Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
There’s an electric energy in the room, but Ace does his magic and keeps it simmering without allowing it to boil over.
“The question is,” his gaze swings to me, “will Geoffrey’s detainment fuck up our plans?”
“Nah,” I sigh and shake my head. “Morgan runs a tight and efficient operation, so the business will run for quite a while without him. I mean, he’s always gone, anyway.”
“You sure about that?” Dix’s brows arch as he poses the question.
I nod. “Yes, and Aria managed to grab the company ledgers before the feds kicked us out of the building. The real ledgers,” I clarify, mimicking her earlier words.
Shades perks up at this news. “Where the fuck are they?”
I grab my backpack and turn it upside down so the four leatherbound books spill onto the table. “Go through them and see if there’s anything in there we need to know, especially about Rojas and LTC.”
“Good work, Lucky.” Ace’s satisfied nod makes me feel like I’m not fucking everything up.
“As much as we all like raking in the dough that working with Rojas brings,” Dix starts and looks around the room. “We need to start looking to the end of our relationship with LTC. We’re flush with cash. We haven’t got caught—thank God—and I’m ready to end the rest of them.”
Dix’s bloodlust is at fever pitch, and while I don’t blame him–guy fell for his wife before he knew she was Arturo’s daughter–I’m surprised he’s so eager to get rid of her only remaining family.
I laugh and shake my head. “And here I thought you would be the voice of reason.”
“What can I say?” Dix says with a shrug. “I love Valentina as much as I hate her father. And more importantly, what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her.”
I didn’t necessarily agree with Dix about keeping his wife in the dark, but his relationship is none of my business.
Ace adds, “When we hit ‘em, it has to be careful and deliberate. If we fuck it up, it means war. Again.”
“We won’t fuck it up,” Dix insists as he looks around the table at each of the brothers. “We can’t afford to make any mistakes, which means that we need to keep the plans to ourselves, even in front of our women. Especially Valentina.”
“I’m with Dix,” Coop offers. “The LTC can’t kill our men and think we’re too weak to retaliate.”
We all agree on that point, at least I’m pretty sure we do, but it’s not that simple, and I get to be the killjoy who reminds us of that fact.
“I’m all for revenge,” I begin. “The LTC are not our friends, no matter how friendly things seem. What we can’t forget is that a host of alphabet agencies went to Morgan International to scoop up Geoffrey. ATF. FBI. DEA. DHS. You name it, and they were there, which I think could be a big fucking problem for us.”
Maybe I’m a pussy for worrying too much, but it doesn’t feel right.
“This should make it easier to do what the fuck needs to be done,” Banger offers with a grin.
“I’m with Lucky,” Ace says, surprising me. “Something about all of this feels weird.”
Dix scoffs. “It feels perfect to me. Like our prayers are finally being answered.”
“Or,” Ace starts with a sigh, “it feels too good to be true, which means it might be.”
The room settles at Ace’s dose of reality, and all eyes swing to our leader. He says, “Lucky, you and Aria should go back to the mansion. This is no longer a straight-up security gig, so I want you inside with her at all times. No more standing outside like an easy fucking target. Stay inside. Stay close to Aria and see what you can learn from her.”
Everything within me wants to balk at this suggestion. I want to tell Ace that I can do so much more than watch out for the sexy princess, but I know it won’t matter, so I nod. “Sure thing. Whatever you say, man.”
Ace sees right through me. “You’re upset.”
I shake my head but can’t hide the disappointment in my voice. “Not upset. I feel like I can do more for the MC.”
Ace nods. “When the time comes, you’ll do a hell of a lot more than this for the MC, but right now, this is exactly what we need you to do. Looking after Aria and snooping around the office is crucial to our plans, Lucky.”
I swallow my pride and nod. “Yeah, man. I feel like I’m slacking while the rest of you work hard for the club.”
“Enjoy the luxury while you can,” Dix says and gives my shoulder a supportive squeeze. “At any moment, some shit can pop off, and we’re all fighting for our lives.”
He’s right, and I know it. But it still doesn’t feel right, so I at least make a promise to my brothers. “I’ll do what needs to be done, and I won’t let you down.”