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Atlas gives me a warning look. I raise my hands in surrender. Pushing Prez’s buttons won’t do me any favors. He’s not above assigning me cleanup duty in the communal bathrooms at headquarters.
“What brings you to Fort Collins?” Atlas asks the don, ushering for him to have a seat.
Piero sits across from me and Punk, making himself right at home. “Business.”
Punk folds his arms over his chest. He looks away, muttering under his breath. I kick him under the table with my boot. The fucker has the nerve to kick me back.
I get why Punk is upset. He doesn’t trust Piero. There’s only so much faith you can have in a mafia kingpin. Our crew may not be squeaky clean, but we do more good than bad. Piero has made great strides to legitimize his businesses and scrub himself clean of his family’s way of life. Yet he still has ties to dirty operations, and old habits die hard.
Too bad our MC owes him for his help in recovering Jo, and then Prez when he’d switched places with his wife.
The only question is, what will he ask from us as payment?
Atlas rubs at his jaw, looking completely relaxed. He’s been ready to do whatever repayment is necessary for quite some time. “What can we help you with?”
“It requires the assistance of your hacker.”
Fuck me.
Punk curses beside me. I lay a hand on his shoulder to settle him. No point in showing our dissatisfaction until we learn exactly what he wants.
Atlas says nothing for a moment as he stares down Piero. “If you’re wanting my brother to hack into something you’re unwilling to use your own tech team for, then my answer is no.”
Piero shakes his head. “It’s nothing like that, I assure you. My men have tried and are getting nowhere. I need Chase’s skills.”
He’s piqued my interest. I sit a little straighter in my chair. Presenting a cyber challenge to a hacker where others have failed is like presenting cocaine to a crack addict. My palms are already itching to hit my keyboard.
“What’s the assignment?” Gauge asks.
“Searching for my shitty cousin’s hidden money.”
“We gave you what we had on Lorenzo, and it led you to that sweet little accountant you had us interrogate.” Punk taps a finger to his lips, musing. “What was her name again? Rosanne? Ramona?”
Piero tenses. His look becomes murderous. “Her name is Rowan. And you will keep her name out of your filthy mouth.”
Attacking a weakness is Punk’s favorite game. He takes full advantage of pissing off the mafia don. “Right. Now I remember. Rowan Emerson. Fuck, she was one hot little thing. All that thick, chestnut-colored hair.Mmm.Man, I’d love to have her on the back of my bike. You think she has a thing for bikers? Mind putting in a good word for me?”
Having reached his limit for razzing, Piero stands in a flash, his chair skittering behind him on its wheels. He leans across the table, grabbing Punk by his cut. “Don’t you fucking go near her. If you do, I swear it will be the last thing you do.”
Punk is as giddy as a kid in a candy store, unaffected by Piero fisting his vest in a death grip. “HA! Looks like the big old don has a thing for Miss Emerson.”
Atlas rolls his eyes. “He baited you, bro.”
Punk makes kissy noises, further insulting Piero. The mafia boss releases Punk in disgust, settling back into his chair like a sulking child. “If you weren’t one of Atlas’s men, I would end you.”
“Piero and Rowan sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” Punk sings out of key.
My hand covers my smile as I shake with silent chuckles. Punk is exceptionally gifted at getting underneath one’s skin, and Piero made it too easy. It’s also comical seeing a badass biker singing a nursery rhyme.
“Let’s get back on topic,” Gauge insists, shutting down our fun. “We all have shit to do.”
“As I was saying,” Piero continues, anger still radiating from him. “I need Chase to locate the rest of my cousin’s dirty money. What the FBI seized is only the surface. Miss Emerson is assisting with tracking the funds Lorenzo invested with Donavan & Walt.”
“Willingly, I’m sure,” Punk heckles. Rowan is likely an unwilling participant in this investigation.
Atlas gives Piero a pointed look. “You better not be forcing her hand. I won’t tolerate you threatening or harming an innocent person.”
“Please,” Piero chides, smoothing his tie. “I don’t need to force any woman to do anything. And Miss Emerson is far from innocent in this mess. She’s trying to protect whoever was the culprit behind the account transactions between Lorenzo and Esteban Moreno. If she doesn’t want me going after the real offender, then she’ll do this favor for me.”
