Chapter Two
Theo
“Shut the fuck up, Raph!” I shout across the bar where Raphael is needling Luna about her most recent fuck buddy.
“Yeah, everyone knows you’re just jealous of Luna’s ability to actually get pussy!” Nico adds.
“Not helpful, Nico,” I say, glaring at the boy a few seats away from me. At twenty-two, he’s our youngest member and often tries to overcompensate with a filthy mouth.
“Sorry, boss,” he says, still grinning.
I click my tongue in exasperation. Behind me, Luna says something about Raphael trying dick instead, then there’s a sharp increase in noise when the two move from words to fists.
They quickly attract a crowd, and I’d be shocked if the others aren’t betting on the outcome of the fight.
I look at the plaque of the three cardinal rules we live by hanging on the wall behind the bar, wondering if I should intervene or let them battle it out.
Saints of Purgatory
Family First
Respect
Don’t Get Caught
I could tell Raph and Luna they’re not obeying rule two, but if respect meant don’t fight or bother each other, then we’d all be kicked out by the end of the week.
“Leave ‘em be,” James says from my right side before knocking back his whiskey. “They’re all getting antsy. We haven’t had a job in a while.”
“I know.”
“And you’re still sticking to your decision not to pursue that job Kip brought us? The Phoenix car show?”
“Definitely. It’s too risky,” I say, slightly disappointed. Eight years ago, I would’ve been all over it. The risk was part of the rush.
But eight years ago, I wasn’t in charge of these idiots. And I still thought I was invincible.
“Whatever you say.” After a moment, he adds, “You’ve been distracted lately. What’s going on? Is this about Amber?”
“No.”
“That vein in your neck says differently.”
“That’s from Raph and Nico.”
“No, your Raph and Nico veins are in your arms. That vein is your chick-vein.”
“I didn’t realize I had specific veins for each person in my life.”
“You don’t, just the ones that piss you off the most.”
“Which one is yours?”
“Forehead.”
My lips twitch with a hint of a smile, something James is proficient at causing. We may not be related by blood, but he’s been my brother for fifteen years. Longer than the rest of the Saints, all of whom I consider family.
“Must be why I have a constant headache,” I say.
“You have a headache because you never shut your damn brain off,” he argues.
“If I shut off my brain, these idiots will kill each other.”
“That’s why you have a great vice president to keep them in line.”
I raise my brows. “You sure you have time between all your vein cataloging?”
“I’ll always make time for you, T.” He claps his hand on my back and stands from the bar stool, not wavering despite the four whiskeys he drank in two hours.
“Shut your brain off so we can do a job and get these idiots under control. Maybe take a page out of Luna’s book and go find a quick fuck.
Take a break from Amber. You know one of the boys will be happy to keep an eye on her for a night. ”
“I can handle her,” I say, a bite to the words.
James holds his palms out in surrender. “Sorry. Just consider it. Let me know if you need a wingman.” Then he turns and walks away, probably to pull Raph and Luna apart before one of them does lasting damage. With how often they fight, you’d never guess that they’re best friends.
I tap the bar, silently requesting another beer from Axel. He slides me one, and I chug half of it in one gulp, my head pulsing with pain and unwelcome thoughts of Amber.
“I fucking hate it when he’s right,” I mutter. I don’t even like her that much. She’s just young, hot, and skilled at getting me off. She shouldn’t be invading my head like this.
She’s becoming a distraction, and not the good kind.
It’s time to get rid of her.
~
A month later, I lead the Saints out on a job to steal several cars to sell to Basil.
It helps calm everyone, quenching their thirst for action.
Two weeks pass without much issue, though Daryus, our sergeant at arms, did briefly get arrested for beating someone up at the Iron Cage.
The guy deserved it. If I’d seen him slip drugs in anyone’s drink, especially Bella’s, I would’ve killed him.
Thankfully, Daryus only spent one night in jail.
The guy never pressed charges, thanks to our cameras catching him in the act of trying to roofie Bella, and we have friends in the police department.
So, all has been quiet with the Saints. Though a certain blonde bitch has proven more difficult to dump than I expected.
I’m changing my bike’s spark plugs, contemplating permanent solutions to erasing her from my life, when Kip, our head road captain, walks in. He crosses his arms and leans against the wall a foot away.
“What do you want, Kip?”
“Luna passed along a meeting request from a possible client, if you’re interested.”
“Chop job?”
He shakes his head. “Solo kind.”
I nod, a hint of excitement in my chest. I enjoy these jobs more than the chop ones that involve the entire club.
