Savage (Park Avenue Kings #1)

20. Lachlan

20

LACHLAN

“ A RE YOU GOING to stand in the doorway all day, or are you going to come in?”

King’s voice did nothing to soothe the throbbing headache I’d woken up with as I squinted against the morning sun streaming through the window of his office.

To say I was feeling last night’s activities would be an understatement. I tried to prop myself up and not look half as shitty as I felt. But it was an effort. My stomach felt as though it could take a turn at any second, especially coupled with the memories of what I’d made Cooper do.

I shoved off the doorframe and started across the wide expanse of the bossman’s office, and about halfway across the hardwood I heard a tsking sound from one of the French settees.

There, lounging back with his feet kicked up on thousands of dollars’ worth of furniture like he owned the place, was James “East” Easton. Otherwise known as one of our illustrious leaders’ boyfriends.

Yes, one of.

King always had been a greedy bastard.

“Stone. Lachlan Stone?—”

“I’m not James fucking Bond.”

“I should’ve known you’re who I have to thank for his bad mood the last couple of weeks,” East continued as if I hadn’t said a thing.

Pompous little shit.

“Says the guy whose fault it was he was in a perpetual bad mood for four years.”

“Excuse me, three and a half,” East said, sitting up and crossing one leg over the other. “The last part of that time frame I was making him very happy.”

“You and Zac.”

“That’s right—jealous?”

“Stop it,” King said, getting to his feet. “East? Don’t you have somewhere else to be right now?”

“Not really.”

“Then pretend you do.”

East let out a put-upon sigh and got to his feet, making sure to straighten his suit jacket.

It was still such a shock that King was in a committed relationship with not one, but two men. But the biggest surprise was that one of them had ended up being the self-proclaimed “leader” of the Park Avenue Princes—a name that still followed the group of Astor University grads around even after they’d gone off into the real world.

It was kind of fitting, I supposed, since they’d merely been playing in our kingdom.

East strolled toward me as though he didn’t have a care in the world—including King’s order. But deep down we both knew if there was one person he obeyed, it was Tyrone Kingston.

East understood what he had, and despite his arrogant ways, he always respected Libertine’s hierarchy. In this instance he wasn’t a boyfriend, he was a member—and what was about to be said in this room was King’s business.

“I’m going.” East stopped looked me dead in the eye, which was impressive, considering he knew just how lethal I was with my bare hands. “Good luck,” he said before exiting the office, his smug expression telling me I was going to need it.

“Tell me something, Lachlan,” King said. “Are you going out of your way to think up new ways to piss me off?”

So it seemed that word of last night’s little reconnaissance mission had found its way in house, and I wasn’t that surprised, considering nothing went on in this city without King’s knowing about it.

It was a little alarming how quickly he’d found out, though. Lucien wouldn’t have told him, too worried about his own ass, so how did King find out?

Not that it mattered. He knew, which meant I was fucked. And as he was giving me this dressing-down in private, it wasn’t going to be the verbal slap-down I’d gotten away with the last couple of times.

“Nothing to say?” he said.

“Nothing you’re going to like,” I admitted, because while I might not tell King about my plans or ideas ahead of time, I’d never lie about them if asked point-blank.

“Then why don’t we start with, are you okay?”

I narrowed my eyes, the question so far from left field that I was caught off guard.

“You look like shit,” King continued, running his eyes over my crumpled pants and untucked shirt, and I couldn’t argue with him. I remembered pulling off my wig last night, and somehow removing my contacts, but everything else remained. “And the security feed shows you were twitchy as hell when you returned from your little outing with your journalist friend, so I’m going to ask you again. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Good.” King stood and came around his desk. “Then do you want to tell me what you think you’re doing walking into a drug dealer’s club without any backup or telling anyone?”

“I got a lead on Mick’s whereabouts and thought I’d check it out.”

“A lead?”

“Yes.”

“From this journalist friend of yours.”

“That’s right.”

