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Ace’s dark brows dip in confusion. “How do you mean? You said it was just a one-time job she was threatened into doing for them.”
I nod. “That’s what it sounds like, but now that Hector is out and free, it’s only a matter of time before he finds outwhyhe’s out. When he learns that she’s a hacker with those kinds of skills, he’ll take her and force her to work for him. You know that, Ace.”
And I know exactly what Hector will do to a pretty young thing like that, with skills that can help him keep trying to take us down.
Coop nods his agreement. “She’s not quite Wilder-level of hacker, but she’s damn close if she can get into the cop shop.”
“Aww,” Wilder says as he enters the clubhouse and pulls a beer from the fridge. “You really do love me, Coop,” he teases, taking a seat at the closest empty table. “He’s not wrong, though, she’s got mad skills. Took me a while to track her down.”
Ace sighs heavily, unhappy because he knows what he has to do. He nods and turns to me. “Keep an eye on her, Preacher.”
Coop laughs. “There are easier ways to ask a chick out. You know that don’t you?”
I flip him off, but I do it with a smile before turning to Ace. “I’m not a babysitter.”
“Good ‘cause she ain’t a baby. You say she needs protecting, and I’m telling you to protect her. Keep her safe.”
I nod and then shake my head, reluctant to take on this task even though I’ve never told Ace no. “What about the prospects? This is a job for one of them.”
“They’re on round-the-clock surveillance at the port, remember?”
Shit. How could I forget? Hector is trying to come at us from all sides. We—and all of Angel Harbor—will be better off when he’s dead and buried. “Right. Well, I guess I have no choice in the matter.”
Coop laughs. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re real broken up about it, Preacher. Cut the shit, man. This is your chance to get close to her and fuck her brains out.”
It’s no hardship to watch over Gia, but dammit, she is exactly the type of temptation I’m trying to avoid. The club doesn’t have the time or the bandwidth to bring another woman around to protect.
“How long will this protection last?”
“Until I tell you it’s over,” Ace growls.
“Fine.” I just nod to show him it’s done. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“I know.” Ace gives me a look of gratitude before turning back to his beer for a long, dramatic pull. “I can’t believe that fucker is out,” he growls. “Luckily, the detectives on the scene still have all the evidence, so it won’t be for long.”
Shades lets out a huff of bitter laughter. “What the fuck does that mean? He’ll just speed up his plans to fuck with us.” He sits up and looks to Ace and then Dix. “Maybe we should put a few more bodies on the port?”
Ace shrugs. “We’re short on bodies as it is, especially now that we’re covering some of Juniper’s security needs.”
Wilder clears his throat. “There are a dozen new cameras at the port, so I can see what they can see.” He pulls a tablet from his backpack and hands it to Ace. “You can see too.”
Ace shakes his head. “Dix, you do it. Let me know if you spot anything suspicious.”
Dix gives a curt nod. “Anything specific I should look for?”
“Anything that looks like it shouldn’t be happening. The guns come in tonight, and we need to get them on the road ASAP now that Hector is out.”
“You got a place in mind?”
“Yeah. We’re trucking them over to the port of LA. They’re going to Costa Rica. Some militant group. I’ve got a boat waiting.”
“Last time we were there, it was a small shipment of Ruger pistols and those tiny fucking useless handbags,” Dix says more to himself than to the rest of us. “Cyprus Brotherhood, right?”
Ace and Coop both grin, but it’s Coop who speaks. “Goddamn, it’s good to have your ass back in the fray, Dix.”
“Yeah?” Dix looks around the table with a wide-eyed innocent expression no one believes for a second.
“You know it, brother.” Ace’s words are sincere, but the smirk on his face says he knows Dix is up to something.
