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Talon folded his arms over his chest, his expression grim. “How are we going to deal with all these opportunists? Assuming we aren’t going to try to simply mow them all down.”
“I think that might be a tad beyond even our ample abilities,” Blaze said. “At least with so many all at once. They’re only following the money like we do most of the time anyway. Hard to blame them for that.”
Well, I certainly could. There were lines I wouldn’t have crossed when it came to those who were our closest colleagues. But then, I know our standards weren’t necessarily typical.
“How secure are we as long as we stay in the apartment?” I asked. We had enough food stockpiled for at least a week in case of emergency, and Steffie could potentially get more to us without being detected.
Blaze’s mouth twisted. “Well, we definitely run a significant risk any time we step outside it, now that so many people are searching for us. I don’t think anyone has software on the level of my facial recognition app, but even if we rely on disguises, I wouldn’t want to be taking many casual strolls.” He paused. “The apartment itself is definitely our most secure location, but I can’t say that it’s impossible that one of these mercenaries could eventually connect us to it. Especially if they start cooperating and putting their minds together.”
“And if we just hide away in here, then we have no chance of finding the prick responsible and putting an end to the whole bounty,” Garrison pointed out.
Yes, that was the problem. I didn’t love the idea of holing up in hiding regardless, but it was a losing game any way you sliced it. We had to cut to the heart of the problem.
We couldn’t track down this criminal kingpin while we had dozens of mercenary groups on the hunt for us, and we couldn’t get them off our tails without ending the bounty. Unless…
Unless we made it clear what the consequences of coming at us would be, in a way so emphatic that no one would think it was worth the risk of tangling with us. We might not be able to take down every crew out there, but if we made it obvious how easily we could take down at least a few of them before we fell ourselves, no one was going to want to be first in line.
I glanced around at my crew. “We have one other option, and I think it’s our best one. We’re going to take a trip to the Funhouse and make a statement.”
Talon took the news in stride as I’d known he would. The trust we shared went back nearly twenty years and across continents. I wasn’t surprised, though, that Blaze blinked, his eyebrows leaping up, and Garrison stared at me as if I’d announced we were going to take the crew to the moon.
They knew exactly what I meant by a statement. It wouldn’t be pretty, and it would certainly be bloody, in expected Chaos Crew style.
Dess took in the guys’ expressions with her penetrating gaze. She turned back to me. “What’s the Funhouse?”
Blaze’s mouth formed a smile that was tight with nerves. “The Funhouse is a sort-of nightclub in Pittsburgh. Very exclusive. Only the best-connected criminal outfits in the northeast know about it and can arrange to get in. People go there to hang out and make deals with each other.”
Garrison was still eyeing me. “And it’s understood that getting into any conflicts there is risky for a whole lot of reasons. But I’m assuming our fearless leader is about to explain how he’s figured out ways around all that.”
“Do you think the hit placed on us came from the Funhouse?” Dess asked.
I shook my head. “Someone this secretive and high up probably doesn’t bother even with venues like that. But most of the crews who’d dare to come after us are part of it. The people there will know about the bounty, and they’ll spread the word about any message we end up sending.”
“Still going to be fucking crazy,” Garrison said.
I gave him an even smile. “Sometimes setting expectations requires a little risk. We lay down the law, show what we’re capable of, and then we’ll be able to continue our investigations without interruption.”
Frankly, I was tired of being on edge and reacting instinctively. The Chaos Crew orchestrated jobs, and we never tackled a problem without my diligent planning. It was why we’d always been so successful and why we’d remained on top for so long. Nothing good came from flailing around without a concrete strategy.
It was time that we took back control and showed our dominance to the underworld. I needed to protect my people, and this was how I could do it.
“If this is what needs to be done, I’m in,” Dess said angling herself to fully face me. “Let’s get started.”
I felt my smile soften as I aimed it at her instead. Funny to think that a couple of weeks ago, she’d kept us at arm’s length, and now she trusted me so fully that she’d stride into any kind of danger as long as I was leading the way.
This was how I liked seeing her most: rising to a challenge, fearless and confident in her abilities—and mine. The longer she was with us, the more certain I became in my assessment: She would make an irreplaceable addition to the crew if we could convince her to stay once all the trouble and mystery around her past was resolved.
My mind darted back to our encounter on the side of the road again, with a deeper wash of heat. Maybe if I could convince her to stay, she could be more than just a colleague.
I’d never expected to find someone I thought it’d be worth trying to navigate an ongoing relationship with, not in my line of work. Not with the bloodlust and yearning for justice that ran through my veins. But Dess understood all of that.
I also hadn’t thought that if I did find a woman who could match me, I might have to share her with Talon. We’d had threesomes with the same partner in the past, but only as one-offs.
Somehow, looking at the woman in front of me, none of that seemed to matter. I was starting to feel like I’d be an idiot not to work her into my plans for my own life.
She was my woman now. She had been since she’d shuddered against me with my cock impaled inside her, and I wasn’t going to let anyone tear her down or rip her away from me.
Which meant it was time to take care of business.
I let a slow grin unfurl across my face. “First, we’re going to need some better guns.”
