“I know, and I promise I will be on my best behavior from now on.”
“I know you will be, because—no joke—I will lock your ass in a closet if I have to.”
“I believe you.”
“You should.”
“I do,” I agree, trying to fight a smile, but he catches it anyway.
“My man is so fucked,” he mutters, and I run to him and wrap my arms around his back, giving him a squeeze.
“Don’t lock me in the closet. I’m afraid of the dark.”
“Liar,” he grumbles, squeezing me back, letting me know we’re okay. Taking a step back, I look over his shoulder at Pika, who is standing with his arms crossed over his chest and leaning against the wall.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re safe. It’s all good, but like Zack said, we’ve got no problem locking you two away.”
“You won’t have to do that,” I assure him, and he nods then pulls himself off the wall and leaves the room.
“I’m going to my room for a bit,” Autumn says, and I turn to look at her.
“Sure, I’ll be in the living room if you need me.” I smile, and she nods before heading up the stairs.
Looking back at Zack, I ask, “Wanna watch Born in the Wild?”
“Fuck no.” He shakes his head as his face loses some of its color.
“Well, if you change your mind, I’ll be in the living room.” I grin then head in there, make myself comfortable on the couch, and eventually fall asleep watching a woman give birth to a baby in the woods.
Chapter 12
Sven
Truth
“This isn’t exactly a job you can put an ad out for,” Kai rumbles, and my eyes move through my office and over to him. Since my club is closed down for the time being, we have been meeting up here, leaving the girls at the house with Zack, Pika, and Teo.
“Yeah, but you know as well as I do that someone else is going to step in the second Paulie is no longer a part of the equation,” I reply, sitting back in my chair. “I don’t know shit about the business you’re in, but I do know business, and anytime someone steps out of a possession, there’s always someone there to take over, and I can’t imagine this will be any different.”
“You’re right. Someone else will step in, but I’m not sure our move should be leading someone else into the seat,” Kai says, placing his drink on my desk.
“I didn’t say I agreed with Justin’s idea. I do think we need a way to guarantee we won’t be collateral damage. If that comes in the form of making an alliance with someone else, then I’m all for it.”
“Aedan,” Justin puts in, and I turn to look at him. “Guy is fucked, but he is also not fucking crazy,” he says, referring to the Irish high-ranking drug dealer he’s been working with.
“He’s killed a lot of fucking people.” Kenton frowns.
“He has,” Justin agrees. “Aedan made a name for himself at twenty-three when he took out his boss, that boss being Armando Levy, the biggest drug lord Vegas had ever seen. A man no one—not even the FBI—had the balls to stand up to,” Justin says then looks at Kai. “You know his story. You know he took out Armando because he was kidnapping women, getting them addicted to blow, and then putting them on the tracks.”
“You’re making him sound like a fucking choirboy,” Kenton chides, leaning back in his chair.
“I’m not saying he’s a fucking angel of mercy. I’m saying he has a moral compass, which is more than what Paulie has,” Justin replies, sweeping the room, looking at each of us. “Regardless of what we do, what steps we take, there will be someone who takes over. There is no way to prevent that. The only thing we can do is put someone in that seat who isn’t going to come back for us.”
“You can’t guarantee he won’t, Justin,” Kai mutters, standing from his chair to pace the room.
“I can. He is not a fan of Paulie’s.”
“Why the fuck do we need to be involved in helping him into that seat?” Kenton asks, and Justin looks at him.
“There are four main families in Vegas. Those four families control what happens in this town—who pimps, who sells dope, and who sells guns. Three of those families are tied to Paulie. Only one family is not, and that’s Aedan’s.”
“Justin has a point,” I conclude, and Kai scowls at me. Sitting forward, I put my hands on my desk and lean in. “Listen, I don’t give a fuck who does what in Vegas. The only thing I want is to live a life where I don’t have to look over my shoulder. Searching for some fuckwad who thinks he’s gonna make alliances by taking me out.”
