Page 26 of Our Tricks

“Finding good men is hard, but making sure they’re trained and can do the job is even harder,” Dax pointed out. “The people you have now are amateur-level, Tommy. You want to keep sitting on this throne, then you’d better get them in shape or find people who know how to run at this level. My people grew with me as I built up the Hidden Empire to what it is now. I can’t stay and teach you everything… it won’t help you in the long run.”

If there was one thing about Dax that would never change, it’s how blunt she was. That goddamn goddess of a woman could eviscerate you with her words as skillfully as she could a knife. It was a beautiful sight to see unless you were on the receiving end of it. Then you just wanted to crawl in a hole and die for disappointing her, or maybe that was just me.

“Today, if anything, showed me just how much I don’t know. I can run a business, handle a courtroom, and deal with corporate bullshit that would make even you cry. The part I don’t know is what you seem to see so clearly in everything around you,” Tommaso admitted.

Dax frowned. “What’s that?”

“Intention,” Tommaso stated with a flourish of his hand. “To me, I feel like you’re a mind reader. You connect dots that aren’t even close to each other. That brain of yours looks at everything like a threat until you’ve figured out where to place it on the chessboard. You play the game, and I didn’t even know there was one, even after you tried to explain it to me more than once.”

My gaze drifted over to Eagle, wondering if he felt like this idiot was spewing this crap to make up for his dick move this morning. The president rolled his eyes and shifted back on his heels, probably bored with all the talking going on around him. The Phantom Saints’ leaders were brilliant men, but they were all about the high-speed lifestyle that came with being in an MC. Con artists were taught the long game—slow and steady will win you all the money.

“I’ll tell you what I wish someone had told me when I got into this. Not sure it would have changed my mind about what I did or how but it might for you,” Dax said with a shrug. “Everything in this world of ours is trying to fuck you. It’s either the fun kind you enjoy and might revisit or the shitty kind that makes you want to stab the fucker. The faster you figure out which kind of fucking you’re going to get, the sooner you know if you’re climbing into that bed.”

After dropping the most profound nugget of life-altering advice I’d ever heard, she turned on her heel and headed for the elevator.

“Which kind am I to you?” Tommaso called after her.

Without skipping a beat, she shot back her reply, “The question you should be asking is which one am I?”

Tommaso looked absolutely confused, and if I were a better guy, I might help him figure it out, but I’m not. Jogging to catch up to my beautiful, lethal wife, I snatched up her hand as I grinned down at her. “Have you decided what kind of fucking you’re going to give him?”

She hit the button to go up and flicked her gaze to me before turning them back to stare at the descending numbers. “Right now, it keeps changing. One minute, I want to kick his ass, and the other, I want to help him. He could be great and do a lot for the cartel, and a friendship would make things a whole hell of a lot easier. Then shit hits the fan, and he does everything wrong.”

Eagle joined us just as the door opened with a ding. Heading back up to the top floor, Dax leaned on the wall and started to chew her thumbnail again. Catching Eagle’s gaze, I flicked mine to her hand then back to him with a subtle chin thrust. Thank fuck he knew what I meant right way and tugged her hand away from her mouth and held it in his. I could see how raw the skin was around her thumb, a bad habit she fell into when she was stressed or her mind was working overtime. Right now, I had a feeling it was a blend of both.

“What do you say we get the hell out of here? Maybe stay at a hotel or something downtown since the danger we thought we were in isn’t a problem anymore? We never did take the shit out of the SUV,” I suggested. “Harper might even be able to go back to her house with the triplets.”

Dax hummed with pleasure at that suggestion. “Yes, a really fucking nice hotel with a big-ass tub for me to soak in. I could kill for a bubble bath right about now.”

“Done deal,” I stated as I pulled my phone out to look up hotels. “Swanky with a tub, how hard could that be to find? Plus, it would be way easier for us to go on our date if we’re staying in the city.”

“Shit, that’s right. It seems like we’ve been running from crisis to crisis that something as simple as a date keeps slipping my mind.” Her head snapped up to look at me the second the words left her mouth. “Cam.”

I stopped her with a finger to her lips. “I knew what you meant, and I’m not at all offended. Just know that’s exactly why I keep reminding you. With everything going on, moments where you set aside the worries of the world for just an hour or two will keep you from being devoured by them.”

“How the fuck do you all put up with me?” Dax blurted, making Eagle and me laugh.

“Guess that’s just how love works. You take the good, bad, and in-between because no matter what, life is better with that person in it,” I reasoned. “At least that’s how I feel.”

Thankfully, we didn’t need to stay long at the office building, and within a half hour, Wes had what he needed, and we were off. I’d made arrangements at the Plaza for us to stay in their grand penthouse two-bedroom terrace suite. When I didn’t balk at the five-thousand-dollar-a-night price they quoted me, they got things moving quite efficiently. Getting Eagle to let me drive since I wouldn’t tell them where I booked us for the night, was more fun than I wanted to admit. When we pulled up to the hotel, two men jogged out to greet us, help unload the luggage, and park the SUV.

“Damn, when I told you swanky, I wasn’t expecting this,” Dax said with a laugh. “I think this might be too bougie for me.”

“Really? They have a soaking tub and a private hot tub on the terrace, but if you think it’s all too much, then we can find a Motel 8 around here somewhere,” I offered, looking around me as if truly searching for the bargain hotel chain.

“Hey now,” Dax blurted, grabbing my arm. “Maybe I was being too hasty. Did you say private hot tub?”

A slow grin appeared on my lips, knowing that bit of information would gain her attention. “Yes, it was the first thing I asked when I called.”

“Okay, I’m sold. Let’s get going,” she announced and charged into the hotel.

Compared to everyone else here, we stuck out like a sore thumb, not that I gave a flying fuck. We reached the check-in desk, and the man standing there looked us up and down, then sniffed like we smelled bad or something. “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I called not too long ago to reserve the two-bedroom terrace suite,” I answered.

“I’m sorry, I think there’s been a mistake. You see that room is five thousand dollars a night,” he pointed out.

Dax pulled her wallet out of her jacket pocket, removed the American Express Black Card, and slapped it on the counter. “Go ahead, run it for two nights if it will make you feel better. Here’s my ID as well if you think I stole the damn card. If that won’t work for you, I’d be happy to go pull ten grand out of my bank account in cash. Thing is, if you make me do that, I’m going to ask for five-dollar bills and make you count it all in front of me.”