“Listen, I don’t meet random ass men, so you’re going to have to give me more information than that. I also don’t have all fucking day to play your silly games.” My voice remains steady, but my patience is quickly depleting.
“I owe Shadow a favor, and this is me paying it back by sending my best guy.”
I nod, allowing Jessie to make the arrangement to meet him.
“I’ll text you a location, and you will meet me there at four o’clock. Understand?” The call ends and Jessie shrugs with a frown.
“Send it to him, it just means he understands.”
I have ties with the American mafia that Jessie isn’t aware of. For her safety, it’s best that it remains that way. I’m not thrilled they contacted her instead of me for this deal, but I’ll deal with that later.
I have another call to make because some bastard owes us money from our last event. You don’t get to place bets and not hold up your end when you lose.
Jessie rises from her chair, grabs her coffee, phone, and keys, and says, “I have business to attend.”
I grab her arm, “I’m going with you, and you’re explaining exactly what you know.”
“Fine,” she huffs, yanking her arm from my hold. She places her Beretta M9 in her waistband holster and her Sig P320 in her breast holster. We never meet with people unarmed. You never know who’s setting you up.
“Alright, let’s roll.”
Kelsey
My eyes squint open, and I sigh, seeing that the sun is still shining bright through my curtains. I slept all day and still feel like I could sleep more. I stretch my arms above my head with a yawn and pry myself away from my bed. I grab my phone out from under my pillow to check the time. It’s a quarter after three, and I also have an email that has “IMPORTANT” written in the subject line.
“I’m sorry I was such a dick last night. I’m sorry for what you saw in the courtyard. I saw the way you looked at me from the balcony. I’ll never forget that look in your eyes. When I saw you with Hayden in the pool… I… Nevermind. It wasn’t fair to you, regardless. I had hidden who I was from you; in all fairness, I also didn’t know you were my sister’s best friend. We don’t do ‘friendships’. It’s family or nothing with us, so this is all new territory for me. I don’t want to see my sister lose you, and I can’t be the one to break her heart. So, I guess you’re a part of the family now. If you take any of my advice, please take this. Always watch your back and trust your instincts. Never hesitate to call me. I’ve attached my number below.
The phone trembles in my shaky hands as I finish the email from Ryder. I’d say he had no right to be jealous, but then again, I was when I saw him with Lexie. What would he do if he knew about what we did in his supply closet? I take a steadying breath and toss my phone onto my bed. Ireally need to shower, but now I’m all worked up. This is the second time I’ve been told to watch my back.
My phone vibrates with a new text. I pick it back up and open it immediately. My heart skips a beat when I see it’s from an unknown number. “I mean it, never hesitate to call or text.” I stare at it unblinkingly.
Ryder must have gone through my phone last night. That’s how he would have gotten my email. I thought I had a lot of questions last night, but now I have even more. Like, why is he texting me from an unknown number when I already have his number? It could be a burner phone, but why would he need that? I smile foolishly, shaking my head as the thought crosses my mind. None of it is really making sense, but since he called mefamily, I suppose he’s done shoving me away. I wonder what’s changed.
The sound of car engines roars past my house. I jump up, running to my window, but I only make it in time to catch the tail end of the car. My brows reach my hairline when I realize what I’m looking at. À La Voiture Noire. One of the rarest Bugatti’s on the market. They cost more money than I’d ever see in a lifetime.
My dad has always been a car fanatic and used to take me to car shows, so I know my way around cars. That was my favorite thing to do on the weekends with him. He used to tell me stories about when his dad, my grandfather, used to take him to the classic shows in Tennessee. I would have loved to meet my grandfather based on the stories my dadtold, but he passed away before I was born. My dad says I’m just like him. Hotheaded, yet sweet.
Dad and I have talked about building a car together since I was a little kid. Our dream was always a classic Camaro SS, with all-black leather interior and cherry red exterior. We just never had the extra money to do it. When I first bought my car, it wouldn’t even start. My dad helped me rebuild the engine, and honestly, everything else. It might look like a piece of shit to anyone else, but it holds enough sentimental value to be priceless in my eyes.
I don’t know what a car like that is doing around this little town. I decide to shoot a text off to Jessie to see if she’d want to go out tonight. It immediately notifies that she’s read it, so I wait for her response. After fifteen minutes, I assume she isn’t texting back. She’s probably still pissed with me about Ryder. She was too quiet and awkward this morning, which is the complete opposite of the Jessie I know. How was I supposed to know Ryder’s her brother? I growl, tossing my phone on the nightstand.
“Fuck me,” I sigh, collapsing back into bed. I roll onto my side and try to fall back asleep.
11
RYDER
Jessie tried making me ride in her LaFerrari… Fuck that. I like my whip far better than hers. She doesn’t have a bad car, but if I pay millions for a limited edition car, why would I want to be in anything less? My Bugatti La Voiture Noire cost me over eleven million before adding all the upgrades. There are only two in existence. They only ever made one, but I paid off the company to make one specifically for me.
We left the office earlier than necessary, so I could take a detour to check on my Litle Bird. Sure enough, her car was still in the driveway. Once she realizes what I’ve done, she’s going to be pissed, but I’m ready. Hell, I already have Jessie on my ass, so what’s one more pissed off woman? I won’t let Kelsey get away from me. I’ve made up my mind, and she’s mine.
There’s no going back.
I have a lot of shit to do, including figuring out how weare going to ease Kelsey into our world. Typically, our recruits undergo an induction process to prove their loyalty before receiving their marks, but Kelsey isn’t coming in willingly. She’s being forced, so it will need to be done differently.
Jessie offered to do Kelsey’s training, but that’s not going to happen. Jessie is highly trained in all aspects of self-defense and handling firearms, but my Bird needs to be trained by the best, which is Teegan. Teegan is a retired Navy Seal and our Special Forces Commander. I expect her to fight me on this, but this is the one condition I refuse to bend.
Jessie’s engine roars beside me as she flies up next to me on the highway. We’re driving at a measly eighty-two miles per hour side by side. I glance at her from the corner of my eye, and she’s shooting me the bird, right before she gasses it, flying past me. I’d be worried if it weren’t I who taught her all she knows about driving. Driving that vehicle is as easy for her as brushing her teeth. I should stop her, but instead I shift gears, laying on the gas. It doesn’t take much, since this beast of an engine pushes zero to sixty-two in two seconds. Like a breeze, I fly around her, throwing my head back, laughing at her slow ass.
