Total pages in book: 170
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 160166 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 801(@200wpm)___ 641(@250wpm)___ 534(@300wpm)
“The judge who signed off on the subpoena to be deposed,” Nate questions as he takes his seat. “What are we going to do with him?”
Nate fixes everything. He’s solid and stable. Although he’s also an asshole and a prick more often than not. What he does, he does well, and that is to take care of problems often without question. Of everyone here, he knows the most. And he knows shit that has never been leaked.
Just then my phone pings and Carter’s does as well.
Nervousness pricks through me as I read the caption of the article. I smirk, not letting on, and answer for Carter, “You going to take care of him like you did the cop?”
“Like who?” Nate questions, his lips turning down. I pass him my phone with the breaking news still on my screen. Carter calls out to Mia and she changes the TV station. The screen is quickly filled with video of the aftermath and a woman in a blue blouse covering the breaking news.
“Oh shit,” I watch his reaction as he grins at the news. My attention turns to the other men, waiting for one of them to give themselves away. As if it would be that easy.
Nate scratches the back of his head, pulling his jacket up and the motion catches my attention. “I mean if that's what you want for the judge…I think he should be in the house when it happens? Right? And just to make sure you know, that wasn’t me. I wouldn’t do anything without the green light,” Nate says.
Carter chuckles and I take a swig, barely swallowing before Nicholas comments once again. “They’re going to come in asking questions about that aren’t they?” Strike two.
“We didn’t have anything to do with it, so they can ask until they turn fucking blue in the face. Don’t give them anything.” Nate says all the right words. With a nonchalance that brings ease to most of the men.
“You all have the lawyer’s number, don’t say anything. They don’t have anything and we don’t have anything to give em’,” I add. Carter’s quiet, and Jase and Daniel enter but stay on the other side of the bar. Taking in the scene, looking for someone who sticks out from the crowd of our closest men.
“Well they have fucking rats,” Nicholas, who nearly slurs his words, bites out, and the bar goes quiet. Chills run down my spine.
“Who’s that?” I press, anger brimming, the back of my neck heating. I swear to God if he says her name…Carter’s hand finds my shoulder and he grips it, keeping me grounded.
“Scarlet. Hale. Ronnie. We don’t know what they told the cops, do we?” Nicholas says like it’s obvious and Jeffery tells him to shut the fuck up.
The men around them shift uncomfortably.
“We do. We know everything they told them and they don’t have shit,” Jase tells the men and orders a shot of whiskey. Letting it blow over even though my entire body is fucking tense, every muscle wound tight.
Scarlet. Hale. Ronnie. Not my Braelynn.
Nicholas seems to catch on to his fuckup and raises his hands. “I apologize.”
“That’s why they’re pushing so hard and playing their fucking games,” I tell him. Fucking thankful he didn’t say her name. Grateful he didn’t lump her with them. “They’re hoping one of you will crack and turn too. We know you guys won’t. You’ve been with us for decades now, haven’t you?”
“Yeah,” Jeffery says quickly, nodding and swallowing so damn hard I can see his Adam’s apple move from here.
“And you”—I stare directly at Nicholas in the quiet bar—“twelve years now, right?”
“Yeah, Boss,” he answers. Worry lines around his eyes.
“How’s your dad?” I ask him, remembering a while back he was in the hospital.
“He’s doing good. Holding up,” he answers.
He nods and the bar remains silent.
“Good. Good.” I nod and murmur, debating on whether or not to kill this sloppy mother fucker. We’ve already had too much loss on our side. Morale is low after suffering loss, like the two men I killed for her, and arrests and warrants from cops who are desperate for us to react. The other side needs to take a hit, the other side needs to have loss. And my brothers and I can take care of that ourselves.
“If any of you hears anything, let us know. Don’t give the pricks anything other than the lawyer's name. N is waiting for us to be out of this shit before the next deal,” Jase says.
“In the meantime, we’re taking care of the stress it’s putting on your families,” Carter adds.
Jase wraps it up, “If you need anything, call the lawyer and we’ll take care of it.” He raises his shot glass and adds, “Besides, tonight is a night to celebrate. I love seeing the pricks on the other side get lit up.”