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He walks me through a series of corridors and into a small room. I sit at the table and the guard unlatches his set of cuffs from his belt.
With all the questions I want to ask, I keep my mouth shut as he cuffs me to the table. Any questions I had die on my lips as he walks out, and the door closes behind him. If my lawyer was here, I doubt I’d be cuffed to the table. I haven’t been in this position before but I’m pretty sure this isn’t how it goes down.
I’m not kept waiting long. When the door opens, I’m a little shocked to see Effie Rathbone walking in alone.
Her ass is still as flat, even being this close to her, and she sits opposite me, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap. Her blonde hair is perfectly straight and her red-stained lips plump and pursed together.
“I thought it was time we formally met and since you planned on killing me earlier, I’ve made the effort to come see you and find out why?”
I keep my mouth firmly shut.
“But then again, I know why. The Haywards want me dead and they’re using you and your club to get it done. How much are they paying you? Or are they giving you something else for your services? Maybe a deal of some sort?”
Again, I keep my mouth shut.
“Silence can tell me just as much and I’m no fool, Mr. Jackson. Whether its money or a deal, I can make such offers and I guarantee it would be worth your while.”
“Now why would you make us a deal?”
A smile creeps along her mouth and I keep my eyes on her, waiting for a tell of some sort.
“Like I said, I’m no fool. Your club has been strong for decades. The Haywards come along and you’re moving into territories you’ve never been interested in. I know they want my turf but they’re not going to get it. They did their homework on your club. They know they can use you to get what they want. Your club isn’t my enemy. You’re merely pawns, and pawns can turn.”
I revert back to keeping my mouth shut and the slight tic in her left eye tells me I’m infuriating her.
“If you’re wondering how I knew where you were today, I’ll explain. You haven’t been able to track me down, but knowing I’d be at my salon opening, it would be your one chance to get at me. So, I had my men on watch from last night, waiting. They saw you show up and bide your time.”
She’s not as stupid as I’d like her to be. I’ll give her credit for that.
“So your plan now is to have us locked up, so it’s easier for us disappear?” I grunt.
“Now where would the fun be letting you in on my plans?” She smirks. “I see no ring on your finger. I hear from what my men tell me, you have no girlfriend. Have you not gotten over losing the mother of your daughter? It must mess a person up to see the one they love shot in the head right before them.”
She wants me to bite. She wants me to show her she’s affecting me. She wants me to confirm that’s how India died, because I know for a fucking fact, that no one outside of the club knows her true death. Which makes me question how she fuckin’ knows?
She stands and looks down at me. “I don’t see you as my enemy because I don’t see you. But this will be your last chance to stay clear of me. I’m undecided as to how long you’ll be in here, but mark my words, for trying to get at me today, you will be saying goodbye to your daughter for a while. Your lawyer won’t get you out any time soon, no matter how good he is.”
Walking toward the door, she knocks on the window and turns back to me.
“If you had truly done your homework, you would’ve known the salon I opened today was a super spa. My other salons were due to close in the next two months. Your efforts to get at me financially were merely a flick of bother to me. You saved me having to lay off my employees. Think about what I said. If you’re interested, tell the guard and he’ll get word to me.”
The guard opens the door, and she breezes out without another word. I’m led back to the holding cell and my gut sinks, looking at my brothers. They’re not going home, and they don’t know it yet.
“Where’d they take you?”
Keeping my voice down, I tell them, “Effie fucking Rathbone. As we suspected, this is down to her. She wants to make us a deal, if not… we won’t be home by the end of the day.”
“Fuck!” Mason roars, slamming his fist into the wall.
“This is on you to choose how we move forward,” Dex says, like I don’t already know that.
“The Haywards have sway. They proved that getting us out of the deep with the feds. Effie has the power to get us in here. For now, it’s better to stay with the devil we know. Besides, I won’t have her feeling like she owns us.”
“Leo, I get that, really, I do. But I have Nina and Sebastian waiting on me,” Zach argues.
“Dex has Libby. Mason has Aspen. And I have Rayna. We all have people waiting on us, but for the time being, we’re stuck in here because we ain’t gonna fuckin’ roll over for some bitch who thinks she can call the shots.”
Plonking my ass on the wooden bench, I hang my head in my hands and blow out a long breath.
