"Yeah, well, times change." Devil stays seated on his bike, playing it cool. "Thought maybe it was time we had a conversation."
"About what?" Ethan's eyes scan over me and Lee, assessing. "You looking to start a war? Because we can arrange that."
"Not looking to start anything. Looking to make some money, actually."
That gets Ethan's attention. His eyebrows raise slightly. "That so?"
"That's so." Devil leans forward on his handlebars. "Word is you've got product moving through town. Good product. We've got buyers who are interested."
Ethan laughs, but there's no humor in it. "You're full of shit, Devil. You expect me to believe you want to work with us after all the territory disputes we've had?"
"I expect you to be a businessman," Devil counters. "And a good businessman knows that sometimes competitors can be more profitable as partners."
"Partners." Ethan spits on the ground. "That's a fancy word for what you're suggesting."
"Call it what you want. We're interested in making a buy. A real buy, not some small-time shit. And if it goes well, maybe we can talk about a more permanent arrangement."
I watch the two guys with Ethan shift on their bikes. They don't like this conversation, and I don't blame them. The Rebels have been operating independently, and the last thing they want is Saint's Outlaws muscling in on their territory.
"Why now?" Ethan asks, his eyes narrowing. "Why are you suddenly interested in our product? It doesn't have anything to do with that raid on our warehouse does it?"
"Because our buyers are asking for it," I say, speaking up for the first time. Conveniently talking around the warehouse. "And we're not in the business of turning down money."
Ethan's gaze shifts to me, and I can feel him sizing me up. "Dime, right? Heard about you. Quiet guy. Does good work."
"I do alright."
"So what's your angle here? You the muscle if this goes bad?"
"I'm whatever I need to be." I keep my voice level. "But like Devil said, we're not looking for trouble. We're looking for business."
One of the guys with Ethan leans over and whispers something to him. Ethan nods, then looks back at us.
"You're asking me to trust you. That's a big ask, considering our history."
"We're more powerful together than we are apart," Devil says. "You know it, I know it. The cops have been sniffing around both our operations. Wouldn't it be smarter to work together, pool our resources, make it harder for them to take us down?"
It's a good play. Devil's using the truth about the police pressure to make the lie more believable. And from the way Ethan's expression shifts, I can tell he's considering it.
"I don't know," Ethan says slowly. "Seems risky bringing you anywhere near our operation."
"Then don't bring us near it. Just sell us the product. We'll distribute it to our buyers, you get your money, everyone's happy."
Ethan is quiet for a long moment, and I can practically see the gears turning in his head. He's weighing the risks against the potential profit, trying to figure out if this is legit or a setup.
"How much you looking to buy?" he finally asks.
"For starters? Enough to test the market. See what our buyers think of the quality." Devil shrugs. "If it's as good as we've heard, we'll come back for more."
"And if it's not?"
"Then we go our separate ways. No harm, no foul."
Ethan looks at the two guys with him, and some unspoken communication passes between them. Then he turns back to us.
"I'm not willing to bring Saint's Outlaws near our operation," he says firmly. "Not yet. Maybe not ever. Too much risk."
"Fair enough," Devil says. "Then how about a sample? Something small, just to prove you've got what you say you've got. We test it, make sure it's quality, and then we talk numbers."
