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“Not much surprises me these days, brother. But what the fuck is going on down at the bakery?”
I take another big bite and savor it loudly because of the way Shades is eyeing my bag.
“No clue, not exactly anyway, which is why I need to talk to Ace, like right now.” I take pity on Shades and toss him the second breakfast pocket, feeling very fucking thankful Willow had put a third in the bag along with the sweet pastries I always order.
“Fucking prick,” he growls and opens the bag like a hungry bear, tearing through the pastel wrapping paper and biting into it like he hasn’t eaten a meal in weeks. “Thanks, bro.”
“No problem,” I laugh. “Did you piss Letty off, and she stopped feeding you?”
Shades wiggles his eyebrows. “Oh, she feeds me. Know what I’m saying?”
“Man, I don’t need to know that!”
“Jealous?” he grins and pops the last bite of cheese and bacon into his mouth.
As soon as Ace walks in, I’m on my feet. “Hey, Prez. We need to talk,” I say without preamble, but the look on his face makes me think he already knows. “Everything cool?”
He nods and then shakes his head. “I guess. Kenna was sick last night and this morning, so I took her to the doctor. He says she’s fine, but she’s fucking sick, ya know?”
I nod even though I know fuck all about dealing with sick women. “Maybe it’s PMS sickness?”
Ace snorts. “I’ll let her know you said that. What’s up?”
I nod for him to join me at the table so I can enjoy a blueberry turnover while I tell my President the news that’s going to ruin his fucking day.
Shades picks up and moves to a closer table, stretching his long legs out while I tell them what I learned on my breakfast run.
“Apparently, Maven’s very recently dumped boyfriend, Cyrus, is related to Nogales, who is on a rampage because his dear leader is missing. A half dozen Iron Kings burst into her shop last night to get Cyrus to gear up for war.”
“War?” Shades barked out the question in an incredulous tone. “For what?”
“Clearly, they suspect we’re the reason Hector is MIA. But it’s not just that they’re gearing up for war.” I look straight at Ace. “They’re bulking up too, bringing in new recruits, fresh blood so they can try to match our numbers and firepower.”
Ace frowns. “Maven was dating a biker? I always got the sense she just tolerates us.”
I smile at his accurate assessment. “Oh, she does. She appreciates our business, but that’s about the end of it, believe me. I saw this Cyrus prick this morning. Cops came because he smacked her around when she broke up with him. He’s pissed, and I doubt that’s the last she’ll see of him.”
Ace takes his time absorbing my words, thinking everything through before he speaks. “She date this guy a long time?”
“Seven or eight months, she said. Was shocked as shit to find out his connection to the Iron Kings. It’s why she ended things with him.”
How she hadn’t seen the angry monster underneath in all those months is beyond me.
“She’s in trouble, and she’s too fucking stubborn to realize it.”
Shades frowns. “Why would she be in trouble?”
I let out a bitter laugh. “Besides the fact that he choked her out and smacked her around for breaking up with him? Who knows what she really knows that she doesn’t even realize she knows?”
Even Maven doesn’t realize she might have more information on what’s been going on.
Ace nods. “We need to get that information out of her.”
I nod my agreement. “Cyrus is a khaki-wearing pencil pusher, and now he’s gearing up for a biker war? No way a fucker like that keeps his mouth shut. He definitely showed off.”
“I agree,” Ace says. “We’ll just have to help her jog her memory.”
Shades gets to his feet. “Let’s go talk to her now.”
