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“Rex isn’t one to share the goods, and we feel mighty strong that he’s going to have one of his rages and take you out.” Slash supported his comrade-in-crime. Dylan sat at the kitchen table with them, while Brick waited on the front porch of the house for their next delivery. The drugs came via FBI special agents working undercover as mules, providing everything from illicit drugs to weapons to counterfeit cash. For the Frisky operation, it was all drugs. His stooges believed that the deliveries came via Dylan’s Southwestern US cartel connection.

“Isn’t that what you’re here for? To cover my ass?” Dylan kept his expression neutral, as if a threat from a man also known as Rex—as in Tyrannosaurus—was nothing to him. As if this op didn’t put Veronica in Rex’s and Slim’s crosshairs, too. “I’m not going anywhere. Not until I know we have Slim by the balls. Rex is just a stop-off to the big prize.”

Scar’s brows knit at Hawk’s resistance. “Slim doesn’t share, boss. It’s a matter of time before he finds out what you and Rex agreed upon, and if Rex survives that news, it’ll only be because he agreed to chop you into bits.”

“No need to get all gory on us.” Slash slapped Scar on the back of his head and Scar winced. Dylan had the impression that Slash didn’t want Scare to tell him something important. He already knew the two, along with Brick, were working in cahoots with Hank to skim off the huge amounts of cash flow through Frisky. He wasn’t going to waste time with catching them at their own game, not unless it threatened his goal and the purpose of the entire undercover operation.

“What Scar’s trying to say, boss, is that we can’t trust all the players.” Slash leaned forward, his dirty fingernails a testament to lack of grooming standards, as was his acrid coffee-and-nicotine breath. “Like Monique. She’s a manager in name only, nothing more than an eyepiece for the customers, boss. Hank’s doing all the heavy lifting for the business.” Dylan glowered at Slash, as he knew Hawk would, but this time he wasn’t using any acting skills.

Take it easy. It’s not about Veronica. He remained silent.

“No offense, boss, but it’s our job to keep you safe, to keep us all in business, making hard cash. I get that she’s a great piece of tail, but you need to watch it. Does anyone really know where she’s from?”

Before he could reply, Scar shook his head.

“Naw, I don’t agree with that, Slash. Hank wouldn’t have hired her if she wasn’t checked out. I can’t speak for, you know, sexually transmitted diseases and all, but he’d have done his homework to make sure she wasn’t a cop, right? No way would Hank risk having Rex hire someone they couldn’t trust.” As Scar struggled to stay in the conversation, Dylan’s blood boiled at the crude references to Veronica.

Calm down. It’s Monique they’re talking about.

“Enough! You know, what I don’t trust—” Dylan aimed his glare at Slash “—is whatever deodorant and toothpaste you don’t use on the regular.”

Slash abruptly sat against the back of his chair, ran his hand over his greasy head of hair, wincing at the obvious filth. Scar snickered but silenced at the bang of Dylan’s fist on the table.

Dylan pointed at Slash. “Maybe you’re on to something. I should have vetted you better, like you’re so sure Hank did with Monique. If I can’t trust you to keep your own ass clean, how can I trust you to cover my six when the bullets fly?” He referred to his backside as he would with other LEOs, many of whom were military veterans. He held his breath. Had either of these losers caught the slip? It wasn’t a common civilian expression. “Well?”

“I’ll… I’ll go get a shower. Be right back.” Slash slunk away.

“Take your time,” Dylan said with a deadpan expression. Scar guffawed, slapped his hand on the table.

“Good one, boss.”

As Dylan expected, Scar saw their time alone as a chance to get into his good graces. The loser was such a suck-up. But ass-kissers often provided the most information.

“Anything going on I’ve missed while I’ve been spending some recreational time with Moni? Like Slash said, she’s a great piece of tail. It’s easy for me to get distracted with that one.” He gave Scar a grin that he hoped the jerk took for an invitation to share man-to-man confidences.

“We know we’re making hand over fist with all the action at Frisky, boss. The extra funds should be more than enough to calm Rex down. But right now Hank’s on edge because he got another surprise visit from Rex this morning.”

Dylan’s nape tingled, firing off mental warning alarms. “What?” FBI intel hadn’t related this important tidbit, which meant that his team was as in the dark as he was, again. Veronica hadn’t texted him about it, either. Did she even know that Rex had put in a second appearance in such a short time? Top drug distributors did not show their faces unless they felt they had to. Or if they wanted to prove a point and make an example by killing one of their own.

Fear sweat trickled between his shoulder blades.

“I told Slash we should tell you, boss. Rex’s given orders to Gus and Will again, just now. I know you said you and Rex came to an agreement but he’s not backing down on having Gus and Will at Frisky full time. Hank thinks Rex doesn’t trust you, and he might not trust Monique, either. Of course, Rex hates women, never keeps ’em around for long. He only hires men that share his view, so it’s a matter of time before she’s gone, anyway.” Scar’s casual mention of Veronica’s future demise was like a gut-punch. His grip tightened around the chipped coffee mug and he struggled to not crush it. He decided to play it ignorant about the two men.

“What else have you heard?” He forced himself to stay still but his muscles were tight, ready to sprint for the door. If Gus and Will were sent back to Frisky this quickly, it wasn’t anything but bad. Deadly.

“As you probably know, boss, Monique sent those boys away, and they weren’t happy about it. Hank got a call from Rex after you left, and Hank had to convince Rex that you and Moni never met before the other day, that you’re just, ah, foolin’ around. Hank reassured Rex that he’d done all the right background work when he hired that bit—woman. Rex told Hank that as long as Frisky keeps the dough rollin’ in, to him, then it’s all good. But if there’s any hiccup, boss, Rex is going to kill Hank and Monique on the spot. Trust me, he’s being unusually patient with this handshake situation you’ve got going with him.”

“You both should have told me immediately. Anything drops at Frisky, you report it to me, I don’t care what I’m in the middle of. Got it?” Dylan didn’t have to act furious.

Scar nodded. “Yes, boss. Slash didn’t want to worry you, because even though we all know Rex doesn’t come out of his hidey-hole for nothing, Hank’s a worrywart, see. He gets wrapped around the axle a li’l too tight.”

“You’re sure that Hank is telling the truth about Gus and Will being sent there again? He’s not just playing you to get us all worked up?”

“We’re sure, boss. Hank doesn’t tell tales, not about work stuff like this. Gus and Will have been sent out there for a reason.”

To take out Veronica.

He looked at Scar with disdain. These double-timing losers made playing Hawk too easy, demonstrating that he was disgusted with all three of his underlings. What they didn’t realize was that he knew they were on the take with Hank. They actually thought he was blind to their tomfoolery, which made this entire situation comic. Except for the threat to Veronica.