“We all can agree on that.” Kai nods then looks to Justin. “Set up a meeting. Tell him I want to speak with him about business. We won’t mention what’s going on until we get a feel for him.”
“On it,” he mutters, pulling out his phone and stepping out of the office to make the call.
“Were Maggie and Autumn okay?” Kai asks, and I look at Kenton, seeing his expression is the same as mine.
“Autumn said she needed to go to the drug store, so she and Maggie came up with a plan to do that.”
“She could have asked one of the guys to get whatever she needed,” Kai says, and I feel my lips twitch.
“Don’t know much about Myla, but Maggie’s always down for causing chaos. Pretty sure she thrives on driving me crazy.”
“Autumn’s the same. I’m surprised she didn’t hatch an escape plan sooner, actually.” Kenton chuckles.
“Thank god Maxim is teething, Myla’s been locked in our room.” Kai mutters as Justin comes back into the office.
“Meeting’s set, tomorrow at two, he’s meeting us here.”
“Good,” I nod, rubbing my jaw.
“Now we need to talk about Lane,” Justin adds, taking a seat across from me once more.
“He still downstairs?” I ask, and he nods.
“Yep, and I don’t think this will surprise you, but I ran his phone record. He’s been keeping in contact with one of Paulie’s guys.”
“Fuck,” I clip, standing from my chair and turning to the window behind me. Looking down at the club floor, I see that Lane and Aye are sitting at the bar.
“I don’t know what they are talking about when they do talk, but the calls are constant—one a night over the last two months. I also watched the tape again,” he says quietly, and I turn to face him. “In one clip, he acted like he was pushing someone off of Maggie at the bar. That’s when he slipped the substance he used in her drink.”
“It’s taking everything in me not to fucking kill him,” I whisper.
“He’s our in,” Justin says, and I let out a breath.
“He’s going to get us where we need to be with Paulie, so when we take him out, it’s not expected. We are going to use him as a pawn and play him at his own game.
“He’s sleeping down the hall from my woman,” I remind him quietly.
“He can’t make a move without one of us knowing about it.”
“I want this shit done,” I growl. I’m so fucking frustrated by this situation, and knowing my suspicions about Lane are justified, the anger and betrayal I’ve been feeling is choking me.
“I’m not happy that he knows where the women are, Justin,” Kai breaks in, and Justin pulls his eyes off me to look at Kai, who’s still standing with his arms crossed over his chest.
“You have Zack, Pika, and Teo at the house, a security system that rivals the Pentagon’s, and enough guns to start a small war. The girls are safe, and if I thought for one second they weren’t, I would have you move them to Dino’s,” Justin says, holding his gaze.
“How do you know Dino?” Kia asks, raising a brow.
“Been here off and on over the last few months working with Aedan. I know more than I want to,” Justin answers, making me wonder what the fuck he’s been up to and why he’s working with Aedan to begin with. Justin doesn’t do work for just anyone, and I can’t imagine him helping out a drug dealer. That isn’t his style. He wants the world to be
a better place.
“How close are you with Aedan?” Kai asks, studying him.
“Wouldn’t trust him with my lift, but right now, he’s an ally,” he replies immediately, and Kai studies him for a moment more before nodding and taking a step back.
“Let’s head back to the house. Myla’s been with Maxim the last few days without a break,” Kai says, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“Works for me. I need to make sure Autumn hasn’t escaped out the window, or found a way to talk Myla or Maggie into helping her dig a hole back to Tennessee,” Kenton interjects, standing from his chair as I roll my shoulder and press the palm of my hand into it as I stand.
“You good, man?” Kenton asks, watching me.
“Yeah,” I mutter, dropping my arm to my side.
“If you need to step back, we’ll understand,” Kai assures, and my gaze goes to him.
“Not fucking happening. The bullet that hit me could have hit Maggie. I could have let all this shit go before. Now—fuck no. I’m in until this mess is cleaned up and Paulie is six feet under, preferably buried with Lane next to him,” I tell him, and he jerks his head once in agreement then heads for the door.
