Rock Chick Revolution

The display said Santo Calling.

  He engaged and put it to his ear. “Santo.”

  “Boss, you need to get here.”

  Ren stopped at the door to his car and looked at his boots, his gut twisting.

  This was because he gave Santo a job that morning. And that job was getting into Snookie Rivers’s apartment to have a look around.

  “What?” Ren asked.

  “You need to see,” Santo replied.

  Ren clenched his teeth and beeped his locks.

  Pulling open the door and folding in, he asked, “Is he out for a while?”

  “Lucky’s on him. He makes to come home, Lucky’ll give me the heads up.”

  “Be there in ten,” Ren stated.

  He disconnected and turned on the ignition.

  When he hit Ally’s old apartment complex, he saw construction had already begun on her blasted out unit. There was some structural damage; not much, mostly the windows blown out and fire damage, but they weren’t wasting any time fixing it.

  He parked, got out, kept his phone in his hand and jogged to the building, in and up the stairs.

  He tapped a knuckle on Rivers’s door and it was immediately opened by Santo.

  Ren didn’t like the look on his face.

  “Show me,” he ordered.

  Santo got out of the way. Ren entered the apartment, moved aside and let Santo lead the way. Santo moved down the hall to one of the bedrooms but stopped at the door and turned to Ren.

  “Boss, this is fucked up,” he warned.

  Ren looked him in the eyes then moved beyond him and into the room.

  Once in, he stopped dead.

  Three beats later, he whispered, “Fuckin’ fuck me.”

  “You want Lucky to nab him?” Santo asked.

  Ren’s eyes moved around the room, his gut no longer twisting. It was tied in painful knots and it felt like something heavy was pressing on his chest.

  This was because, all around the room, the walls were littered with pictures of Ally. Entering her apartment. Leaving her apartment. Walking down the hall. In the parking lot walking to her Mustang. Getting in or out of it.

  And more.

  Ally in Fortnum’s. Ally at Stella’s gigs. Ally bartending at Brother’s. Ally at the mall with one or more of the Rock Chicks.

  And Ally entering and exiting his house. Some from months ago. Some from days ago.

  The whole room was covered in Ally.

  Every inch.

  There were so many pictures, they were several layers deep.

  “Boss? Lucky?” Santo prompted and Ren cut his eyes to the man.

  “Yes, I fuckin’ want Lucky to nab him,” he growled. “And call Dom. Now.” He threw out a hand. “And take pictures of this shit. Detailed.”

  After he issued his orders, he spent no more time in that space.

  He walked right out.

  His gut still tied up tight.

  His chest now burning.

  * * * * *

  Ally

  I walked into the down room at Nightingale Investigations to see the gang all there.

  Every one of them.

  This included Lee, Eddie, Hank, Vance, Mace, Hector, Darius, Matt, Bobby, Monty, Ike, Jack, Brody and even Luke, who just got back from his honeymoon with Ava that morning.

  Jimmy Marker was also there.

  This meant things were not as bad as I thought.

  They were worse.

  I didn’t call my welcome back, glad-you-survived-all-that-unadulterated-nookie to Luke.

  I just cut my eyes through the men, got a bunch of chin lifts (seriously?), moved to a weight bench and sat my ass on it.

  Lee watched me do it and turned to the team.

  “Brief,” he began, his voice terse, indicating things weren’t worse, they were worse. “You all know the case Ally’s on and you all know about the payments, the players already uncovered and the note Meena gave to Ally last night.”

  No one nodded. They all just kept their eyes on Lee.

  After looking around, I followed suit.

  “Brody found the trail,” Lee went on. “Cyrus Gibbons’s cellmate in Nebraska has links to Steiner and the crew here. This morning, Darius tailed Steiner and Bobby tailed Gibbons to a crew meet. There are five of them. Darius was able to get into position without bein’ seen to listen in. Their gig is, they got a man on each of Smithie’s women, and therefore his kids.”

  Oh my God.

  I closed my eyes.

