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“No shit.” Samson cracked his neck. “At least in Brooklyn, I knew how to play the game.”
“And you also knew we moved out here to leave all that behind.”
Samson barked out a harsh laugh. “We didn’t leave shit behind. It’s out here following us like a bad stink.”
“What are you talkin’ about?”
Samson released a slow breath in an attempt to quiet the demons. “I’m talking about seeing Frank not twenty minutes ago at Valley View talking to our friend Alex Monroe.”
“Are you sure?”
“Sure as fuck, and they looked real friendly. As in, they know each other and have known each other for a while.”
Nick rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit!”
“Shit is right 'cause if those two are working together, we got a lot more to worry about than a club raid.”
Nick looked past him as their valued customers filed out of the club under police order. Publicity like this could go either way. It could drive interest way down for people who didn’t want to get involved in bullshit or amp up sales for those who thought they could score drugs at Club Wicked. Neither scenario was good.
“I don’t believe it.”
Samson understood it was a lot to take in. The snake they thought they escaped was still biting their ass.
“Did Frank see you?”
“Nah, I waited till he left to approach Monroe, who was his usual slimy self, telling me he liked our eclectic venue.” Samson mashed his lips together. “I also told the bouncers at Valley View that Monroe’s ass is banned from now on.”
“Him and Frank working together. I can’t even imagine how that would work. They’re both single-minded with huge fuckin’ egos.”
“Snakes find each other.” Samson snorted out a grimace. “And here’s the best part. Mamba says he’s seen Monroe at Valley View before and that promoting clubs is just a front for his more lucrative ventures—like human trafficking, kiddie porn, and underage prostitution.”
“I knew there was something wonky about that guy, but this is fuckin’ crazy.”
“Mamba says the Serpents don’t want anything to do with Monroe either. They mostly steer clear of him mainly because of his political power.” Samson waved his hand around the club. “Like this bullshit. One of the cops Mamba knows said this call came from the mayor, and Metro had no choice but to lock us down.”
“And I’m sure Frank’s also in on it 'cause there are too many loose ends. This is way more than bad luck when we got a known dealer in our club on opening night, and then two weeks later, a couple of girls laid out with bad drugs.”
Nick looked over his shoulder, then leaned into Samson. “The cops showing up, closing us down, waving warrants around—this was a big fuckin’ setup.”
Samson kept eyes on the cops as they rummaged behind the bar, the server's station, and the DJ booth. They wouldn’t find anything, but the damage was already done, and if they wanted, they could keep them closed for longer than a day or two.
“This was all planned, happening on a night when neither of us was here.” Nick shifted his feet. “Strange it all went down after our meet with Monroe and yours with Lisbeth.”
Samson thought the same thing, but he kept Lisbeth’s engagement to Monroe’s son to himself until he could confront her.
“I had a talk with her at Ecstasy,” Nick said.
Samson furrowed his brow. “About what?”
I told her to quit messing with your head and—”
“What the fuck?” Samson’s voice rose, and Mamba shot a look their way.
“I saw how you looked at her, and we can’t afford any slip-ups”—Nick nodded to the cluster of cops by the bar—“especially after all this bullshit.”
“You got a lot of damn nerve getting in my business.” Samson had his take on Lisbeth’s involvement in all this, but he didn’t appreciate Nick sticking his ass where it didn’t belong.
“You haven’t seen her in ten years, and she’s twisting you up just as she did back in the day.”