As soon as we reach the club floor, Aye slides off his barstool. “Are we heading back to the house?” he asks while tucking his gun into the back of his jeans.
“We are. I’ll fill you in on what’s going down when we get there,” Kai tells him, and he nods following him out.
“I’ll ride with you,” Justin tells Lane as we step outside. “We need to stop so I can pick up my bike before we head back to the house.”
“Sure,” Lane replies with a nod, following him across the lot.
“It’ll be over soon,” Kenton says, and I pull my eyes from Lane’s back and look at him as I move to the passenger side door of the Suburban, opening it up and settling myself inside.
“Yeah,” I rumble, slamming the door closed.
“Soon,” he repeats.
“Not soon enough.” I pull out my cell and reply to a text from Ace, letting him know my lawyer will be in contact tomorrow with the contracts for the club.
“I didn’t want to come back,” he mutters, backing out of the parking space, and my eyes move to him. “I sure as fuck didn’t want Autumn to be here, but I knew I couldn’t leave her in Tennessee and risk someone going after her there.”
“I wanted to send Maggie away, but didn’t for the same reason,” I agree, shoving my cell into my pocket.
“Never thought I’d see the day you’d crash and burn over a woman.” He laughs, pulling out onto the main road. “I don’t know anyone who thought you’d settle.”
“I didn’t plan for her.” I run my hands down my face.
“You deserve to have that. To have her,” he says quietly, stopping at a red light and looks at me. “I’m glad for you, man.”
I jerk up my chin, and he shakes his head then pulls off when the light changes to green.
*
“I thought we were meeting alone,” Aedan says, taking a seat on the couch in my office with his eyes moving from Kai to Justin. “You know I don’t like surprises,” he informs him, raising a brow.
“I have a feeling you’re gonna like this one,” Justin says, sitting on the edge of the coffee table across from him. Having never met Aedan, I didn’t expect to see a thirty-something man dressed like a biker walk into my club. Most made men in Vegas dress just like what they are, men of money and power. Aedan, in jeans, a white shirt, and black motorcycle boots, doesn’t look like he fits in with any of them.
“That’s doubtful,” he mutters then waves his hand around. “Let’s get this over with. I have shit to do.”
“First, what’s your relationship with Paulie?” Kai asks from the middle of the room, where he planted himself with his arms crossed over his chest as soon as we all settled in.
“Not sure why that’s any of your fucking business, Hawaii,” Aedan replies, looking at Kai, his body alert.
Kai looks at Justin for a moment before moving his eyes back to Aedan. “Ok, let’s do this. I know Paulie’s been making moves to take you out,” he says, and Aedan’s glare moves to Justin.
“You tell him that shit?” he asks, sitting forward, pinning Justin in place with his gaze.
“You know I didn’t have to tell anyone shit,” Justin replies quietly with an edge to his tone. “Everyone knows Paulie’s got a hard-on for you. It’s no secret.”
“Fuck Paulie,” Aedan says, pulling his eyes from Justin to scan the room. “I took this meeting out of respect, but now I’m getting pissed. Tell me what this is about. I don’t have time to play twenty-questions or feel like I’m being interrogated.”
“All we need to know is where your relationships stands with Paulie.” I stand and his attention moves to me. “I don’t have time for bullshit. Justin here believes you want Paulie gone. Is that true or not?” I ask, and his eyes narrow on me.
“Paulie’s a piece of shit, just like his son was. No one’s sad the world he’s built is slipping through his fingers, and more than a few are waiting for him to fall,” he says and then stands. “Like I said, I came here out of respect, but like you, I don’t have time for bullshit” he says, walking toward the door but then stops when Kai speaks.
“I’m assuming you know the story of my wife and the property she owns in Vegas.” My eyes go to him, but his are on Aedan, and I know he’s referring to the property Myla’s parents left to her before their deaths, properties worth millions, maybe even billions. Paulie’s son, before his death, planned to kidnap and marry Myla in order to gain control of that property, and Kai was almost killed because of it.
