“Then cut her loose. The Kings can’t afford another fuck-up, and neither can you. ‘Cause, believe me, if you fuck up again because of a woman, none of them are coming back, and the Kings are dead.”
Deuce lowers his head. “I know.”
My heart slows, then thumps hard.
“Then stay the fuck away from her ‘cause after all this fuckin’ work, I refuse to let you piss it away for some hot piece of tail. She’s unwanted baggage we don’t need.”
I’ve been called many things, but never unwanted baggage. I wait for Deuce to jump all over Ace, or at least come to my defense, but . . .
Deuce huffs out a breath. “You’re right.”
It’s clear, I’m nothing but a burden, something to be cast aside.
Ace points at Deuce. “You better take care of it, like right now.”
“Don’t worry, my loyalty will always stand with the club and my brothers.”
The final nail in my coffin.
They tap fists, and what started off as a fight between Deuce and Ace turns into them united against me.
It shouldn’t hurt as much as it does, because earlier I gave Deuce an easy out while we were still in bed. Why couldn’t he have just been honest? I gave him every opportunity. I even gave him the right words, but he denied them all, telling me we had a future.
When would I be anything but an inconvenience to a man? When would I learn?
I slowly close the door, make my way to the couch and slump down onto the sagging cushions. I sit there for a long time thinking, until I come up with my own plan. One that has nothing to do with Viper, the flash drive, Deuce, the Kings or even my father.
Deuce would finally get his wish. I’d sell him The End. In two weeks, I’d be free of the monitor, then free period. I’d take the money in the garbage bag and leave Jersey for good. Withfive hundred thousand dollars, I could start over anywhere—California, Florida or anyplace far away from Atlantic City, New Jersey. And when I got there, I would make a life for myself without any unwanted baggage.
Tonight, I’d hand over the flash drive to the Dogs’ prospect without an ounce of guilt for not telling Deuce. Why should I feel remorse? To him I was a nuisance, an annoyance.
DEUCE
The conversation with Ace replayed over and over in my brain no matter what I did. All the shit I had to get done before tonight, yet I kept circling back to Ace’s words and warnings.
Sammie has a history with the Dogs.
Sammie could be a spy for the Dogs.
The first time I saw her, she was with Viper.
And she wasn’t afraid of him.
All valid.
The worst part of all this is the doubt that starts in my gut. Reliving our conversations and still not coming up with any proof either way. Sammie admitted working with the Dogs, in the past, and her father’s part in their operation. Unless that was all to throw me off their track.
The first day in the office, she didn’t show fear going toe-to-toe with Viper, but Sammie is a ballsy in-your-face woman and probably doesn’t have the good sense to be afraid.
I said the words Ace wanted to hear, but I couldn’t make my gut believe them. The same feeling that warned me against her also makes it impossible to cut her loose. I’ll get through the opening tonight, then iron this shit out tomorrow. Ask the hard questions and see exactly where she stands—wherewestand.
I torture myself with these thoughts right up to our church meeting an hour before the opening.
“Ididn’t think we’d ever see this day.” Ace raises his shot glass, making eye contact with each of us as he looks around our new church room. We’re still seated around the plywood table with the cast-off chairs, but at least we have a separate room with a steel safe sunk under the floor boards, and a locked keypad on the door that promises ultimate security. Along with two flatscreens showing every angle of the club, both inside and out.
Fist and Ace even managed to build a safe room in the basement, complete with padded walls, a metal chair over a drain, and a steel door similar to the one on this room, only thicker. Fist is meticulous when it comes to soundproofing and clean-up.
“I sure never imagined it when I was delivering pizzas.” Speed laughs.
