Having no other choice, we ran back the way we’d come. A dark car entered from that side, effectively trapping us.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
DOM
As soon as the car doors opened and the men inside got out, I knew we were screwed. I immediately recognized Garrett, the skinhead leader of Project X. The asshole who jumped Casper and me, swiping our kidney.
I was confused, having no idea what was going on here. Noah seemed to know more than I did. I released his hand, reaching for the semi-automatic stuffed into the back of my jeans. Was this some kind of set up? Was Noah in on it?
Garrett ambled toward us, flanked by three of his goons. From the other side we were approached by three more. All of them held weapons. We were definitely outgunned. I pulled my hand from my gun, knowing better than to instigate a shoot-out.
I glanced at Noah, raising an eyebrow. I had so many questions. His eyes were locked on Garrett, his fingers twitching like he wanted to reach for his own weapon but knew it was pointless.
“Surprised to see us, Cunningham?” Garrett came to a stop several feet away. He eyed us each in turn, although his focus was primarily on Noah. “I guess now I understand why you haven’t killed him yet. I didn’t expect to find the two of you getting cozy on the side of the road.”
What the fuck?
“I told you that I wanted out,” Noah said, angrily speaking through clenched teeth. “I decide what jobs I do. I won’t be anyone’s bitch.”
My mind raced. Wait a minute. X had approached Noah about killing me? Fuck me. They had to be behind the request I’d received as well. What were they up to?
“You were so eager to take the job. Were you just fucking with me? Planning to screw me over somehow?” Garrett’s intense stare bore into Noah as he awaited a response.
“I had every intention of getting the job done when I accepted,” Noah explained. “I changed my mind. I’m a free agent. I can do whatever the fuck I want.”
“Mmhmm.” Garrett mulled this over. “So what changed your mind? I can’t imagine why you would be in such an intimate position with someone responsible for the death of two of your friends.
My body was stiff with tension. I wasn’t sure who to trust here or what to expect. My neck was sore from the car accident. All I wanted was to get the hell out of there and go home.
Noah was fearless in his response to Garrett. Staring at the Project X leader, Noah held himself with a cockiness I had to admire. “Well, Garrett, that’s really none of your fucking business now, is it? Let’s not forget that you hired me anonymously. What’s that all about?”
“You hired me too,” I jumped in. “At least I assume that you were the one who asked me to take out Noah. Looks like you’re playing both sides here. What are you really up to?”
Noah’s gaze shot to me. For a brief second our eyes locked. An unspoken understanding passed between us. Whatever issues we had with one another didn’t matter in that moment. We now had a shared enemy.
Anger flashed over Garrett’s face, turning into a vicious smirk. “I guess you caught me. I was hoping you two would go after each other. I figured one of you would die. Your friends would engage in their own war, trimming down the numbers in this town. Then we would move in and take over.”
“Just like that?” I laughed in disbelief. “Even if Noah managed to take me out, you would never get through the rest of the Kings.”
Garrett studied me closely, lightly scratching the stubble on his chin. “I was hoping to see you all taken out one by one. That would have made my life easier. I guess plans will have to change. I wonder what the Kings would be willing to give up in exchange for you.”
My brows shot up. This motherfucker was out of his mind if he thought he was going to come here and take over.
“You’ll have to keep wondering.” I wasn’t going down without a fight. I didn’t care that the odds were stacked against me.
“You think so?” Garrett took a threatening step closer, waving a hand so all of his men did the same.
“You’re in over your head here,” Noah said, his fingers clenching into a fist. “The smart thing to do would be to leave town in one piece while you still can. You don’t want trouble with the Kings. Trust me.”
There was a bitterness to his tone that made me do a double take. Of course he held a grudge. Who wouldn’t? He lost two of his best friends to us. Fucking with us only ended one way.
“I guess you would know,” Garrett chuckled. “So why the hell are you all touchy feely with this asshole?”
“Doesn’t matter.” Noah’s response was short and clipped. “Leave town before the Kings find you. Or don’t. Your choice.”
Garrett tapped his lip, pretending to think. “Yeah, I don’t think we’re going to do that. I think we’re going to stay here and take over your shitty little city, just like we planned. We’re expanding, you know? How about this, Noah? You and Damon join us. Help us get rid of the Kings and we won’t have to get rid of you two as well. You can work for us.”
Wow. Of course he would try some shady underhanded shit like this. The Kings had established some serious black market business. We were running operations that no other organized crime group in the area was running. I didn’t blame them for wanting to steal it from us.
