Maybe I should lie to him. But the tip of his nose meets mine, and the vulnerability in his eyes has my heart shredding open.
“I’m perfect so long as I’m with you.”
28
Soul
Vehicles fill the giantlot surrounding the warehouse, creating the perfect cover while we wait to intercept one of Eli’s shipments. It’s the first lead we’ve had on his movement, so we’re not taking any chances. We have the warehouse surrounded, eyes on every road in and out, waiting to see what Eli and his men are up to.
“I’m beginning to think this is a suicide mission,” Hardy, one of our newest prospects, grumbles as he takes in the long caravan moving down the road toward us.
“Would it be a problem if it is?” I ask, hitching an eyebrow. “Pussy and booze are all good, but if you’re not willing to die for your club, what the fuck are you doing here?”
“No—I mean—” He scrambles for an excuse, but it’s already clear he’s not going to make it to patching in.
So many of the prospects lately are weak in spirit—in mind. They want the women and guns, but not thetrouble. This is the problem with the in-between generation, where we’ve taken our fathers’ places in the ranks, but the next generation of Twisted Kings are children. Any time we have to rely on pulling guys from the outside, we end up with more washing out than patching in, and it’s exhausting.
Only some become the exception. Chaos and Venom are good examples. They weren’t raised by the club like the rest of the ranked members were, and yet, they understand why we do what we do. It’s not just sex and partying. We’re here for our community when the cops fail them. We’re a family.
“Go back to your post and fuck off.” I wave my hand at Hardy, needing him out of my line of sight. “We’ll call you back here if we need you.”
It won’t happen. Not when he brings that negativity to the table. There are so many things that can go wrong on a night like this without adding a cowardly prospect to the mix.
Venom chuckles at my side, watching Hardy pout as he walks away. “He lasted a month longer than I thought he would.”
“Same,” I grumble. “Steel wanted to give him a chance, but his patience is running thin, finally. These fucking punks. I swear they have no clue what they’re getting into. What’s the deal?”
“It’s called a nice upbringing,” Venom says. “They’re fucking spoiled and don’t understand what we’re fighting for.”
Venom is right, even if it doesn’t say much for the rest of us. The kind of guys who survive in the club have been fighting tooth and nail since the day they were born, whether they were raised by the patch or not. They know what it’s like to struggle, to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.
We have a reputation around town, but we’ve done more for Vegas than the authorities. We protect our community instead of exploiting it.
This newest group of prospects doesn’t seem to understand that. They’re the worst yet, which is saying something after Reyes. He prospected simply to infiltrate our club, but at least he was answering to something. Hardy, Bullet, and the whole new group lately have no spine. No loyalty. This is exactly why I told Steel I didn’t trust them to be on lookout by themselves.
They’re physically here, but they don’t have our backs. This is the kind of shit that gets brothers killed.
I shake my head, turning back to Venom. “I guess it’s a good thing you came from a shitty family then, huh?”
“Lucky me.” He breathes out a laugh.
Venom doesn’t usually talk about his childhood or what brought him to Vegas. The few things he’s shared about his family were ramblings fueled by too much booze. What I do know is there’s a reason the shit he does with us doesn’t faze him. Men who stick around—who patch in—do so because they came from worse.
The caravan draws closer, and I signal for the prospects to get down before someone spots them. The cover ofnight only hides so much with lights scattered around the warehouse parking lot.
Tonight’s goal is to gather intel, not engage. Ghost has the perimeter locked down, recording everything. Chaos and Legacy are at the opposite end of the warehouse with a couple of other prospects who are equally worthless, while Venom and I are tasked with monitoring the road for anything unexpected.
Steel and Havoc are posted at a distance just in case things go south, but we’ll avoid going in if we can. It’s safer to get a feel for their schedule first, to know how many men are coming and going. We might be reckless, but we’re smart about it when possible to try and avoid getting killed.
Still, part of me hopes they give me an excuse. Ever since Emery mentioned Eli’s name, I’ve been itching to get my hands on him. Any man willing to buy a woman to close a business deal deserves what they have coming to them. I’ve made it my personal mission to learn everything there is to know about him and his businesses just so I can dismantle him piece by piece myself.
Ghost hasn’t been able to pin Eli down, but he’s dug up plenty of information. Eli is a jewel importer who is likely moving other things through his businesses and keeping them off the books.
It’s starting to make sense why Zane began working with Eli after we took down the Iron Sinners. We didn’t just dismantle a rival club; we stopped Zane’s trafficking operation. He needed someone with theresources to help him get it up and running again. Eli’s business is perfect for that.
We suspect Eli has already started helping Zane move women, and tonight we’ll find out. If the caravan in front of us has jewels, we’ll sit back and wait for them to do whatever it is they came here for before heading home. If it’s not, we’ll have no choice but to make a move.
The moment they get close enough for me to spot the blacked-out windows, I lose all hope of a quiet night.
