She stutters for a moment, probably wondering what I’m on about, but she says, “Um, I left at one fifteen and got back at one forty-five. I took my usual thirty. Is something wrong?”
I answer her question with one of my own. “Was there a flower delivery before you left?”
“No, sir. No one was here but me.”
I left to go downstairs at around one ten, so that means the person had to have come up between the times Draya went to lunch. I’ll pull the footage and see what I find. A few cameras are hidden from most people, so if the person that left these bitch-ass flowers was here, I’ll get a glimpse of their faces, even if they think they were hidden from me.
I’ll figure out who the fuck is blackmailing me, and I’ll make them regret they were ever fucking born.
CHAPTER 3
NICO
“Ready?” I ask Kai as I stand in Carter’s home office with my hands clasped in front of me.
“Almost,” he says, then gives Carter a quick kiss before he stands from his lap and checks the clips of his guns. He looks down at his husband. “I’ll meet you at my company in an hour?”
“I’ll be there.” Carter drags Kai down and plants a long kiss on his lips, pulling a moan from my best friend. I roll my eyes, clearing my throat so they realize I’m still in the fucking room.
Carter chuckles as he breaks the kiss. “One hour, pretty baby,” he whispers against Kai’s lips.
After one more kiss, Kai adjusts himself in his pants—I avert my gaze with a huff—and strides over to me. “Let’s roll.”
Carter dips his chin to me, and I return it, stepping out of the room. I have no real love for Carter—not after he gave me shit for Kai running off at the beginning of their marriage—but since Kai is like my brother, I hold my tongue.
We climb into my car and I pull out, heading toward The Fox Club.
“What do you think about training some of our men to guard me?” Kai asks as he fiddles with his phone.
I scoff. “I don’t. You sayin’ I’m doin’ a shit job?”
“Fuck outta here,” he says, a smile in his voice. “I’m asking because I might need you for other shit. With Charlie dead, I need someone I can trust doing work at the casinos while I’m at the construction company.”
Kai’s dad, Charlie, was an asshole. I hated that fucking guy. My dad was Charlie’s bodyguard, so it was only natural that I protected Kai. But I fucking hated that man. He was killed six months ago during the war for Kai and Carter’s territory. I can’t say I was sad to see him go, though I hated how his death fucked Kai up—enough for Kai to leave home with no protection and no phone while there was a street war going on. But I’m glad Charlie isn’t around to hurt Kai anymore.
“Come on, man,” Kai says. “I need you for more than watching my back now. Besides Carter, there’s no one I trust more than you to handle money matters.”
I sigh and turn into The Fox Club, killing the engine after we park. “What do you need from me, Kai?”
“Indigo Arc needs a day manager. The dick that’s from Carter’s family ain’t working out.”
I rack my brain to figure out who he’s talking about. “What dick?”
“Name’s Paolo. Been in the Whitlock family for like twenty years.”
“And why did you hire him instead of leaving him where he was? On the Whitlock side?” I shoot him a deadpan look.
Kai sighs as we get out of the car and walk inside. We dap up all the workers and our men who are milling about,pretending to be patrons to keep rowdy customers under control.
We head to the back of the club and Kai up nods Manuel, the guard that runs this place, as he opens the basement door for us.
“Family integration or whatever the fuck,” Kai throws over his shoulder as we trot down the stairs. “It’s been working out otherwise. Some of the men here are Carter’s. But this fucking fuck is ruining it for everyone.”
We step into the basement and round the corner. I see a man lying on the ground, bloodied and broken.
“Who do we have here?” I ask, using my foot to roll him to his back.
“Paolo,” Kai spits. “He thought it would be okay to rape my waitresses.” Kai gets down on his haunches and yanks Paolo up by his shirt. “This isn’t your first offense, now is it?” Kai pulls his hand back and punches Paolo in the face hard enough to make the man’s head knock back. “Turns out he’s a fucking serial rapist. A fucking rapist on my husband’s team. I don’t like people fucking with my husband or his reputation. And I don’t like sick fucks that don’t take no for a fucking answer.”
