Page 91 of More Tricks

“It’s an hour ahead there, and she said they were leaving as soon as he got discharged. Everything looked good. No issues from the surgery, but he’d need to take it easy for at least a week. They didn’t want him to ride his bike for two weeks until the stitches came out,” he relayed.

“Was he raging in the background while she was sharing this?” I asked, just picturing how pissed he would be.

Cognac just laughed as he finished his breakfast. “I feel like we need to send a donation for all the people who took care of him to get counseling for his bad attitude.”

“Lucky for him, we need at least two weeks to make a plan and figure out what we know. Speaking of, where is Demitri?” I questioned.

“Since we didn’t want to raise suspicion or the FBI to get wind of anything, we sent him home. He understands not to do anything without talking to us first. After the events of yesterday, he’s fully aware that with you involved, there’s a chance to save his sister,” Picasso answered.

While I didn’t love the idea of the kid not being within arm’s reach, I saw their point too. “He said he works in the garage full-time or part-time? Didn’t sound like he was going to college.”

“He’s not… tried a few classes at community college, but that was more his sister’s thing. She’s just like her mother. Demitri took after his deadbeat dad, who left them high and dry when Elena was born. Thought he could handle a wife who was the breadwinner and high-powered lawyer but turns out he couldn’t,” Picasso said, his tone telling me he had no love loss for his brother-in-law.

“Maybe he should meet Kimber. It sounds like they would be a perfect match,” I suggested. “But then again, if she’s shacking up with one of Marco’s top men, then who knows how long she’ll be alive. She has a knack for pissing people off in just the right way to make you want to slit her throat.”

Cognac let out a whistle. “Sounds like if she’s not dead, she will be soon.”

“Yeah, lots of sisterly love going around for her,” I muttered, jumping off the stool and raising my plate before putting it away. The last thing Eagle needed was to have a fit about his kitchen when he came home.

Feeling the itch to be doing something, I started to gather everyone else’s dishes and cleaned up Wes’s mess from making breakfast.

“You alright there, little rebel?” Sprocket asked as he came to lean on the counter next to the sink.

I glanced at him and shrugged. “All things considered, yeah, I’m fine.”

“That’s a load of bullshit,” Sprocket stated with a snort. “Let’s try not to lie through your teeth this time, shall we?”

“The Mad Dogs were easy, but the De León Cartel is another story. We will be going into a place where we have no support or connections, the center of enemy territory,” I explained. “Think about how much planning we did for this last job and how fucked up it got.”

Sprocket watched me for a moment, then took hold of my arm and pulled me to stand in front of him. “Clearly, we took our punishment too far if now you’re standing here telling me that all hope is lost. While I don’t support you throwing yourself into danger unnecessarily, I’m not looking to change you into someone you’re not. Dax, we need your brand of crazy to make this work because only someone with a screw loose would ever attempt to take down the people we are going after.”

“You realize that is the opposite of what you’ve all been telling me the past twenty-four hours, right?” I grumbled.

Sprocket smiled and shook his head. “No, it’s not, but I’m glad that something has broken through that stubbornness. What we want more than anything else is to be a team. Tell us the plan, the whole plan, not just the parts you think we need to know. Be honest with us. We can take it, I promise. I won’t say there might not be disagreements but at least give us the chance to talk it out. It’s not you against the world, Dax. It’s us against the world. What attacks you, attacks us, and we don’t back down for anyone who hurts what’s ours. There are eight of us all coming from different backgrounds and expertise, don’t count us out because we’re a bunch of bikers.”

“I would never,” I countered with a scowl. “You’ve all proven that you're smarter than the average biker thug.”

“At least we have that going for us,” Sprocket mumbled before continuing. “You say we don’t have connections in New York City, well I hate to break it to you, little rebel, but we do. The FBI is there, and Cam can work whatever magic he has in that work, and don’t forget about Void. He’s our ace for this job, having spent a fair amount of time in the underbelly of New York as a cage fighter.”

“I might have been banned from official fighting, but the underground doesn’t mind when you leave bodies behind. Who knows, maybe we could get you in on a fight or two for fun. I know a guy who’d kill to have someone like you in the ring,” Void interjected from behind me, making me jump.

For a big guy, he was a silent motherfucker. Glad I trusted him at my back and with my life. Peering over my shoulder, I met his icy-blue eyes. “It won’t draw too much attention for you to make a return?”

“Little demon, are you thinking we are gonna show up in New York and no one will notice?” Void asked with a chuckle. “You might not rule the East Coast, but that doesn’t mean people don’t know who you are. The reputation of Two Tricks is far and wide. There will be no sneaking around.”

“Then how the fuck are we going to pull this off? If everyone knows who I am, and I draw a crowd, then there’s no way Diego won’t know I’m gunning for him after the mess I made of the Mad Dogs,” I spluttered.

Void’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked over my shoulder at Spencer. “Has she had coffee yet?”

“Pretty sure, but she was just washing dishes, so I feel like this might be a case of the body snatchers,” Sprocket teased.

I pulled away from Sprocket so I could face them both, arms crossed, chin up. “What is that supposed to mean? I clean up after myself, and so what if I’m wanting to be more prepared for this next hit?”

“Little rebel, you only put away your dishes after one of us has asked. It's not something you do naturally. Which is fine but to consciously make the effort is out of character, wouldn’t you say?” he pointed out. “As for what Void’s worried about is that you sound like you’re scared, and our Dax isn’t scared of anyone.”

I scoffed at them, dropping my hands to square my shoulders. “I’m not scared of those bastards.”

“Then I suggest you act like it because right now it sounds like you are terrified to attack these guys,” Void challenged. “Little demon, they framed you for the murder of a son Diego killed himself. You just need to get mad. Then this problem will go away. The Mad Dogs threatened you, Harper, and us by making a mover against the Saints. Right now, you have nothing invested in taking them down other than it will hurt Marco, who you’re absolutely pissed at.”