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~Charlotte~
BULLHEADED OLD BIKER.
That’s putting it nicely.
He just can’t accept any other alternative once he’s made up his mind about something. Things are always his way or the freaking highway.
It’s absolutely infuriating.
Even more than that is that he’s not even willing to entertain that I can be of use here. With my background and my extensive network of contacts, there’s a hell of a lot I can do. But he won’t even allow himself to see it. It’s several levels beyond ridiculous.
Is he seriously just fine with giving up, basically laying down to die?
He really has lost his edge.
Well, I haven’t.
Not by a long shot.
I won’t let it go down like this.
For one thing, Matthew used me. The asshole has virtually limitless resources and massive reach. He must’ve known James Cannon is Cal’s alias. He knowingly sent me after a man I… care about. That’s unforgiveable. He deliberately misled me. He insulted me by doing it. I won’t stand for it. Nobody gets one over on me. There are always consequences and he can be damn sure I’m going to make him face them.
Adding to that is the fact that I didn’t terminate my objective. I let Cal go. Matthew isn’t exactly known for tolerating failure well. It’s likely I’ll be a marked woman once the truth gets back to him.
I blow out a breath.
I wish it was only about pride and my own self-preservation.
But, as much as I want to deny it, there is more to it.
I can’t let anything happen to Cal.
We’ve just found each other again. I never imagined getting the chance. There’s so much unfinished business between us. I won’t let it go this time. I won’t walk away.
It’s exactly why I’m here at this dive bar, rather than safely ensconced like some fragile flake at one of Cal’s safehouses.
Information truly is power in my line of work.
And that’s what I’m here at Johnny’s to get.
This place is one of a series of hole-in-the-wall bars where I’ve met this particular contact over the years. Lewis Pratt. We’ve done a few joint jobs together. He’s in private security and he’s brought me in for an extra edge during some of his jobs, when he needed plausible deniability. We both know the danger of keeping a consistent routine with anything we do. So, whenever a meet is needed, we choose one on our list of acceptable locations at random, just a few hours prior to the meeting time. We’re always expanding the list too.
Yeah, my life is more than a little complicated. For a long time, that used to be one of the exciting aspects of it. Now, though, it’s tiring, draining actually.
I take another sip from my gin martini, my eyes trained on the main entrance door over on the other side of the bar. I’m sitting in the far back corner where I can see everything, every movement, everybody’s comings and goings.
I’ve ditched my tactical gear in favor of jeans and a bomber jacket—all black—to blend in with my surroundings. Tactical gear would be a dead giveaway that something isn’t on the up and up.
I get through half my glass before I finally spot Lewis entering Johnny’s. As expected, he’s snuck in via the back door, rather than coming through the front. It’s easy enough for him to sneak around, given that he’s a very plain and inconspicuous individual by appearance alone. He’s not an imposing figure by any stretch of the imagination, just of average height and with a compact form rather than boasting any significant muscle mass. He’s dressed simply as usual in gray slacks and a black turtleneck sweater. I notice him pulling at the neck, evidently fanning himself, as though he’s sweating. Not a good sign at all. He’s nervous.
He strides down the gangway toward my booth right at the back of the bar. He offers me a smile, but it doesn’t reach his dark-brown eyes. The concern shining through them transcends it.
I note the tension in his shoulders, the tick of his jaw, his eyes darting back and forth erratically like a paranoid stoner, as he takes a seat opposite me in the booth.
“We have to make this quick,” he says, shoving a hand through his auburn hair that’s gelled to spiky perfection.
“Fine by me.” I hate small talk and any ridiculous niceties before getting down to business.
