He looked down at the ground as his toes punched inward. It was amazing that he went from a blank, expressionless killer to a bashful, shy boy in a span of minutes. "No, Billy. You're able to go."
Celine stepped in front of him, turning her smile bright and her eyes shining with kindness and understanding. "Thank you, Billy, for your help."
His eyes bugged out of his face as he got red, rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away. "You're… you're welcome, Miss." Then he bolted out of the room like his pants were on fire.
I looked around the room at my men, all of them looking at Celine differently now. Some with less suspicion and some with more, but one thing was for sure. She definitely was a siren.
Chapter 8
"Nowlookatwhatyou did, cupcake. That boy is not even going to get a wink of sleep tonight because of that." Duces' playful words had me slowly turn towards him, smiling through my teeth. “He is going to be pining away for you for a while, not able to get any of his work done.”
“Well,Pumpkin, that wasn’t my intent. I did all that to show you-”
“Duce, stop messing with her.” The hard, swift voice of their president came out as Duce sat back, moving his feet onto the table as he leaned back like he didn't have a care in the world. I peered at Rabid, seeing he was truly a work of art, a staple of masculinity with large rippling arm muscles crossed in front of his sculpted chest, and tattoos that crept up his neck and peaked out the short sleeves of his white tee. His amber eyes were severe and assessing with a no-nonsense, straight-lined mouth.
A piece of me wanted to thank the prez sweetly, just to make a dig at Duce, but his grumpy face made me think otherwise. He didn’t seem to like me much, which was evident from his piercing gaze and sharp attitude, but he didn't have to like me to work with me.
I turned back towards him and crossed my arms. “Did I prove to you that I wasn't a liar?”
The obstinate one with the gorgeous violet eyes, tattoos covering from the backs of his ears to the tip of his wrists, the one they called Dino, growled out before the massive, muscled president said a word. “We still don't know if you are The Songbird.”
I slapped my hands on the table and leaned forward, my body temperature getting hot as anger raced through my veins. I glared at those purple pupils, staring him down like the little bug I envisioned him to be. Why, this little shit. “Tell me where and when, and I can prove it.”
Dino’s eyes threw daggers at me as he rose up and leaned across the table, about to tell me something when Rabid’s voice broke through our standoff. “Enough!”
I didn't break eye contact, wanting Dino to back down first, or I would lose this little amount of ground I covered. Also, to give me cover over how I got breathless from this little back and forth. I didn't know arguing with someone could be so hot. I immediately envisioned digging my nails into his chest as I rode that dick hard. I felt heat creep up the back of my neck as I tried to not rub my thighs together. I have a feeling this guy would be the perfect specimen for hate fucking.
I kept my eyes on Dino as his eyes flicked to Rabid, the muscles in his arms tightening in frustration as he kept glaring at me but sat down first. A small, salacious smile broke across my face, and I could see his eyes burning at me with rage at my win. Rabid was his boss, not mine.
"Why don't I tell you what I have to offer, and then you can decide to trust me or not?" I directed this to Rabid, ignoring Dino and his raging eyes.
Rabid motioned to the chair in front of me, not yet giving me any clues to his thoughts or feeling as his face stayed impassive. He was going to be a tough nut to crack, I could tell.
I dragged out the chair, making as much noise as possible as I sat down. "Look, from what I heard, you don't really like Killian and his band of Fanger Bangers, you may in fact hate them, but the problem is they are getting more powerful because of the drug ring he is picking up.” I folded my hands and rested my chin on them. “I was at that club tonight to get intel on Killian, more importantly, the financial backer he bagged, but was interrupted. Since it sounds like Killian and his backer wanted to hire you guys for protection for the transpo, I was hoping we could help each other out. You,” I pointed to Rabid, “could take the job under the condition that you meet the backer. Give me that information, and I will help you guys take down his first shipment.”
“How would taking down his first shipment help?” Duce asked curiously.
I didn't even have to answer as the cute, quiet man at the end of the table spoke up, “If we take down the first shipment, then money will be scarce, his forces will be pulled thin, and the drug distribution will be sparse in our neighborhood as well as others in this territory.” I watched his lips move as he talked, mesmerized by his sound and demeanor. He had this smart air to him, an over-thinker, and I already liked him. Something calling me to smile at him and make him feel better.
Rabid growled out, “This is all stuff we can do on our own. Why would we need you?”
I spread my arms wide as I grinned at him. “Because I will be your ace in the hole as well as your scapegoat. If you did it yourselves, then someone will see, snitch on you back to Killian, and start a war. With me, I can ensure that no one lives to tell any tales and you guys remain blameless. Lucky to be alive, to have escaped the massacre of The Songbird.” My arms slid into each other as I leaned back into the chair. “You could say that you got there just as this masked character fled. That you tried to run me down, but I was too fast and crafty.”
I smiled at that last part, envisioning this huge grumpy man having to tell Killian that he lost me because I was too good. My street cred will go through the roof after this.
The whole room was quiet as they thought about it. Rabid was the first to respond. “And then what happens after?”
“After?” I didn't understand the question.
He leaned his tree trunk forearms onto the table, leaning against it slowly, and my heart skipped a beat. Even with the frowny face, I bet that huge body was a knockout. What was it with these men that made my body quake and my heart stop?
“After the whole thing, it will only take him a month to be back up and running. Maybe even sooner. This will only be a hitch in his plans.” His frown deepened, and that just made my smile widen.
“Not if I get the information I need.” The wooden chair creaked as I moved my hips from one side to the other. They really need to get more comfortable chairs here. “My ultimate plan is to take down the backer. If that happens, then he won't have the capital to be able to start over at that scale. Back to being a petty pusher, he will be.”
Rabid gave it some thought before he turned to the others. “Thoughts?”
To no one's surprise, Duce was the first to speak. “Who are you working for, Cupcake? And why do they want the backer so badly?”
