Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119011 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Trowley turned his weirdly pale eyes to Zolt and gave a deep sigh. “Not so good, man. One of ours is missing. For a while I thought he went on a bender, but now I’m pretty sure he was ambushed or some shit. Maybe the Smoke fuckers wanted our guns. Have they been asking you for your business?”
Shit.
Zolt tapped the pen against the notebook and looked straight into Trowley’s eyes. It was best to go with a half-truth. “One of them came over to pawn some jewelry, but that’s about that. You sure your guy didn’t decide to part ways with the club?”
Trowley shook his head and leaned against the counter, leaving fingerprints all over the glass. “No, he wouldn’t slip away like that. He was dead set on those guns from you. And now I am too. Got something good for me? We won’t let the Smokers block our expansion, and if they killed one of ours, we’ll find out.”
Something about Trowley’s stance told Zolt that he’d already made up his mind about placing the blame on the Smoke Valley MC. Zolt wasn’t exactly besties with the Hawk Springs guys, but they have been great business partners in the past few years, and Zolt didn’t need any changes in that arrangement.
“Ah, yeah, no one ever came to pick them up. I figured you were waiting for the right time,” Zolt said as casually as he could.
If this was a test, Zolt would cheat his way through it or die trying.
“We are still an exclusive partnership, right? I’d be seriously pissed off if one of us got shot from the guns meant for our hands.” Trowley laughed, but there was no humor in his voice.
Zolt smirked. “That’s what I’m paid for.” Though being paid for exclusivity brought more money when it was doubled. He knew it was a dangerous gamble, but if everything went according to plan, he wouldn’t have to stay in Reno much longer anyway. Both clubs were discreet, so he considered the situation a win-win overall.
“Good,” Trowley said and pointed to a dusty stuffed crow at the top of a shelf filled with the odd shit Zolt never knew what to do with but was too greedy to let go of. “How much for that bird?”
Was that dirtsack collecting other people’s trophies in his trailer now? Still, business was business. “A hundred.”
Trowley fished out some crumpled bills and put them on the counter without haggling. “I’ll take it. My old lady’s gonna love it.”
“Really? That’s some woman. Most prefer rings and necklaces.” Zolt said and put the money in the register.
“Nah, not my girl. She’s a special lady,” Trowley said, and actually grinned, showing his yellowing teeth as Zolt handed him the dusty piece of taxidermy. “I’ll see you around, Zolt, and I’ll be in touch about more guns,” he said, already heading out. If a woman was fine with that man’s stench while he was on top of her, she was a ‘special lady’ indeed.
Zolt remained perfectly still behind the counter, as if he were expecting more customers, until Trowley’s bike roared and sped along the road. His disappearance was like a switch that prompted Zolt to move. He locked the door and shutters, and only once the whole space darkened did he slide to the floor, back against the counter.
“That was too damn close,” he whispered, staring at the fish lazily floating in the large fish tank. Joe’s bullets might have killed all of Zolt’s bettas if their trajectory had been a little bit different. Or broken Leo’s head for that matter.
Zolt had always thought Leo was the sensible Heller, the nice-ish one. And in some ways maybe he was, but that night he’d proven to be just as reckless as his brothers.
But thinking of Leo reminded Zolt that he’d intended to get his bike checked out at the Smoke Valley MC garage, and he got up with adrenaline pumping in his veins. Two weeks was long enough of a wait. If Leo was intent on not coming over, Zolt would pay him a personal visit. If he mentioned the guns Leo had failed to take home, maybe he’d give him another excuse to visit
He could have gotten Leo’s number and called, but nothing compared to sexual chemistry in person. Leo wasn’t supposed to have time to think things through. He was supposed to be disarmed by Zolt’s physical presence and make all the brash decisions of a horny guy.
So Zolt showered, dressed in fresh clothes, polished his Rolex, and drove toward Hawk Springs. As the adrenaline caused by Trowley’s presence faded, his veins filled with an insatiable need to hunt. To pick his prey and drink all its juices.
The heat of the day would have made him burn if he hadn’t been in motion, but he was still longing for a cold drink when he passed the MC-owned gas station and drove into their compound through the open gates.