It was also the only way the mole wouldn’t know what was talked about. And despite trusting Carter, I couldn’t take him inside. If something happened to me, he’d have to take over Locked Security. I needed him to stay in one piece.
And the meet tomorrow had to happen, with or without me. It meant I had to get Cian there first though. He was a stubborn asshole, and the Olysses heir had hurt his pride. I’d have to dig deep to get him to agree to a meet.
Carter dropped Blake off first, then drove to the Clover. I got out of the car a block away from the pub. “Ring once when you’re set up.”
It was our usual signal and meant I would make my way inside the popular bar once I received it. If there was a problem, he would call me again, but only letting the phone ring through twice. It was always on vibrate and in my pocket, so I would get the message.
“I still don’t like this,” Carter complained.
“You don’t have to like it as long as you do your job.”
He scoffed. “You know I’d do anything for you. Even if I think it’s a dumbass move you’re making.”
I got out, pausing before closing the door. “Noted.”
It took about twenty minutes for Carter to give me the go-ahead. I’d used the time to clear my head—again—and focus on the conversation I was about to have.
If I made it out alive, there was no way anything could keep me away from Freya. She was the light to my dark, and for some reason she seemed to be as unable to keep away from me as I was from her. I hoped that would never change. I just had to make sure she never found out about all the things I’d done and would do in my job.
The Clover was busy, and I had to push myself through the crowd. Sweat and alcohol hung heavy in the air, the soles of my shoes sticking to the floor with every step. Someone was also smoking inside. Stepping inside the bar was like being thrown back to the sixties, when gangs ruled the streets of Chicago.
The city was still rife with plenty of gangs and crime, making it the most gang-affiliated city in America. It was a family business. And sons always took over from their fathers.
Cian was there almost every night, and today was no exception. I spotted him near the end of the bar, talking to a redhead. She was swaying on her feet, leaning in, her hand on his chest.
His men were standing close enough to interfere should there be a problem but far enough away to give him the illusion of privacy.
I made it within a few steps of him before one of his goons stopped me. Took them long enough, but the redhead put on a good show, and they were clearly distracted.
“This is as far as you go, buddy,” one of his guys said, holding his hand up.
I raised a brow in amusement. “I need to talk to Cian. Tell him Gunner is here.”
“He’s busy.”
“He’ll want to hear what I have to say.”
The idiot stepped closer, trying to get me to back up. Which just pissed me off and brought him close enough for me to inflict some pain if I had to.
He grinned smugly, and I almost laughed when he had to look up at me to do so. “You can make an appointment like everyone else.”
His words just irritated me further. I didn’t have time to talk to a goon who thought he was more than a glorified bodyguard. Grabbing his hand, I twisted it back until he bent to the side. I delivered a swift punch to his kidneys, making him double over and groan in pain.
The other two guys had realized there was an issue and made their way over. Lucky for me, Cian also noticed the commotion and looked up.
He rolled his eyes when he saw me but stopped his guys. Not for the first time, I wondered how someone who had gone to Yale was now the head of a crime syndicate. But since it was his family’s legacy, he never had the choice to walk away in the first place.
His green eyes met mine, and he sneered at me. “If that scum-of-the-earth Olysses brat sent you, you can turn right back around.”
I stepped closer so I didn’t have to shout over the noise of the bar. “Of course I’m here on behalf of him. Or have you forgotten who I work for?”
“I certainly have not, since you refused all my offers due to some misplaced loyalty to that bastard and his family.”
My refusal to work for Cian had everything to do with a certain blonde I’d always cared for and nothing to do with Liam. And since Freya was part of the Olysses family, that meant my loyalty was always with them.
“We need to talk,” I said, nodding to the door off to the side where I knew his office was.
“Fine. But make it quick. I have more important things to do than listen to the Olysses errand boy.”