  “Gibbons is on Smithie,” Lee continued and I opened my eyes. “The girls don’t pay, givin’ their tip takes, they put the hurt on all of Smithie’s family. They talk, they put the hurt on all of them. They don’t give Gibbons what he wants during his private dances, he puts the hurt on Smithie.”

  Seeing as my head was suddenly about to explode at Lee’s words, I had to let some of the pressure out.

  Therefore, I couldn’t stop myself from hissing, “You’re shitting me.”

  Lee looked at me. “Ally—”

  “He’s raping them at Smithies?” I snapped.

  “Forced blowjobs, same thing,” Lee answered, his voice tight.

  I surged from my seat, shouting, “You’ve got to be shitting me!”

  “Ally, cool it,” Hank said quietly.

  “You cool it. You haven’t spent your nights working alongside a bunch of girls who’re being violated!” I shot back.

  “This isn’t going on for another day, Ally,” Lee stated. “We’re takin’ them down tonight, all those fuckers. And you got your part in that. I get you’re pissed. I get why. We’re all pissed. But we got a job to do. You need to shift that anger to focus, ‘cause you’re a go tonight.”

  I was a go?

  What the hell did that mean?

  “What?” I asked.

  “We have to take them down simultaneously so they don’t have the opportunity to talk, see or hear the others were taken out and do something about it, namely put one of Smithie’s women or kids in danger. At the club tonight, Steiner will be Darius’s. Gibbons, yours.”

  “I’m on Gibbons,” Darius stated and I knew why. He was the greater danger.

  Lee looked to him.

  “They’re steerin’ clear of Lottie because of her connection with Eddie and likely the rest of us. This means they know the connection, so he’ll know you. You enter when Ally’s dancin’ and Gibbons has eyes on her. Steiner will either have eyes on her or the crowd. You go for Steiner. Ally makes Gibbons part of the act and she goes for him.” Lee looked at me. “It sucks and it makes me wanna vomit sayin’ this, but you dance for him. You do it smart. You’ll have backup, Ally. Luke and Mace are on you. But you gotta disarm him and not get shot doin’ it.”

  Holy shit!

  Lee looked like he’d eaten something rotten when he asked, “Can you keep him occupied to do that?”

  I stared at him. I looked to Hank to see a muscle jerk in his cheek. I looked through the men.

  They all had eyes on me.

  I looked back at Lee and sat my ass down again, saying, “Absolutely.”

  Lee nodded.

  “While he’s eyes to you, Darius takes Steiner out, Mace and Luke will get into position,” he went on. “You just have to get your hand on his gun. Shoulder holster. His left side. Once you got it, you get the fuck outta the way. Mace and Luke will move in.”

  I nodded.

  His voice dropped lower when he said, “You got the feel, Ally. You demonstrated that at Lincoln’s. If it hits you it’s goin’ bad, he looks like he’s goin’ for his gun, you get the fuck out. Mace and Luke will roll in. But I want his ass jacked by a dancer. I want him disarmed and unmanned by a woman and I want that to have an audience. You with me?”

  Oh, fuck yeah.

  I was with him.

  When I nodded that time, I was grinning.

  Lee studied me. Then he turned to the boys.

  “Vance, Bobby, you’re team one. Hector and Matt, team two. Jack and Monty, team three.
Brody will give you the details you need. Jimmy, Hank and Eddie will sweep up.”

  Lee’s eyes were looking at the men he was addressing then he came back to me.

  “After you take yours down, we’re closin’ Smithie’s and you work the girls. You get them to trust you. You get them to trust us. You get them to trust the cops. And you get them to make statements and press charges.”

  “Copy that,” I replied.

  Lee studied me again before he looked back to his men. “You have your assignments. This happens during Ally’s first dance. Eight fifty-five. Track your men. Find them. Report in. And the time comes, take them out.”

  More chin lifts.

  Jeez.

  The gang broke up just as Darius’s phone rang.

  But I looked to Lee. “Need a second. In private. Eddie, too.”

  My eyes went to Eddie to see him watching me intently.

  “Ally, got shit to do,” Lee said, sounding distracted.

