“I still don’t understand how you know all this.”
“You know that arms dealer? His operation was taken over by my boss two months ago. You’d think a hardened criminal like him wouldn’t talk, but I guess anyone with squeal if you push the right buttons.”
My head spun with all this new information.
“So, you up for it?” Luca asked, and I had trouble figuring out what his question was referring to.
“Up for what?”
“Cecilia,” he said impatiently. “Are you up for persuading her to give me the land? She’s got a kid, and that might make it easier for you to convince her. I can’t access the property unless she does it. There are new home communities going up all around this land, and if I’m spotted where I shouldn’t be, there could be a serious problem.”
What he was suggesting made me want to punch him in the face, but I was still outnumbered here.
“Right, yeah,” I agreed, ready to get the hell out of there. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. I had a feeling I could count on you. Check in with me here next week. Let me know how it goes. In the meantime, just keep what I told you between us, or you’ll go the same way Raymond did.”
He said it lightly, as if he was just making conversation, not threatening my life.
“Of course,” I said through gritted teeth.
“Now, let’s get back to the warehouse. Your fight will be starting soon.”
I didn’t say anything as we turned around to make our way back to the warehouse. For once, I wasn’t in the mood to fight at all.
* * *
My datewith Kat was that night. I didn’t actually have a plan when I asked her out, but I knew that it should be something fun.
“You ready to go?” I asked her as Ink Envy closed. She was smoking hot tonight with her tight jeans and a black tank top. Her hair was down, the long black locks flowing down to the middle of her back in waves, and I noticed that she’d put on a little more makeup than usual. I appreciated the effort, but she was gorgeous, even without it.
“Yep,” she said, pulling on a black leather jacket. “Where are you taking me.”
“I’m not saying,” I smirked.
“You’re lucky I like surprises.”
We exited the shop together, and I mounted my bike, straightening it as I raised the kickstand. Kat didn’t have to be told what to do as she came over and climbed on behind me, swinging her leg up in a smooth motion that suggested she’d done this a hundred times. It reminded me of my first day of work.
“Hey, who was it that picked you up from work the day we met?”
It was risky to ask her about another man at the beginning of our first date, but I couldn’t suppress my curiosity.
“What, Jason?” she laughed lightly as she pulled her helmet onto her head. “You weren’t jealous, were you?”
I knew she was teasing, but I decided to be honest.
“Yes, I was.”
Kat scooted herself closer to me until her toned thighs were stretched around mine, and she wrapped her arms around my waist. Her face was beside my ear when she spoke.
“He’s my brother.”
Thank fuck.
I started the bike, feeling the vibrations from the engine at the base of my spine. Kat’s grip tightened around me when I took off, pulling out onto the street. The evening was perfect for a ride. We were heading to the eastern part of town, so the sun was at our backs as it slowly made its way across the sky to set in a couple of hours. The air was almost always a little humid in this town, being so close to the ocean, but it wasn’t overly so tonight. Cool wind rushed over us as the motorcycle picked up speed, and Kat rested her head against my back.
It didn’t take long to reach our destination. I pulled into the parking lot in front of a strip mall. There was a line of businesses, ranging from a video game store to a bakery. I had my sights set on the pizza place right in the middle, so I parked in front of it.
