Page 70 of Torch

We tried to control our laughter, but we failed miserably. Cara knew damn well she didn’t care about being called crazy. Hell, she’d let someone know in a heartbeat that she isn’t all the way right in the head. But she was right, though. She didn’t fuck with anyone unless they came at her. Even when she fought Zaria and Tammy, she didn’t go as hard as she could. She had given them grace, and they didn’t even know it.

“Alright, everybody, let’s get back on track. Tech, girls, do you know who was responsible for the damages at the salon?” Viper questioned them.

Sara gave Cara the clicker, and they traded spots. “We do. Hector and Alejandro Ramirez are Julian's uncles. Since we hadn’t had a chance to install the security system for the salon, I had to pull the footage from the business across the street.”

The guys had known about Julian since everything went down at the charity ball. We hadn’t really been considering him too much of a threat since that beatdown. The only thing he had done was send his friend to my club. He was definitely on my list of things to be handled, but he wasn’t the first priority.

“I’m about ready to put a bullet in his head,” I seethed, jaw clenched in anger.

“You won’t have to,” Sara said, handing me a file.

I opened it, and my eyes widened at what I was reading. “Hooooly shit.” I covered my mouth in shock. “You got an entire rap sheet on his ass. Money Laundering. Embezzlement. Fraud and offshore accounts.”

Cara took a seat at the table. “Not just him, but his father too. Look, you all know I’m always down for a little killing, but taking out someone like Julian isn’t going away without a full investigation. The first thing detectives will do is come here. You just beat the brakes off his ass a month ago. While we do our best to cover our tracks, we know the justice system isn’t black-and-white. Why put ourselves in an unnecessary investigation if we don’t have to?”

I understood where my sister was coming from. My best friend, Wyatt, spent over ten years in prison, and he was only defending himself. But because one of his victims was the son of a politician and knew the right people, they locked Wyatt up. Cara was able to get him out not too long ago, but Wyatt should never have spent one night in a cell.

“This one is on you, Torch. This directly affects you and your Ol’ Lady. How do you want to handle this?” Viper asked me.

I thought things over for a moment. “I’m going to go down to Julian’s office and have a little talk with him. If I even think he isn’t seeing things my way, I’m killing him.”

Some of the brothers smirked. They knew there would be some talking involved, but that wasn’t the only thing I was going to do. Julian was either going to accept that Brit was no longer his, or he would soon find himself in a ditch where no one would ever find him.

Dinner at the clubhouse was coming to an end. I was exhausted, and all I wanted to do was go home and lie up with Brit. I could tell she was equally tired. She had almost dozed off several times. She’s been extremely tired lately. Sometimes I would come home at four or five in the evening, and she would be sleeping. I guess the stress of everything was getting to her.

“Auntie Brit,” Cindy called to her as she and Hannah approached our table.

Brit raised her head with a smile. She loved that the kids had accepted her so easily. “Yes, sweetie.”

“We have picture day coming up next Friday. Do you think you can do our makeup for us?” Hannah asked with hopeful eyes.

“As long as your parents say it’s okay.”

“Yes!” Cindy cheered, pumping a fist in the air. “We already did, and they said we had to ask you.”

Brit smiled and nodded. “Okay. I’ll be at your houses bright and early next Friday.”

“Thank you, Aunt Brit,” the girls cheered in unison before hugging her.

As they walked away, Viper’s phone rang. “Hello?” he answered. He was silent for a moment before he cursed under his breath and hung up.

“What is it, Viper?” my mom inquired with a worried expression.

“I don’t know. That was Levi. He said the girls are back, but we need to come out front to see what they have done now.”

Cara and Sara left before dinner, saying they needed to go to their office for a work emergency. I didn’t know what they had done, but the office was clearly a cover-up for them.

My mom stood up quickly, shaking her head. “I am not about to let that child stress me out. I’m going home, and I’m taking my babies with me.” My father followed her as they ushered the kids out the back door.

“Let's get this over with,” Viper grumbled.

When we stepped out the front door of the clubhouse, my jaw went slack. The girls were in a tow truck, and they had a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda. This car was a collectible. Most of the time these cars went for millions of dollars. I knew this because I wanted to purchase one before. But then I fell in love with my Camaro and went with it instead.

“Oh my God,” Brit muttered beside me.

“What is it?”

“That’s Julian’s car. It was a graduation present from his father. It’s one of his most prized possessions.”