Me: Yes.
Lassiter: You need to give that a better name than The Nightclub. You have three nightclubs in this city. What are you going to name them? Nightclub 1, Nightclub 2, Nightclub 3?
I knew Lassiter was genuinely annoyed by this. He wasn’t teasing in his text.
Me: Stop being grouchy.
Lassiter: Stop being boring.
My grin widened. He, Levi, and Blake were the only ones who could talk to me like that. I enjoyed when they talked to me like this.
Me: Where are you currently?
Lassiter: Ignoring my other text, I see. Fine. I’ll retitle your clubs myself.
Lassiter: I’m with Levi. They’re waiting on your orders to do the things you wanted.
The things I wanted. Yes. I’d been waiting for this.
Tonight was the first time I launched my direct attack, except after my meeting with West and Walden, I altered my plans. They threatened Blake too many times in my presence. That would not go unpunished.
I wanted to be in Blake’s presence, whether she was conscious or not, when my orders would be carried out.
Levi wasn’t the only team on standby for me tonight. I checked in with the other two, and when my phone buzzed back that they were all ready, I sent out a text to each of them individually. It said one word only:Go.
Chapter Seven
Creighton
We were supposed to meet at the nightclub, but I changed our locations. When I arrived, Lassiter was waiting outside of one of my warehouses for me. He grew up with us, on our street, so we considered him one of us. We being myself, Levi, and Blake. Lassiter never did. He worked for me, but he was the one who reminded us (if we said anything) that he was not one of us. He was only a neighbor.
It was bullshit.
He was one of us.
His hands were in his pockets, and he was leaning against the warehouse wall. He’d always been skinny, almost a petite physique, but in ripped skinny jeans, a white Henley with a black zipped sweatshirt pulled tight over his frame, he looked like he’d lost weight. He didn’t have much to lose, but I knew not to comment. He’d bristle and get pissed about it. Instead, I’d mention something to Levi, who would become a nagging mosquito in Lassiter’s ears, and he’d continuously bring food for him.
Lassiter had a pretty face. Blue eyes. High cheekbones. A narrow chin that worked on him somehow. He liked to keep multiple earrings in his ears, sometimes an eyebrow ring, sometimes a nose ring. Tattoos went all the way up his neck. One was a giant black hand thatsurrounded the back of his neck. He kept his dirty-blond hair similar to a Viking style, with two thick braids that ran from the side of his skull and to the back, falling loose. Tonight he wore a dark-gray stocking hat, pulled low.
“I thought your agreement with Blake was to stay away from her?”
There was no judgment in his voice, but there was something else there. I couldn’t quite place it. “I have, as far as she’s aware.”
He snorted, shaking his head. “You’ve taken over the neighborhood surrounding her school. She’s going to find out, and she’s going to be pissed.”
I didn’t comment. There was no reason because yes, I had. Was I going to stop? No.
He laughed shortly under his breath. “You tasked me with looking for any incoming threat coming our way. We got a potential problem.” His hand came out of his pocket and tossed something my way.
Catching it in my hand, it was a USB drive. I held it up. “What’s on here?”
“Plans for a bill being introduced that’s going to allow new security measures such as AI and plans for a research study where they’re going to use drones for surveillance.”
Drones with artificial intelligence. This wasn’t good. I gave the USB a considering look. “Those drones are coming here.” It wasn’t a question. I already knew this was why Lassiter was even in town, otherwise he would’ve remained in Cincinnati, overlooking the city for me. “Who’s in charge?”
He indicated the USB. “It’s there.”
“Save me time and tell me yourself.”
