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Lance was not surprised at this. Despite the fact that Keltan wasn’t even from this country, and he’d only been based in LA for a handful of years, fucker seemed to have contacts and friends everywhere.
Lance only had enemies and ghosts.
Keltan looked to Duke. “You good to follow them home? Take the first shift?”
Duke’s eyes lit up too much at that. Lance saw the way that fucker had looked at Elena. He knew that look.
“I got it,” Lance all but growled.
When Keltan focused on him with a glint in his eye, he knew the fucker had purposefully played him.
“You sure?” he continued. “I know the people part of the job isn’t exactly your favorite.”
“I don’t have to talk to them to keep them safe,” Lance snapped, intending to make sure he didn’t speak with either of them at all if he could help it.
Keltan’s mouth twitched. The fucker was having a great time with this, and Rosie seemed to be enjoying herself too. Of course she was, she loved to torture monsters, and that’s what he was.
He clenched his fists.
Keltan seemed to sense enough was enough. “You good to monitor Hudson then?” he asked Duke.
The man nodded once, eyes taking on a glint. “Wish I could monitor him as he suffocates on his own fucking blood after I’m done with him,” he muttered.
Everyone at the table agreed with the sentiment of Duke’s words.
But everyone was also going to accept the fact that sometimes even assholes got to keep breathing when they shouldn’t.
Except him.
And Rosie. That bitch spent her evenings making sure that rapists and child molesters didn’t keep breathing, she was a wild card. Especially since the Sons of Templar war. That had shaken them all. Only now were they getting over the aftershocks.
Lance didn’t know the club well, but he knew it would be a long time before those wounds scabbed over.
He wasn’t sure Elena’s would.
Which was why he’d be burying Hudson.
“Okay, so we’re good on what we’ve got to do?” Keltan asked the table.
Nods.
“Right, get back to your families, get to your jobs. I need to hug my fuckin’ kids after this,” he announced.
Everyone got up.
“Lance.”
He knew it was coming even as he turned.
Rosie winked at him.
He sighed and sat down in his previous seat and the door closed behind the rest of the team.
He waited for Keltan to speak.
“This case, it’s different for you.”
Not a question.
Therefore Lance wasn’t socially obligated to respond.
So he didn’t.
Keltan wasn’t put off. “The woman, she’s different for you.”
Again, not a question.
Again, no answer.
Keltan grinned, shaking his head with a knowing glint to his eye. “Fuck, it seems the men here never get it boring when it comes to this shit,” he muttered. Then he turned serious. “She’s got a kid.”
Lance made a sound at the back of his throat. “Think I missed that part?”
Keltan didn’t acknowledge this. “She’s got a kid, a good one. She’s a good woman that’s gone through a lot of shit, and even though I’m hoping it’s over, I’m thinking it’s not if you’re in the mix.” He narrowed his eyes. “You don’t fuck her around. Not a single mom who still has fresh bruises from the husband that beat her and kidnapped her kid.”
Lance bristled, his blood simmered uncomfortably. He wasn’t used to the sensation. Everything he did was in cold blood. Therefore controlled.
But since yesterday everything in him was reactive, the control he’d considered second nature was more difficult than anything.
“I’m not fucking with shit,” he gritted out. “I’m doin’ my job.”
Keltan raised his eyebrow, challenging him, as if he knew something Lance didn’t. As if he knew what this woman was doing to him.
He guessed he had an idea since he was perceptive as shit and it was obvious as fuck that Lance was not acting normal.
He gritted his teeth but didn’t speak.
Keltan waited a beat, eyes still hard with his warning, but Lance could tell the fucker seemed amused at this whole situation.
He clenched his fists and reminded himself that he was not prone to random acts of violence. Especially against his boss. And friend.
“You gotta promise me you won’t touch Hudson,” Keltan said finally, all amusement wiped.
Fuck.
He pursed his lips. Lance never lied, and he never made promises he knew he couldn’t keep.
Keltan sighed. “I’m serious, brother. I know you. And I know the look you get when you’re plannin’ on digging another grave. I get it. Fuck, thinking about my kids, thinking about that woman, seeing her face all bruised up.” Keltan clenched his fists. “It’s not comin’ easy to me to stay out of this guy’s life. It really fucking isn’t. And I know Rosie is the same. I can’t guarantee she isn’t planning on planting a fucking bomb in his house. But we made a promise to the client. She has her wishes. Beyond that, he’s the son of a fucking senator. A shady one, but that’s not surprising. So we need to tread carefully. Not because I’m afraid of the blowback on the business, we can handle anything. We’ve had worse people gunning for us. But Elena, she can’t handle that shit. I’ve got a feeling that senator even gets a whiff that she’s had any connection with his son’s death, he’ll ruin her fucking life. In ways we can’t protect her from.”