“I’ve heard about it,” Aedan confirms, turning to face him, crossing his arms over his chest.
“It’s yours,” Kai says quietly, and the room starts to buzz with an undercurrent of energy.
“What?” Aedan asks with his brows pulled together.
“That property and the land it’s on is yours…with one condition.”
“What the fuck, Kai?” Kenton asks, looking at him.
“I don’t need it, and Myla doesn’t need it. That land killed her family, and it’s about time she got something good from it. She wants to live free, and I want that for her, my son, and our unborn child.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, staring at Kai.
“What’s your condition?” Aedan questions.
“You help us remove Paulie.” He pauses then rumbles, “Permanently. No one can know the men in this room were involved in his removal, and if there is ever any backlash, that shit’s on you.”
“Why the fuck don’t you just take him out and keep your property?” Aedan asks the question I want to ask for myself.
“I told you—that property is a guarantee you’ll hold up your end of the bargain. I know you have honor. I just don’t know how deep it runs, and if someone is questioning your worth, thinking of taking you out, let’s just say that land will give you the power you need to hold onto your position,” Kai says, and Aedan moves back into the room and takes a seat on the couch once more, looking confused and a little shocked.
“There are easier ways than this,” he says rubbing his jaw. “I’ve been in talks with a few of Paulie’s associates. A lot of them are looking to cut ties,” he adds, looking around the room and ending on Kai. “I’m not sure if you know Rauel,”
“I know of him,” Kai confirms.
“Then you know he controls most of the drugs that come into the United States. Paulie’s been one of the only people Rauel will deal with. He trusts no one. He’s paranoid and cautious. That was, until Rauel found out Paulie’s son was skimming off the top. You see, Rauel had a son around Paulie’s son’s age, and when Rauel found out his son was stealing from him, he killed him himself, with no remorse. Rauel lost respect for Paulie when he didn’t personally deal with his son. If you want a takeover, I have no doubt Rauel would follow you faster than anyone.”
“That isn’t
my life anymore,” Kai says quietly, studying Aedan. “I made a promise years ago to my great-grandfather that I would put our family on a path to redemption, and I intend to keep that promise.”
“You’re giving me something for a job I was going to do anyway,” Aedan replies just as quietly. “Paulie’s son raped my sister; then, he beat the shit out of her and left her for dead,” he says, and the room goes silent. No one even breathes. “Paulie didn’t give a fuck when I brought what happened to his attention, and unluckily for me, someone got to his son before I did. I don’t need your property. I’ll help you no marker needed.”
“Aubrey,” Kenton rumbles with his eyes on Justin, and my eyes go to him, seeing him looking at his lap with his hands fisted tightly and his jaw hard. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this shit?” Kenton asks, and Justin lifts his head to look at him.
“You know I couldn’t do that,” he whispers harshly.
“I wanted her to have an abortion,” Aedan says, looking at Kenton. “He fucking raped her. She never even had a boyfriend, and he fucking raped her and put his kid in her. My sister ran away. I did that. I pushed her too hard, and when Justin found out there were people looking for her, he contacted me, and I told him to keep who she is to himself. Aubrey’s safe. No one knows she exists, and I want to keep it that way. My sister has too much heart for this life, and she’s happy where she is and has made it clear she’s not leaving Justin. Not that I’m happy about that part, but I want her to have what she wants. She deserves to be happy.”
My eyes move to Justin, wondering what the fuck is really going on and who the fuck Aubrey is to him.
“You know I’ll always take care of her,” Justin assures, looking at Aedan.
“I know,” he mutters then looks around the room. “Paulie knows people are gunning for him. He’s not stupid, and ending him won’t be easy. Since his son’s death, his security has doubled and he’s no longer taking meetings.”
“We have an in,” Justin says, and Aedan’s eyes move to him.
“It seems there’s a lot you haven’t shared,” he says quietly, studying Justin.