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He smirked, flicking ash onto the tray on his desk. “Thought you’d say somethin’ like that. You’re dependable, Diablo. That’s why you’re privy to shit the club needs handling when someone’s poking their nose in our business. More importantly, I trust you when it comes to messes.”
Well, fuck. I hated being right about trouble hitting the club.
“What’s up, pres?”
“Got some intel that I’m not likin’. Gonna bring it to church soon, but I wanna run somethin’ by you first.”
“Give it to me straight.”
A sigh left his chest. “Remember that body we found with all those girls? Deep in that underground tomb?”
Shit. I sure did. Don’t think any of my brothers would ever forget. “The one in the abandoned factory? With all those trafficked girls?”
“That’s the one.”
“One of them was carved up, if I remember right. Left for us to find by those goddamn Russians,” I spat.
“Her name was Stefanie.” He waited, knowing I’d put those details together and end up at the same conclusion he’d obviously already reached.
My eyes widened as the truth dawned on me. “Aw shit. You sayin’ that’s related to Shadow’s ol’ lady? What the fuck, pres? This is fucked up.”
“Don’t I know it.” His expression was pained for a few blinks of an eye, and then his stoic mask slipped back into place. Pres had strong shoulders that held a heavy burden for every person at the Crossroads. That included the members, prospects, ol’ ladies and families, and even the club girls. He carried that burden close to his chest, but sometimes the mask slipped, especially when it came to Shadow. He had a soft spot for the kid. We all did.
Rael and Grim cared for him like he was kin. They found him starving and beaten, took him in, and never regretted it. Shadow was one of us.
“Tell me someone ain’t out to hurt Shadow further.”
Grim shook his head and lit another cigarette. “I’d be lyin’ if I said no.”
“Fuck!” I shouted, jumping up. “What you need me to do? I’ll find the fucker messin’ with this club. He won’t get away—”
“Need you to keep a level head. If I wanted drama, I’d be talkin’ to Rael.”
I hated to admit he was right, but Grim had a point.
Going off half-cocked and full of venom wouldn’t help the club or Shadow. A low chuckle left my lips. “Understood. What’s Mammoth got to say?” Our V.P. should be here for this discussion.
“He knows where we’re at. Keepin’ an eye on the pup for now. Shadow has been sneaking off a lot lately.” Grim snuffed the cigarette out in his hand and began to pace the room. He often moved around as he thought through the shit in his head. Pres was one of those people who needed to stay active. Rael was like that too. Most members of the club were antsy motherfuckers, and that was just a byproduct of the world we lived in and the darkness we all shared. Our Reapers tuned into it like a frequency tailored especially for demons.
Always be ready.Life in the RBMC was dangerous and unpredictable.
“So why you need my expertise as a cleaner?” I asked, getting down to the nitty-gritty.
“I need your expertise, as you say, for something slightly more delicate.”
Delicate? I wouldn’t exactly say that was a characteristic of mine. Or anyone else in the club. “Pres?”
“There’s been two death threats that I’m takin’ serious. One, Shadow is mixed up in some heavy shit, and I need to find out how deep he’s in. Two, Gina and her kids are in danger. Bodie came to me about it this morning. Sasha’s concerned.”
My blood turned to ice, and I froze at the mention of Sasha’s best friend. Sasha was Bodie’s ol’ lady and the mother of their infant son Maverick, born on Halloween last year. Her closest friend Gina hung out around the clubhouse whenever we had family functions. She had two kids and a body that rocked my fuckin’ world, not that it wasn’t evident from the party last night when she told me about that note.
“Don’t think I just missed your reaction,” Grim murmured, stopping to lean against his desk again. “You’re not discreet about how you stare at Gina when she’s around.”
My hand lifted to rub along the back of my neck. “Shit, pres. She’s fucking hot. Ain’t dumb enough to act on it.” So that was a half-truth. I wasn’t lyin’ exactly. I hadn’t touched Gina yet.
My Reaper grew restless. He didn’t like taking orders unless it was club business. Gina? That was personal.
“Bodie would kick your ass if you fuck with Gina, and that’s after Sasha ripped you a new asshole first. She’s made it clear that Gina is protected, and I agree. It’s too damn complicated for any of the members to become involved with her. She’s got a past I ain’t wantin’ to touch. Feel me?”