  “A second, Lee,” I replied quietly.

  It was my quiet that got him to give me a look. He transferred his gaze to Eddie and then he nodded to me

  I avoided all eyes as he moved out of the room and I followed him, Eddie following me.

  Lee took us to his office, but stood at the door until Eddie and I made it through. Then he closed the door and turned his back to it, not moving further into the room.

  Right. His position reiterated he was giving me only a second, he had shit to do.

  So did I, so I cut to it.

  I took a deep breath and reminded him. “You know I’m worried about Darius.”

  “I do,” Lee confirmed. “But is now the time for you to get up in our shit about it?”

  “I know about Malia and Liam.”

  I watched Lee’s entire body get tight, and I didn’t normally get scared but that sure as fuck scared me.

  “Zano tell you?” he fired at me, his words like bullets.

  “No,” I answered, shaking my head for emphasis. “I found out like I find out a lot of shit. I know a lot of people. I ask a lot of questions.” I looked to Eddie. “I did it on the down low so there’s nothing for you two to worry about.”

  “You’re wrong,” Lee returned, and I looked back to him.

  “I know this is privileged information and the person who told me was not real big on me knowing it. But I got the information and I’m gonna do something about it.”

  Lee leaned toward me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not gonna do shit.”

  “I am,” I whispered. “There’s a boy growing up without his father.”

  Lee leaned back. “That’s Darius’s choice.”

  “It’s the wrong one,” I retorted.

  “That’s not your call,” Lee clipped.

  “Yes, it is. Yes, it absolutely is,” I shot back, lifted a hand and shook my head. “Don’t worry, bro. You don’t want to be involved with whatever I decide to do, don’t be. That’s your call. Though I’ll assure you, I will not make a production of this. And I won’t drag the Rock Chicks into it. What I’m gonna do is take a big risk and point out some important facts to a man I love and have loved since I was a kid. He cuts me out, so be it. But there’s the slight chance he’ll listen to me, maybe not now, maybe eventually, but then he’ll find a way back to his family. And that’s important enough, not just for Darius but for Malia and especially Liam, I’m willing to take that risk.”

  Lee glared at me.

  I looked to Eddie and the instant I did, he said, “Don’t fuck this up.”

  “I can’t guarantee that,” I told him honestly. “What I can do is do my best to make certain this is about me and Darius and it doesn’t leak to the rest of the posse. And I’ll do that.”

  But Lee was now glaring at Eddie, and after I finished speaking, he bit out, “You cannot be cool with this.”

  “I’m not. Then again, hermano, I haven’t been cool with this shit for seventeen fuckin’ years,” Eddie replied.

  Lee again closed his mouth.

  He wasn’t cool with it either.

  I took in a breath and held it.

  Lee looked back to me. “I’m not involved.”

  This was disappointing. It was also unsurprising. There was never a time when there wasn’t a Lee, Eddie and Darius. Even when Lee and Eddie were fighting (which happened often) and when Darius was on the wrong side of the law and Eddie was a cop.

  They had a bond. They were brothers.

  And if you love your brother, you had his back and backed his plays.

  So I nodded.

  Lee’s body partially relaxed when he informed me, “You don’t know this but he takes care of them.”

  “I do know that. It isn’t about money and protection, though,” I replied. “It’s something bigger and you know it.”

  “He does what he can do,” Lee stated and I totally dug it that he was defending his best friend.

  But he needed to wake up.

  “Your baby is growing in my best friend’s belly,” I reminded him and his head jerked. “And God forbid something happens between you and Indy or to you to change you or take you away from them in any capacity. You think on that. You think on Indy going it alone raising your child. She’d have money, no doubt. But you know that’s not even the half of what it takes. And, last, you think on your child growing up without knowing all the righteousness that is you. That would be a tragedy. So you think on that, Lee. Then you come back to me and tell me I’m doing the wrong thing. I still won’t believe you and I’ll still do what I intend to do. But I’ll be even more disappointed in you.” I looked to Eddie and finished, “The both of you.”

