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“Feds tend to give a shit about children being trafficked, especially over state lines. Hell, there are international task forces set up for this shit, which means a whole lotta cops up in our business, Jas.”
Sadie would have a fit when she found out, but we needed a solution to this problem before we took it to her.
Jasper let out a long-suffering breath that he’d earned with all the bullshit he put up with running the business. Finally, he looked up at me with a question in his eyes.
“We’ve killed four cells and twenty some odd Crusaders in the past few months and two more crop up for every one we eliminate. So what the fuck do you think we do, brother?”
I let his condescending outburst slide because I knew Jasper had the most on his plate, dealing with everything he did on a daily basis.
I was sitting in one of his office chairs by then, taking a load off after the night I’d had. “I do have an idea, actually. If you’re willing to listen.”
Jasper wasn’t unreasonable by nature but he was so used to running shit, to being right, that he could be dismissive of any ideas not his own. It wasn’t because he was like our old man. He wasn’t. Hell, he’d saved us all more times than we could count from a devastating beating at that fucker’s hands, so no he wasn’t like him. But he could be…stubborn.
“I’m listening.”
That was something, I guess, so I nodded and laid out the plan. “We get the Feds to show up for another Crusaders’ death, only we make this one look like an inside job. Turn that fucking magnifying glass on them for a change.”
I held my breath, waiting to see what smartass comment Jasper would have. If I was lucky, and based on the past fourteen hours, that was debatable, he’d just give me a list of reasons why my plan was shit and let me get on with the rest of my day.
“I like it.” That was a shock, but I kept my mouth shut, jaws clenched, and listened. “There are a lot of damn details to work out with this plan of yours, Virgil, but it could work.”
Nodding to himself as if Terry and I weren’t even there, Jas typed out a bunch of shit on his tablet before turning back to me. “Until we have a plan—a workable plan—in place, we have to do something about that new shipment.”
Shipment. The way we all spoke of the victims, like they were some disembodied entities. Like they weren’t exactly like us, members of a club no one wanted to belong to. Survivors of assholes who used their power and strength to take what they wanted.
“Got an idea about that too.”
Jasper grinned and leaned back in his black leather chair, hands clasped over his midsection, the same way our dad used to sit. “Damn, Virgil, you’re full of ’em today. Let’s hear it.”
It wasn’t often that Jas was in a listening mood so I took advantage and outlined the plan that was a collaboration between Calvin and me.
“It’ll probably interrupt their business for a few days, a week or two tops, but it will get the women and kids away from them.”
“And we’ll have to lie low while they investigate,” Terry added. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to help or shit on my plan.
“Which we do every fucking time someone kills these assholes. It’s worth losing a few weeks of revenue to get rid of this problem.” I growled at Terry before turning to Jasper. “Isn’t it?”
He nodded reluctantly. “Price of doing business. Any other good news you want to share with the class?” The corners of his mouth tipped up to show how amused he was with himself.
“Yeah, I’m still the handsome Ashby.” I stroked my chin and flashed a smile that tugged a deep, rumbling laugh from my older brother.
“Now I know you’re delusional. Get together with Calvin to work out the details, and we’ll talk specifics at dinner. Tomorrow. And you better keep him safe.”
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I froze, hoping like hell it wasn’t Ma with another clean up job to do. I was still exhausted, and other than a hot meal and a neat whiskey, all I wanted to do was go home. Maybe with a certain raven-haired woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. Then Jasper’s words sank in. “Sunday, you mean.”
Jasper smiled and shook his head. “Sadie has business to attend to on Sunday.”
Which probably meant more trouble for us. Just fucking great. “See you tomorrow then,” I muttered, half distracted.
“Who’s the girl,” Jas called out when I turned to leave the office.
“What girl?” I asked and kept walking, the sound of Jas and Terry laughing at my back. My secret still intact. Mostly. The message was from Maisie and it was just three words.
