn’t a total lie. Parker ran errands, and I went with her.Sort of.He eyes me suspiciously for a moment, then stands from the chair.
“I found Cole this morning, while I was out and about, with his arm across some girl's shoulders, talking to her about his job. I told you we needed to deal with him so I brought him here, to deal with.” He grins, then places a cigarette between his lips and pulls out a zippo to light it.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and let out an exasperated sigh. “I thought I fucking said to let me watch him a little more and come up with a plan.”
“Yeah, well, he’s here now. No time like the present.” He blows out a cloud of smoke and I tighten the grip on my helmet. His impatience and anger issues are going to give me an aneurysm one of these days, but he isn't entirely wrong. I just simply don’t want to deal with this shit today.
“Where is he?” I grind out.Let’s get this over with.
Karson smiles at me, resembling the Joker and stalks off in the direction of where he has Cole. We walk down the long hallway, take a left hand turn, and stop in front of one of the storage rooms. Looking inside, I see Cole sitting on a metal chair in the middle of the room with his hands tied behind his back, a black eye already starting to form.
Arching a brow, I slide my gaze to my friend who's giggling to himself like a schoolgirl. He’s proud of himself, that much is obvious. He catches me staring at him and lets out a dark chuckle.
“Sorry. I got a little impatient.”
Nooooo shit.
Stepping into the room, I slide my jacket down my arms then place it and my helmet gently on top of a table. Turning to face Cole, I cross my arms over my chest and shake my head, taking in the sight of him.
“Can you explain to me why your name is coming to me through the rumor mill? Something along the lines of telling people what you do for a living? Not only that, but dropping a client's name?” Taking a few steps forward, I place my hands on my knees to get eye level with him and tip my head to the side. “You signed an NDA. Youdoknow what that means, don’t you?”
Cole lifts his head slightly to meet my eyes and the fucker has the nerve to laugh. Now I’m pissed.
“Yeah man but come on who are these broads gonna tell? Don't tell me you never used your job to get chicks.” He licks his lips and stares at me, a shit eating grin plastered on his face.
“No, I haven’t. Have you Karson?” I question maintaining eye contact with Cole.
“Not-a once.” Karson is standing next to me now. He pulls the cigarette from his lips and flicks it across the room. He slaps a hand on Cole’s shoulder, making him jump. “But tell me Cole, was the pussy worth it?”
Cole lets out a nervous laugh. “Come on guys. No one’s gonna find out. I’ll keep my mouth shut, I swear!” All arrogance leaving his tone. His blue eyes find my green ones, and they plead with mine to be reasonable.
Sucks for him. Not going to happen.
Karson and I are both a little…nuts, but whereas he has a much more menacing demeanor and he doesn’t try to hide it, I’m always calm. I never let my emotions get the better of me, making me seem as if I am the more approachable of the two of us despite my size. So, he probably thinks I’m willing to cut him some slack.
“A little too late for that now, don't you think? I’m pulling you from private detail. I made a couple calls today and you’re going to start working protection at a bar. You’ll start tomorrow.” Giving him my back, I walk over to the table I placed my helmet and jacket on, ready to get back to Parker.
I tracked down the owner of Doc’s this morning, and called him as aconcerned citizen. A couple of girls closing down a bar alone isn’t exactly safe, considering some of the questionable people that could visit his establishment. James Murdock was extremely understanding. I might have recommended my own company, and ten minutes later my work phone rang. Now my girl will have security while she’s on shift, as well as her coworkers.
“A bouncer? Are you fucking serious, Mav? This is bullshit! That’s a demotion, I don’t deserve this shit!”
I pick up my helmet and take a few steps back to Cole.
I’m done with this conversation.
“That’s your first mistake—thinking you deserve anything from me.”
Swinging back my right hand, I slam my helmet into the side of his face. Blood sprays from his nose and mouth, his scream slightly delayed before morphing into a groan. Lifting my foot, I kick him in the chest, sending him and the chair he’s tied to flying backwards. He lands on his back, crushing his hands beneath his own weight and the unforgiving metal of the chair.
I stalk forward, straddle his body, and reach down grabbing a fistful of his shirt. “Listen here you little fuck. You will do whatever job I fucking tell you to do, or I can make sure you never open your damn mouth again. Do you understand me?” I say through gritted teeth. Cole’s widened eyes never leave mine and he works to swallow before giving me a slight nod.
