Forcing a smile, I glance up at the asshole himself. “About as much as you do.”
He drops into the spot next to me, his feet kicked up on Miller’s desk. He’s proud of himself. Axe went fucking ballistic when we arrested Kat. Stormed in here, yelling, throwing around threats. If I hadn’t stopped him, he’d have taken a swing at Allen and gotten himself locked up right alongside his woman.
It’s what Allen wanted. The Sinner prez an angry, emotional mess. Pissed off enough to make a mistake. We’ve thrown a lot at the Sinners this last month. And I’ll give it to Donovan. The man kept his cool. But throwing his girl in cuffs? That was a hell of a move.
“You should go home,” Allen says. “Got a briefing with your chief and Detective Inspector Morgan in the morning, and I want you there.”
My spine straightens. “Briefing about what?”
He grins. “You’ll see. Depends on how tonight goes. But let’s just say Donovan’s number two isn’t gonna sleep as well as we do tonight.”
The weight already sitting in my stomach drops. But I keep my shit together by some miracle. Leaning back in my chair, I toy with my pen, tone even. “Why don’t you fill me in now? And while you’re at it, you can tell me where you got those drugs you dropped in Kat Danforth’s car.”
Allen goes still, his glare hardening. An alpha-bitch-boy stare down. This. Fucking. Guy. I might actually hate him more than I hate Axe. Especially after the way he handled Grace. How hard he squeezed her arm. The way she flinched, the pain flickering across her features.
I barely caught myself. It was shocking how quickly it happened. The fury, the rage-filled, blood-boiling anger storming through me. The kind that makes me really want to kill someone.
And yeah, I kind of want to fucking kill this guy.
“Careful how you talk to me,” Allen says, voice thick with warning. “That’s a hell of an accusation.”
I smile, and the muscles in his neck tense. “Relax, Sarge. I’m on board, you know that. Whatever it takes. But I don’t like surprises. Next time you pull that shit, I expect a heads-up. And an assurance this shit can’t be traced back to you. Tous.”
Us. We’re a team, him and me. Buddies. Ready to break the law for the greater good.
He scrutinizes me, his fury waning. “I’m careful. Our hands are clean. And in terms of McKenna, I’ll fill you in once it’s done. All the gritty details. So long as you can stomach it.”
The slow smile I let crawl up my face is painful. Fuck. This sounds like a lot more than shady police work and a little planted evidence. This sounds like a hit. Like maybe Jack’s about to find himself locked in a cell with a couple guys looking to take the Sinners down a notch or two.
“I can stomach anything, but like you said, clean hands. Whatever you got planned better not come back on us.” I need him to say it, to tell me what he’s done. I angle closer, dropping my voice. “And I mean both with the chief and with the Sinners. Donovan catches wind of you taking out his number two, hewillfucking kill you. Cop or not.”
He drops his feet to the ground and scowls. “I’m not a fucking idiot, Decker. There are plenty of men in those cells just waiting to get a crack at McKenna. All I did was set up a scenario. It’s up to them how they want it to end. But theywillend it.”
I nod once. “All right. And this briefing?”
“Telling the morons running the show about McKenna’s unfortunateaccidentwill put them both in a good mood. The only good Sinner is a dead Sinner.”
My stomach roils. This whole fucking thing is spiraling out of control, and I don’t know how to shut it down. I gotta call this. End it before he drags me further into this mess. But first, I need to get a message to the Sinner VP.
Allen pushes up and stares at me a long moment. Like he’s trying to read me, crack open my head and see my thoughts.
I stare back.
After a moment, he chuckles, claps my shoulder, and wanders away. Once he’s exited the building, I launch myself outof my seat and sprint through the station to the back exit. I need to get to my burner. Warn Axe before his VP gets slaughtered.
I jump in my truck and speed home, taking corners too quick, weaving in and out of traffic. I practically yank my door off its hinges when I storm inside, my first stop the ceiling cache in the kitchen.
Only it’s already open, the vent pried off.
“Fucking Grace.” I jump onto the counter and reach inside the hole in the ceiling. My burner is still exactly where I left it. Thank fuck. I’ll fucking deal with Grace when this is over. The woman’s got no goddamn boundaries.
I power on the device. It vibrates as a slew of angry messages comes through, all from Axe. All laced with some kind of threat on my life. I dial him, and he picks up on the first ring.
“You mother fucker,” he snarls, his voice so loud I have to pull the phone away from my ear. “You release her right the fuck now, or I’ll?—”
“Shut up and listen. Jack isn’t safe. Allen’s planning something, and it’s going down tonight.”
The line is silent for a beat. Then he says, “Graves is in lockup with half a dozen other Sinners already doing time. He’s as safe as he’d be out on the street. Safer, maybe. We practically run that place. You trying to pull my attention from what you did? Don’t think I won’t?—”