  I thought that was a good parting line so I made it one, moved forward, shoved past Lee and walked out the door.

  * * * * *

  “Babe, it’s going to be cool.”

  That was me, sitting with Ren at his dining room table, watching him not eating the seafood linguini he’d made us and instead sipping wine, staring at the table and brooding.

  I’d told him everything. About what was happening at Smithie’s and about the wheels I set in motion in regards to Darius.

  I did not expect him to lay a hot and heavy celebratory kiss on me after he shouted, “All right! My woman is going to be in the line of fire tonight!”

  So I was giving him his space, but I still wanted to assure him I was going to be all right.

  I mean, Mace and Luke had my back. That was nothing to sneeze at.

  At my words, he turned his head to me, sipped more wine and when he was done, he stated, “I’m gonna be there tonight.”

  I fought back a sigh but nodded.

  I expected that. It was intrusive and maybe wrong. But my man had a protective streak, and until he was entirely down with what I was doing, I needed to give him some leeway.

  He went back to brooding.

  I reached out and touched his thigh. “Honey, I’m gonna be okay.”

  He looked at me and declared, “Santo got into Snookie Rivers’s apartment today. He has a room dedicated to pictures of you. He’s a stalker, and not the tame harmless variety. The sick and twisted variety. Lucky was on him and he must have made him, because when Lucky went to get the drop on him, he got the drop on Lucky and got away.”

  I shot back in my seat.

  Holy shit!

  “There’s an unknown weirdo out there taking pictures of me?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Everywhere. All you. At work. At home. Both of ‘em. Your apartment and here. Just you. Hundreds, maybe thousands of them.”

  Hundreds was bad.

  But thousands?

  “I… what…” I stammered, then pulled myself out of my shock and got it together. “What the hell?”

  “I don’t know. My mind doesn’t work like that. What I do know is while I’ve been thinkin’ on this and whether or not to tell you, I didn’t think on whether or not to give Darius the heads up. So I did. And you might be pissed, but he’s at your back often so he needs to keep an ey
e out. I left it up to him, and now you, if you share with your brothers. But my vote, you do, and someone, I don’t give a fuck who, closes that guy down.”

  This grossed me out, but still.

  “I’m not sure it’s illegal to take pictures of someone, Ren.”

  “The way he’s doin’ it?” he asked, but didn’t want an answer mostly because he already had one. “Fuck yeah it is. You need a restraining order. Which won’t do jack. So that means he gets a message. And I’d like it to be me that gives it to him. But if Darius, one of your brothers or one of his men get there before me, I won’t argue.”

  This did not make me feel warm and fuzzy.

  “It was that bad?” I asked quietly.

  “Thousands of pictures, Ally,” he answered, not quietly.

  Whoa.

  He wasn’t being broody about my job that night.

  He was being broody because I had a sicko taking photos of me.

  “Do we have a picture of him so I know who I’m looking for and they will, too?” I asked.

  “Darius says he’s got Brody on that. DMV. Whatever. Brody will find somethin’ and he’ll give it to me.”

  I nodded.

  “You watch your back. You also drive to work tonight with me.”

  Oh man.

  “Ren—”

  “Do not fight this, Ally,” he cut me off. “It’ll get ugly, I assure you, baby, and you won’t win. I got a man fixated on my woman and you gotta let me do what I have to do. You with me?”

  I thought on it, but not long enough for the Italian Hothead to wake up and decide he needed to make his point.

  Then I said, “I’m with you, honey.”

  He took in a deep breath and let it go.

  Relief.

  “Though, I’ll say, I miss our fighting,” I continued.

  His chin jerked back and his brows went up before he asked, “Have you lost your mind?”

  “No. Without fights there’s no angry sex.”

  That got him

  His lips quirked. He put down his wineglass and picked up his fork as he asked, “Am I fallin’ down on that part of the job, babe?”

  “I will point out, we haven’t had sex today,” I shared, also digging back into my linguini.

  I was lifting a load to my mouth when I felt his eyes on me. So I gave him mine.

  “The day isn’t done,” he replied.

  I grinned.