“I’ll handle it,” I reply quickly. “Where are they and how many?”
Dominic gives Mom a wary glance, but she looks at me with the same eyes she gave me the first time I learned how to fire a gun.
I see a couple Vale men looking at each other from the corner, clearly not sure about my offer. A couple of fists to the face would change their opinions.
“Some locals who think they’re tough guys,” my mom says.
Dominic reaches for a cigar. “I was actually going to have Ryker handle it—"
“I’ve got it,” I reply, standing up. “Just give me an address.”
Mom allows herself to smile, and I go warm inside. She reaches for a pen and scribbles something on a strip of paper, then hands it to me.
“Great. I’ll put the fear of Noir into them.”
I can hear Mom laughing as I exit the room. Some of the boys are out back on the patio smoking. I quickly round them up andhead to the trucks. Luca, probably my toughest man, hands me a pistol.
“Should we expect much resistance?” he asks, pulling away from the manor.
“Doubt it,” I reply, shaking my head as I check the slide on my gun. “From what my mom says, they’ll probably run as soon as they see us.”
The address Mom gave me turns out to be a corner bar in the middle of a slum neighborhood. A few guys are standing outside when we pull up—three black SUVs.
“Wait here,” I tell Luca.
“Miss—” he tries to protest, but I hop out and walk straight up to the leader, a cocky looking guy with blond hair like a frat boy. He’s right in the middle of a hand-to-hand, selling marijuana to a group of teenage girls.
To my surprise, he looks me up and down like I’m just some chick at the party he’s trying to pick up.
“Well, what areyoulooking for, sweetheart?”
I shut him up by driving my knuckles into his nose. He sprawls backwards, and his men reach for their weapons, but I draw my gun faster than Charlize Theron inAtomic Blonde.
“Give me a reason,” I snarl through clenched teeth. Instantly, the men back off.Just like I thought.
“What the fuck?” the man on the ground cries out as blood fountains from his nose. “Girl, do you know who you’re messing with?”
“Do you?”I reply, cocking the hammer of my gun. “I’m Sable Noir.”
One of his men gasps and looks at me like I was the devil who just came up from hell.
“You know who I am?” All he can do is nod. “Good. Then why don’t you explain to your boss here what will happen if you guys aren’t gone by tonight? Can you do that for me?”
Now he’s shaking, but he still manages a second nod.
I de-cock the hammer but keep my gun in my hand as I get back in the car. Luca’s chuckling as I pull away, glancing in my rear-view as the boys help their fallen leader to his feet.
“Think that showed ‘em?” I smile.
“Oh, they’ll be gone before we get back to the house.”
When I get back, I see Ryker standing outside, arms crossed over his chest, looking absolutely furious.
The face-off with those clowns didn’t even get my blood pumping, but when I walk up to him, my whole body comes to life.
“And just where have you been?” he demands.
“What are you my father?” I reply, walking right past him and into the house.
