Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Dev nodded, turning to Cash as his heart hit the floor. Of course, he knew what had to be done, but he was tired of the silent games this case was playing.
“Diesel needs to be at Dev’s back all the time,” Mitch added. “In the position of the new number two. Trace’ll be there too, but he’s not able to be on the club grounds like Diesel can.”
“I’ll be there as far as I’m allowed to go,” Trace reassured. Cash appreciated the show of force, but Dev was a hard-headed man who never seemed to remember he wasn’t bulletproof.
But what were the alternatives? His mind raced over the possibilities.
Dev’s hand came to Cash’s shoulder, squeezing him there. The touch was meant to be reassuring but did little more than twist his gut. “They’re right. I gotta do this.”
He then extended a fist bump toward Joe.
After several seconds of Joe assessing the probability of what might happen with that fist, he tapped his knuckles against Dev’s. The whole scene caused a chuckle from Mitch.
“Diesel, call an international truce between the MCs,” Dev instructed. “At least we’ll get a minute’s peace to plan the funerals. I’m sure the regional Disciples clubs are already on their way. We need to get ’em buried quick. I don’t know how long the ink parlor’s gonna be closed… Goddamn, my fuckin’ clients are gonna be pissed the fuck off for bein’ rescheduled a-gain.” Dev used his foot to push off the wall. “Goddamn motherfuckin’ bad reviews they’re gonna post. That shit pisses me off.”
“Do you need help planning the funeral?” Shanna asked.
“Well hell-fuckin’-yeah. I don’t know how to do it. That was mom’s bag.” Dev shoved through the hall of men, heading back inside the apartment. Before he shut the door, he looked back at Cash. “Hurry up.”
Cash nodded, doing his best to hide a grin. There was never any shame in Dev’s game. When the door was shut, Cash spoke quietly to the group. “I’ve gotten to know him too well. There’s something he’s not saying. He knows this isn’t done for a reason other than we know.”
“What do you think it is?” Mitch asked.
“There’s no way to know,” Diesel answered. “His old man was like that too. We have to wait until he reveals his hand then act accordingly.”
Cash wholeheartedly agreed and nodded.
“Why isn’t the attorney general’s office being more forthcoming with information?” Shanna asked. “Shouldn’t we have known Fox was head of a United States drug cartel? Seems like something we should have known.”
“That’s my question,” Cash answered in a non-answer. “We’ve been going at this blind the whole time. The entire operation’s shady as hell.”
And that was a huge understatement.
Diesel nodded. “I’ve questioned what I got myself into since the first day I started in the field. The government usin’ those biker-rebels to trade drugs and arms for a profit that the DOJ puts in their pockets? It’s fucked up. I get there’s a greater good…”
“But is there really?” Joe asked, interrupting Diesel. “Learning who the foreign cartel heads are takes about ten minutes on the dark web for a novice user. I could find them in about ten seconds.”
Cash released a pent-up breath and rubbed his hand over his eyes. The tips of his fingers pushed into his temple. Massaging there. “We have to wait and see if the massacre’s the end point or a new beginning. And we still have to track the missing money.”
His heart turned cold, his stomach twisting at what Dev faced with the club.
Dev yanked open the door and stuck his head out, pinning Cash with his frustrated stare. “Did you hear me say hurry up?”
Mitch busted out with a laugh and started back down the stairs. “He’s so much like me he could be me. Except I used my arrogance for good. Imagine if I had gone bad.”
Cash shook his head and said, “Let me go deal with him. We’ll reconvene in the morning.”
Chapter 25
Wearing only his jeans, Dev stood in the middle of the living room. He’d placed his work boots and dirty socks together at the edge of the sofa, his T-shirt wadded up there too. Not wadded necessarily, more Dev’s brand of folding.
Cash looked his guy up and down, noticing the button to his jeans left unfastened. Man, Dev’s look just did it for him. He was the poster boy for bad boys of the bike world.
With minimal effort, Dev was sexy on a next level.
He was also messy as hell.
Cash actually counted it a win that Dev had his clothes and shoes piled together instead of strewn all over the apartment as he undressed wherever he stood. The evolving cleaning habits weren’t quite the visual aphrodisiac of the man himself, but they were still pretty enticing.
As the compulsion hit, Cash had no choice but to gather the dirty clothes and boots to put them away. It would bug him until they were out of sight.