Malice

Prologue

Gwendolyn

A smile tugged at my lips when I saw the name flashing on my phone. I quickly answered. “Why, if it isn’t my sweet sugar daddy. What are you doing calling me this late? I’m surprised with your age, you’re not tucked up in bed. I can join you if you’re lonely.”

Someone choked on the other end.

Only it didn’t sound like my friend Blaze.

Back in the day, we’d spent a ton of online time together when I’d taught him some computer skills, paid for with a bucket load of money.

Since I was a nosy Nancy when it came to Blaze, I danced my fingers over my keyboard and followed the line to slip into their system. They had some fantastic firewalls up to block most hackers out. But I was above-average awesome and managed to squeeze in undetected.

“Gwen,” Blaze clipped. “Please say I’m not actually your sugar daddy and that you call everyone a pet name before I get killed.”

My eyes widened when their computer camera flared to life and I could see Blaze was in a room with two men. One wore a club vest with a Diamond MC insignia on it, and the other glared at my friend like Blaze wasn’t a man who could murder a person with one hand.

The guy was either fearless, stupid, or someone special.

And from the way Blaze stared adoringly up at the twink, I suspected he was the very type of special.

This was Henri.

The man Blaze had talked about.

The one who had stolen a piece of Blaze’s heart.

Of course, I had to stir the pot a little to see what would happen. “But, Daddy, I only use those names for you.”

“Gwen,” Blaze warned as Henri glowered even more from where he stood beside him.

Laughing, I said, “Hello, Henri, it’s a pleasure to see you, you handsome man.”

Blaze’s gaze zoomed to their monitors. “You fuckin’ hacked us. What have I said about that shit?”

“Relax, Daddy. I’ll slip out at the end, and you won’t have even felt me.”

As Blaze palmed his face, his biker friend jumped back into his seat at the computers and started trying to figure out where I was and how I got in.

“Naughty, naughty, cutie. You won’t find me,” I told him.

“She’s right, Tech. She’s the only one who can manage this shit. She taught me everything I know.”

I beamed while I did a little digging on their systems. “I am but the best. Henri, sweetie, I promise, your big horndog is just a friend. I only like to mess with the big grump.”

Henri smiled and waved at the screen. “Well, I suppose I can forgive you, since it is fun to mess with my Blaze.”

“Oh, my little dandelion. Blaze told me you sounded like heaven, but I didn’t believe him.”

While Blaze cursed, Henri gasped and quickly sat on his lover’s lap. “He’s spoken to you about me?”

I squealed a little and leaned in, ready to get my gossip on.

“Oh boy, has he. Daddy Blaze is like a big huffing dragon, and you’re his treasure.

He’s only threatened me, like, a million times to not look you up.

Not unless I wanted my fingers and toes removed. You’re the light in his life. The one—”

“He knows all this,” Blaze snapped. “Can we get back to business?”

Henri rested against Blaze’s chest. “Oui, mon amour. But I would like Gwen’s number. Chérie, we will be talking more.”

I bounced on my seat. “Yes! Oh, please do. I would love that.” I took a breath. “Okay, sugar daddy, what do you need?”

“I need information from Malice, but he wants me to find some people. I won’t work with him, Gwen. Hoping you will so I can get my information.”

Malice.

My heart skipped a beat.

Maxwell fucking Garcia, but everyone called him Malice, and he was the most dangerous man in North America—the boss of the biggest mafia organization this country had seen.

Holy shit.

Holy fucking shit, shit.

Nerves, panic, and anticipation mixed together inside me.

Could I do this?

Would I?

I glanced at the files I’d found and asked, “Is this about the missing men and women you’re investigating?”

“Stop looking through our system,” Blaze warned, like I would actually listen. “But yeah.”

“Fuck that,” his biker pal muttered, and he went faster at finding me to cut off my connection.

“Tell your friend to stop, Daddy.”

“Tech—”

“No. This is the club’s system. We’ve got private shit on here. I don’t know this bird, so I don’t trust her.”

“I do,” Blaze said. His trust made my chest warm.

He needed this from me. He really needed me to work with Maxwell Garcia.

I’d do this for him.

He wouldn’t have come to me if he wasn’t desperate.

Tech’s jaw clenched. “Fuck,” he bit out before he took Blaze’s word for it and sat back.

“Aww,” I cooed. “You do love me, Daddy. Thank you. Out of respect to your biker friend, I’m backing out and just connected to your camera.

Whatever I found will stay with me. And Blaze, if the information you want is for the missing people, then tell Malice I’ll do it, but he’ll be paying top dollar.

And you give him my rules. If he can’t follow them, then I can’t do it. ”

He nodded once. “Understood. I’ll text you his details after I’ve spoken to him.”

“You got it. Later, guys. Henri, speak soon,”

Henri smiled. “Au revoir, chérie,” he said before the call ended.

Right, while I waited for Blaze’s text, I needed more caffeine, knowing I’d need it to be as sharp as a tack when it came to Mr. Mafia Man.