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“What’s the deal with you two? Him getting pissed is about a lot more than just him finding out your real name.”
“There is no deal,” I answer, turning on my heel and walking back into the house. The party’s still in full swing with no hope of stopping any time soon unless I put a stop to it.
“That’s a fucking lie, and you know it,” Banger argues, following behind me.
I brought Banger into the Vipers a couple of months ago, and he’s turned into a damn good asset. He knows his shit, isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, and can steal any car you want in the blink of an eye. But he also doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.
I gesture for him to walk into my office and take a seat behind my desk. He takes the chair in front of me. “Nothing’s going on.” That’s not a complete lie.
“Then why did you look sad as fuck watching him drive away with the hot redhead?” I’m usually better at hiding my emotions, an old trick I learned growing up with a cold-hearted dad. One slip where he could see what you were thinking, and he’d throw you into his version of time-out. Which is nothing more than a concrete room in the basement of his fancy ass house.
“You don’t know when to shut up, do you?”
Banger grins. “Nope. You knew that when you brought me in.” He leans back in his chair. “Look, I don’t give a fuck if something’s going on. I don’t judge people for that shit, but you need to talk to someone. Caden apparently found that with her.”
“Who knew gangbangers could be so goddamn thoughtful?”
“We’re more than just gangbangers, asshole.”
Before I can come up with a remark, my phone starts ringing, Mercy’s name flashing across the screen.
I swipe to answer. “What’s going on?” Mercy is one of my enforcers, and he only calls when something’s wrong that he can’t take care of alone. Which is hardly ever. Mercy is ex-military and the size of a tank.
“You need to come down to Shooters. Looks like the Hellraisers are looking to start some shit.”
I stand up, Banger immediately following suit. We all know when it’s time to switch to business mode. “I’m on my way. How many do I need?”
“Depends on how you want to handle it.”
I hang up and make it to the living room. “Everyone who’s not a Viper, get the fuck out!” I yell. Banger goes around delivering the same message. I can’t leave this many people alone in my house. Slowly they start filing out, and I look around at my old Vipers mixed with the newly minted ones. Caden’s crew is strong, but they’ve dwindled down over the past several months. Most of them couldn’t handle the life, and others have moved on from it for various reasons. That’s why I approached him for a merger. Not because I didn’t think he could handle it.
“We have problems at Shooters. Go home but stay close to your phones.”
I jerk my head for Banger to follow me and roll my eyes when I round the corner to the carport and see Caden’s black Mustang parked fucking sideways in the yard. Ihatethat shit.
Banger laughs, jerking open the passenger side door of my black Dodge Challenger. “I’d kick his ass for that.”
I grunt in answer and pull my own door open, sliding behind the wheel. “Little fucker,” I mutter, stabbing the button to start the car.
The house might not be much to some. It’s just a modest three bedroom that sits on the outskirts of Concrete Row. But it’smine. Bought and paid for, in cash, by me. That’s the only thing that matters.
Five minutes later, we pull in front of my pool hall, Shooters, and see the trouble the Hellraisers are stirring up. Mercy meets us out front, pointing to everything that’s wrong. The windows are smashed, the inside is completely trashed, bright pink spray paint covers every surface, and in it is a message.
“This won’t save him,” Banger reads out loud. “What the hell does that mean?”
I walk further into the building, my boots crunching on the broken glass. “The merger. They’re talking about Caden,” I grit out. This is another place that’s just mine, and these motherfuckers trashed it and threatened Caden. I snap a few pictures on my phone and send them to Caden.
Caden: What the fuck? Hellraisers?
Ghost: Yeah. It’s time to show them who runs Concrete Row.
Caden: When?
Ghost: We need to hit them when they don’t expect it. But soon.
Caden: Alright. What are we thinking?
Ghost: Full force.
