“Well, that explains the paddle in their room,” I add helpfully, risking a bagel to the forehead.
By the time my sister sits back down, she’s laughing too hard to care about our teasing.
Everyone glances at me. “Sorry, ladies, I don’t kiss and tell.”
The corner of Amy’s mouth lifts up. “I’m pretty sure Blaise has a kinky side.”
Her words drip down my spine like ice. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The whole table falls silent as Amy rushes to explain. “I help Luck out with his classes sometimes. They’re instructional only. Over-the-clothes type stuff. Blaise has been there at least once.”
“When?” I ask, forgetting everyone else in the room.
“I don’t know, a couple weeks ago?”
After I returned from California?
Blaise knew I was back. He told me as much.
Was he fooling around with another girl?
Or learning some new skills for when he got me back in his bed?
Dad catches my eye across the room, apparently finished with his conversation.
Don’t know why I got dragged away from breakfast just to stand here with my thumb up my ass while the presidents discuss business. Finally, he gives me a chin jerk, inviting me to join him and Romeo at the head of the table.
“Interesting times,” Romeo says as I drop into a chair. “Red Storm called me this morning.” Romeo’s jaw clenches. “They demanded weconvinceyou to pay up or turn Kadence over to them.”
“What the fuck?”
“No onedemandsshit from us,” Dante answers in a deadly tone.
“They can fuck off,” Luck adds. “They’re starting trouble for no reason.”
“They’ve been causing us trouble for a few months now,” my father says.
I want to be real clear on what we’re dealing with here. “Did theythreatenyou?” I ask Romeo.
He runs his hand over his chin. Hell, maybe he took my question as an insult. “Not a threat. But we’ve had a few issues with them ourselves. He hinted some of those problems could escalate.” Romeo’s gaze slides to Dante. “As if some of my guys weren’t already itching to go to war with them.”
“They’ve always been trouble. Sneaky fuckers,” Dante says. “Lately they’ve been gettin’ bolder. Not enough for us to act on, but enough to be annoying.”
“They’re up to something,” I agree. “Although, to be fair, aren’t all of us always up to something?”
The guys laugh because it’s true. Outlaws, good ones anyway, are never complacent. Always looking for the next way to hustle, make money, or grow their turf.
“One of the guys who moves stuff for us has been taking detours. Haven’t caught him doing anything to call him out on, but it’s only a matter of time,” Romeo explains. “Then, this bullshit of grabbing an ol’ lady and lying about her taking something in order to shake you guys down? Obviously things are going downhill fast.”
“No disrespect, Romeo, but I’m surprised you’re more concerned about my ol’ lady than the possibility of them fucking with your business.”
My father raises an eyebrow, but the corner of his mouth pulls up. He loves when I throw out the ballsy questions.
Romeo sits back and crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t like dishonorable fucks bordering my territory.” He leans forward. “Now he’s going after your girl. Prick gets away with it, next he’s going after my girl. You get me?”
“Yeah, I get you.”
He and Dante share a look. “Besides that,” Romeo adds, “Deacon owes me a debt, and he doesn’t seem in any hurry to pay it. I’m sick of his lies and bullshit. So if he’s coming at you, now’s as good a time as any to take them down.”
