“I can’t do what you do.” The second the words came out of her mouth, it was instant regret. The last thing she wanted was toinsult Reyna. Cleo had no issue with how she made her money, but it wasn’t something she was interested in doing herself. “I don’t mean that in a bad way. I j-just…”
Reyna squeezed her hand, “Girl, relax.”
“I just want to love the guy I have sex with.”
Reyna smiled. “And you should. This is just a normal date, Cleo. He knows you’re not in the business. I made that clear. He thinks you’re beautiful and sweet and wants to take you out. That’s all. We’ll eat, drink, play some tables, and have fun. You want anything more, that’s completely up to you, I promise.”
A normal date.
Is that even possible for me?
****
One fucking traffic light in this shithole town, and I get it!
Wraith ground his teeth, rolled his shoulders, and loosened his grip on his handlebars. Three days on the road, and he was done. In another day, he’d do it again.I’m fucking over it.Runs were par for the course in the club. They all took their turn. Wraith more than others as the Enforcer of the club. This one had proven a bit more dangerous and violent. He stretched out his fingers and balled his fist. He felt the sharp burn as the cuts ripped open once again. Wraith didn’t even flinch. He rarely did. His body had taken so much pain over the years that it was as if he’d become immune.
The light changed, and he rolled through the intersection. It was a little past midnight. Not a single soul on the streets in Killcreek except for him and his brothers, Oak and Cue. The MC had claimed the town decades ago. It hadn’t been much of anything at the time. The MC had basically run off any residents when they first arrived. A few threats and an increase of crime courtesy of the club had driven most people out. A few stayed and kept to themselves, falling in line with how the club did things.
The population was small, mostly including the club membersand those associated with the MC. But acreage wise it was massive, covering a lot of land.
Wraith rode down the dark winding road and turned into the driveway of the clubhouse. It was set back from the street by a quarter of a mile. He circled around the house, parking in the back. They always used the rear entrance when unloading cash or product.
Wraith, Oak, and Cue unloaded their saddlebags, dumping the cash into a plastic crate. It had been a huge haul. Worth the hiccups and bullshit along the way.
“We gotta count it tonight?” Cue asked mid-yawn. It had been a grueling run for all of them. It was customary for all cash being brought in to be accounted for. Wraith made the executive decision to have someone else do it. He and his brothers were in dire need of rest.
“I’ll bring it down and have Cross or Ace do the count. You guys head inside.”
Neither brother argued. Cue held open the door for Wraith as they entered the back door. It led to the warehouse style back end of the clubhouse. It housed some pool tables, a large bar, dartboards, and the main attraction, the fighting cage.
“Night,” Cue said, walking through the empty room with Oak.
Wraith made an immediate right and pulled out his keys, unlocking the door. He walked down the steps to the underground bunker. There were two separate rooms. One kept as storage for cash and product. It was like a vault, and not everyone had access. Ace was careful with who he chose. It wasn’t to say he didn’t trust the brothers, but in Killcreek, the members were expected to put in the time and forever having to prove themselves. It’s what built the club.
When he came upstairs, Ace, Cross, Cypher, and Gent were waiting.
“How’d it go?” Cross asked.
Wraith narrowed his gaze. “Before or after I kicked the shit out of his second?”
It wasn’t the first time an associate wanted to renegotiate the terms of their agreement before handing over the payment. It never ended well.
Ace smirked. “That’s one way to get the deal closed.”
“It’s done. We got the location for the transfer. It’ll happen the day after tomorrow. Gonna take us all day riding out, so if you don’t fucking mind, do the counts for the cash. I’m only gonna get a few hours of sleep before I have to head back out.”
“I’m sensing some bitterness,” Gent said, and Wraith clenched his jaw, turning his glare on his brother.
“Yeah, well, if I wasn’t the only one who could handle getting these fuckers in line, there wouldn’t be any.”
“Brother” —Gent spread out his arms— “I offered to set the motherfucker on fire. Ace wouldn’t let me.”
Wraith sighed, shaking his head. He started across the room, but apparently his president wasn’t done with him.
“Got a problem,” Ace said.
Wraith stopped and turned, facing them.
