Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 43071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 43071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 215(@200wpm)___ 172(@250wpm)___ 144(@300wpm)
He raised an eyebrow when he caught the barely restrained anger radiating off me. “You look like you’re about three seconds from ruining someone’s day. Any particular reason?”
King leaned back in his chair, studying me with that sharp, assessing gaze that saw straight through to a man’s bones. He noted every bit of tension in my shoulders and line of frustration etched into my expression. “You’ve got something.”
It wasn’t a question, just a statement of fact. He knew me well enough to get I wouldn’t come to him without solid information.
“Wizard and I tracked down the identities of the two assholes who showed up at Poppy’s work.” I was barely managing to keep a lid on my rage, but my prez needed information, not fury. I went on to explain everything we’d discovered about the men and the place that tied them together.
King’s expression hardened, his eyes narrowing. His gaze shifted to Blaze, and they seemed to have a silent conversation before our prez looked back at me. He leaned forward and rested his forearms on the desk. “We know who they’re working for?”
“Not yet,” I ground out, the frustration slipping into my voice despite my efforts. “But it’s connected to the probes. Need to move before they try something else. They’re clearly escalating. And Poppy—”
King raised a hand, cutting me off gently but firmly. He didn’t need me to spell it out. He knew exactly where my head was at. “I get it, Ace. I know her safety is your priority. As it fucking should be. But my job is to protect this club, and I can’t do that without you. We can’t make a big, obvious move until we have the full picture.”
My fists tightened at my sides, the leather of my cut creaking softly with the tension in my shoulders. I knew King was right. Acting too soon, moving without complete intel, could leave us vulnerable in ways we couldn’t afford. But the thought of letting those fuckers walk around untouched another second made my blood boil. Every instinct I had wanted immediate action.
King must’ve seen the fierce internal struggle in my eyes, because after a long moment, he finally leaned back again, his voice dropping to a more dangerous tone. “Doesn’t mean you can’t send a message.”
My head snapped up, my gaze sharpening on his. A wicked gleam had replaced the calculating coldness in his eyes, the barest hint of a smirk twitching at the corner of his mouth.
“Take a couple of brothers and pay them a visit,” King suggested in a lethal tone.
Kevlar perked up, obviously liking what he was hearing. His grin was his way of volunteering for the job.
“Have a conversation,” Blaze murmured. “Make sure they understand exactly who they’re fucking with and give them a warning to take back to whoever they answer to.”
A dark smile curved my lips as anticipation surged through me, satisfied at the thought of delivering the kind of message these assholes would never forget. “I can do that.”
The place Wizard had traced the two assholes back to was nondescript—a brick office tucked away from prying eyes behind a row of dense shrubs. It looked like just another forgettable building, intentionally designed to blend into the background, perfect for conducting business that required discretion.
Kevlar and Cross flanked me as we approached, our movements silent and coordinated, each of us perfectly attuned to the others. Kevlar’s expression was carefully neutral, though the rigid line of his jaw and the cold calculation in his gaze told me he was ready to dismantle anything he found. Cross moved with the fluid grace of a panther, quiet and deadly, the picture of lethal patience.
We found a service door around the side, and Kevlar picked the lock with practiced ease before we slipped inside. The air was cooler than in the parking lot, where the late afternoon sun had beat down on us. Faded blue carpet lined a dim hallway, the walls painted the kind of bland beige that always screamed corporate anonymity. Muted voices filtered from behind a mostly closed office door at the far end of the hall, muffled enough that I couldn’t make out the words.
Cross jerked his head silently toward the voices and whispered in a barely audible voice, “I’ll clear the rest of the interior. Make sure we don’t have company.”
Kevlar gave me a pointed look, then jerked his chin back toward the door we’d entered through. “I’ll check the structure and perimeter. Figure out what we’ll need to take this place down if it becomes necessary later.”
My lips twitched in a grim smile. Kevlar’s brand of reassurance might not have soothed anyone else, but knowing he was already planning contingencies put me at ease. “Get it done.”
They both moved off silently, Kevlar toward the exterior and Cross down the opposite hallway, leaving me alone near the closed office door.