“And instead of bringing that lead to me and discussing it with the rest of us, you decided to go off on your own?”

“I wasn’t on my own.”

“Don’t split hairs with me. That man doesn’t have a clue what kind of danger you walked him into?—”

“Yes, he does.”

“Does he now?” King said.

“Yes.”

“Explain.”

“He was in the alley that night. He almost died trying to get information on who is dealing this Rapture shit. You think he’s going to stop just because we lock him up for a few days?”

“If he has any sense of self-preservation.”

I snorted, thinking about the way Cooper had opened his window to a complete stranger—a masked one at that.

“He’s too curious to stop now,” I said, thinking of the million and one questions Cooper had asked of me. “And that key card he found only made him more so.”

“Why?”

“What?”

“I said, why is he so curious? Why is he getting involved with something so dangerous, Lachlan? There has to be a reason.”

“There is, but it’s not my place to tell it.”

King arched a brow. “Not your place? I’m asking you to tell me why I should let a journalist remain within these walls, and why you keep risking your neck for him, and all I get from you is, it’s not your place ?”

I shrugged, knowing nothing I was going to say would appease King. He wanted answers, and I had none to give him.

“You disobeyed a direct order taking him out of here.”

“No, you told me to keep an eye on him at all times.”

King opened his mouth to disagree but then stopped. “I fucking hate it when you do that.”

“I know. But you know if there’s a loophole?—”

“You’ll find it.” King sighed and turned away from me. “One of the reasons you’re such a good asset.”

“He has information, King. Good information. He led me right to the club and inside, and because of him I now have an in with Mick.”

King turned back to face me, his annoyance now replaced with interest. “Keep going.”

“I made contact and managed to convince him to let me move some of his product.”

“Now that I like to hear.”

“I told you.”

“This isn’t me congratulating you.”

“But I wouldn’t have it without Cooper.” I ran a hand through my hair, and realized I desperately needed a shower. “He’s been tracking these guys for weeks. Plus, that key card he has, it has to lead somewhere. That’s why he’s here. That’s why I think we should pull him in.”

“You’ve already pulled him in.”

“More.” I knew King would hate this next suggestion. Cooper had put his life on the line twice now to get information about Mick, and after last night, I figured this was the least I could do.“He’s not interested in writing a story about where he is. Right now, he thinks he’s at some fancy safe house because I’m in security.”

“Well, that’s good, at least.”

“Exactly, so do we have to keep him locked up like he’s in prison? God knows when we’ll get Mick, and you can’t very well keep him tucked away.”

“Can’t I?” King side-eyed me then headed back to his desk, his silence giving nothing away as to where his mind was at. “He can have temporary access. He can move about the upper floors?—”

“That’s not enough.”

“Watch yourself, Lachlan. You’re treading a thin line as it is. Your attitude isn’t going to help your cause.”

I clenched my teeth, knowing King was right. He was already allowing way more than I expected.

“The information he brought us was valuable. He wants to be part of the takedown, King.”

“Absolutely not.”

“He deserves a chance?—”

“To what?” King slapped his palms on the desk and glared at me. “Get killed?”

“I won’t let that happen. I’ve already proven that.”

“But you can’t guarantee it. He’s a civilian. A reporter, which is even worse.” King hung his head as though exhausted. “You’re lucky I’m even letting him stay at the club. There’s no way he’s going downstairs. Especially not without being vetted?—”

“Then vet him,” I shouted a little louder than usual, but I couldn’t seem to control the emotions running through me.

Cooper had turned his entire world upside to track down the man who was responsible for his friend’s death, and now that he was close, we were going to snatch that away from him because he was getting underfoot?

How was that fucking fair?

“Alessio can have all the information you need in less than an hour, and you know it.”

King’s jaw bunched as his fingers all but drilled holes in the desktop. But then he raised eyes to mine and said, “Fine. But you better get him to sign a fucking NDA.”

“On it.”

“And Lachlan?” I turned back around to see King’s gaze drop to my neck. “Nice tattoo.”