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Both men looked at each other, their expressions revealing the truth. They didn’t have the money. The bearded bandana guy spoke first, his words coming in a rush.
“We were going to call you,” he said, his gaze landing warily on Ruthless. “Can we make a new arrangement? We’ve got some stuff in the works. We should have your money soon.”
Tossing the heavy eight ball and catching it in one hand, Maddox never took his piercing stare off the men. “Pretty sure that’s what you said last time we talked, R.J. I’m not interested in more excuses.”
R.J. dropped his pool cue on the table, raising both hands in a plea for mercy. “Derek has a deal with a guy in Crimson Grove. We’re going to do a run for him, hand off some weaponry to a buyer. We’re getting a good cut. We just need you to be patient, man.”
“We’ve been patient.” Jerking a thumb toward the front door, Maddox looked R.J. up and down. “Let’s go outside and talk where it’s quiet.”
R.J. and Derek weren’t oblivious to how this worked. They knew they were up shit’s creek without a paddle. Derek’s beady eyes darted about as he checked if anyone wearing a Crypt Keepers patch noticed the exchange. Running shady business scams without the approval of their president was dangerous and stupid. Although so was breaking a promise made to Maddox Hale.
“Do we have to?” asked Derek, looking shifty. He had a weaselly vibe that struck me as suspicious. “If you fuck us up, we won’t be able to pull off the job. Do you want to get paid or not?”
I laughed then, because Derek screwed up, and I knew what was coming. Neither Maddox nor Ruthless found any humor in the situation. Maddox set the eight ball back down, rounded the table, and grabbed Derek by the front of his shirt. His fist moved fast, bouncing off Derek’s face.
“I think you’ve forgotten who you’re dealing with, asshole,” Maddox seethed. “If you don’t want your biker buddies to find out what you’ve been up to, I suggest you join us outside. Now.”
Too late for that. People took notice of the altercation about to break out. Most of them opted not to get involved in anything to do with Maddox and Ruthless. It was the smart choice really. Not everyone was so smart. A few men wearing various MC patches came to surround Maddox and Derek.
“What’s the fucking problem here?” barked a husky guy wearing a Crypt Keepers patch. “Get your hands off my buddy, Hale. You have no business in here.”
“Like hell I don’t,” Maddox snapped. He pushed Derek against the pool table. “Do you want to tell them or should I?”
Derek glanced frantically at the bikers ready to jump in on his behalf. A faint sheen of perspiration broke out on his forehead. Suddenly he shoved past Maddox and ran like hell for the exit at the back of the building. Seizing the moment of confusion, R.J. hauled off and punched Maddox in the side of the head. Ruthless was there in a flash. He grabbed R.J. around the neck, dragging him away from Mads. In a blink the gathered bikers jumped in, turning it into a brawl.
Knowing better than to get in the middle of half a dozen men scrapping it out in a bar littered with criminals, I turned and ran in the direction Derek had gone. I was relatively spry and quick on my feet. The thick swell of patrons slowed me down, but it slowed Derek down too.
I saw him disappear outside where he’d have more room to run. Dodging bikers almost twice my size and darting around their lady friends, I finally reached the back exit and burst into the night.
Derek was several yards away, running while shooting glances over his shoulder. If he made it to his bike, he’d be long gone. Driven by a jolt of excitement that spurred me on, I picked up the speed and quickly gained on him. Since the back exit was an emergency door, there was nobody lingering out back to witness my pursuit.
I tackled Derek down onto the hard dirt behind the warehouse, using him to break my fall. His face bounced off the ground as he flung both arms out in a failed attempt to catch himself. Without giving him a chance to recover, I slammed a fist into the side of his head.
“Get off me, bitch.” Twisting beneath me, he did his best to throw me off. He turned over in time to take another fist to the face. “Who the hell are you?”
These newer guys didn’t know me. I really had been gone a while. Guess I’d have to rectify that. I managed to get a third shot in before he tossed me aside. Blood gushed from his nose, making his neck veins bulge in anger.
“I’m Maven Hart,” I said, shoving quickly to my feet as he did the same. Sliding the knife from my ankle sheath gave me a rush I hadn’t had in a while. “Former queen of the Hale Syndicate, current badass bitch about to kick your ass.”
Before he could go for a weapon, I rushed him. He didn’t let me get as close as I’d have liked, fending me off with a kick. I avoided his heavy boot, pulling back to reassess before circling in close again. This time he took the opportunity to pull the gun from the shoulder holster beneath his vest.
I had no way of knowing if he was the type to shoot first or if he just wanted to scare me. Not taking any chances, I whipped the knife at his gun arm, pleased when the blade buried in his flesh. The gun hit the ground as his focus became the knife. Having no time to waste, I lunged forward and used a well-aimed leg sweep to take him down.
Derek went down with limbs flailing. I stood over him as he wrenched my knife from his arm. As he swung the blade toward me, I kicked his wrist hard enough to hear a crack. Derek shrieked, eyes widening with pained fury. The security lights attached to the side of the warehouse put us in a spotlight as I pulled the knife from my arm sheath and leapt on his fallen form.
Pressing the blade tight against Derek’s throat, I smiled down into his face. “I’d hold real still if I were you. One little slip and I could split you from ear to ear.”
Teeth clenched tight together, Derek let out a pained wail. “You’re so dead, bitch. I’ll fucking kill you.”
Without taking his eyes off me, he groped around for the gun. Too bad for him, it was just out of reach. I put more force on the knife, cutting into his skin.
“You called me that already. Is that as creative as you get?” Watching the blood well up from beneath the blade gave me a rush that I felt between my legs. Fuck, I’d missed this. “You’re going to lay nice and still until my guys can deal with you. If you so much as flinch, I will fuck you up.”
My hand was steady on the knife hilt. I was ready for him to do something stupid, and I didn’t make empty threats. With my knees, I pinned his arms. Kneeling on the one with the broken wrist made him yelp and whine.
“All right. I won’t fucking do anything. Get off me.” Derek’s face reddened as he glared up at me.
“What kind of moron do you think I am? Never mind. Don’t answer that. One more word and I start slicing.” A little more pressure on the blade made him scream. That’s when I eased off a little. Didn’t want to accidentally kill the guy.