The solo jobs only ever involve me, James, Luna, and occasionally Kip.
They’re not secret, but we don’t talk about them openly due to their sensitive nature.
It’s best when as few people as possible know about each one.
“Who is it?” I ask.
“His name is Henry. He’s the dad of a friend of one of Luna’s thousand siblings,” Kip explains. He gives me a rundown of the job, though without many details.
“Should we be worried about his connection to Luna’s dad?” I ask. Her father, Judge Hugh Mcintyre, is infamous for his merciless rulings, and he got worse when Luna joined a criminal motorcycle club.
Kip shakes his head. “He seems legit, but I’m having Benny and Zion tail him for a few days just in case.”
“Good idea.” I’m always happy for business, but our services are becoming slightly too well-known. These kinds of things are better left hidden in the shadows. Still, I could use a distraction, so I tell Kip to set up a meeting.
~
“Ready to go, T?” James asks, pressing a bag of frozen peas to his jaw, where his opponent got in a decent hit.
The underground fights have garnered more attention recently, and the bigger crowds mean more difficult opponents but also heftier paydays.
He still demolished yesterday’s fight and remains undefeated, though that’s only because I’ve never entered the ring with him.
Thankfully, his bruise isn’t horrible, or it’d draw too much attention.
“Yeah, let’s hit the road.”
We’re meeting Henry at one of James’s favorite cafes uptown, somewhere well-lit and crowded. New clients always want to meet in public places. They feel safer, even though it increases the risk of being overheard.
Henry is automatically identifiable by his constant nervous glances, like he’s waiting for a killer clown to jump out at any minute and slice off his ears.
I join him at the table while James waits to order our coffee, then immediately wish we’d switched roles when one of the sexiest women I’ve ever seen walks in and stands behind him in line. Her ass is sinful in her jeans, and her long blonde hair is begging to be grabbed.
Biting the inside of my cheek, I rip my gaze away from her and look back to Henry.
“As I was saying, it’s best that we have another meeting somewhere more private to discuss details before James and I plan how to complete the job.”
“Complete the job… You don’t mean…” Henry looks around, then pulls a finger across his throat. I barely hold in a groan.
“No, we don’t do that.” Usually, I mentally add. “Each job is different. It depends on the client’s needs. You tell us the problem you need efficiently and quietly taken care of, like to get rid of evidence, destroy blackmail materials, or make someone disappear, and it’ll get done.”
“How do you make someone disappear?” he asks, voice so quiet I almost don’t hear him.
“By getting creative. Typically, by manipulating circumstances until they’re forced to move away or ensuring they’re arrested and sentenced for a crime.”
“I think that second option will work for my… problem.”
“And what is your problem?”
“Luna didn’t tell you?”
“She just told us that your son has gotten mixed up with some bad guys.”
James comes to the table to wait until our drinks are called and adds, “Bad guys with endless resources.” He’s the more reliable researcher between the two of us, so he’s the reason we know that Henry’s son goes to college with Luna’s youngest brothers, the twins, and lives in a similar tax bracket.
“It’s a group of trust fund kids who get thrills out of pushing limits, both their own and other people’s, right? ”
Henry nods. “I’ll admit that we didn’t do the best in raising Cameron to be down-to-earth.
We wanted to give him opportunities we never had.
But we definitely didn’t raise him to treat others like playthings.
Or to gamble with his own life so carelessly.
He was arrested for drunk driving last month, and that’s not the worst thing those boys get up to.
Their leader is the son of some real estate mogul, and he has an affinity for convincing the others to risk their lives for his own enjoyment.
Cameron and his buddy came home with several bad burns once.
They refused to tell me what happened, but there was a story on the news about a resort burning down.
It was the off-season, so no one was inside, but the authorities labeled it arson.
Cameron’s friend’s dad owned the resort. ”
I tap the table, nodding solemnly. Sounds like a classic rich boy tantrum. When silver-spoon kids throw fits, millions of dollars and the lives of poorer people are almost always at stake.
“No one questioned Cameron or his friend?” I ask.
“I suspect the friend’s dad smoothed it over,” Henry says.
The barista calls James’s name just as he’s asking a question of his own, so I get up to retrieve the drinks.
When I turn, holding a cup in each hand, I notice the sexy blonde sitting at a high bar that serves as a communal table.
Her eyes are on a book in front of her, and she’s slowly stirring her coffee.
“T,” James says, snapping me back to attention. I set his tea latte in front of him and sip my cold brew.
“I’m assuming it’s the leader you want handled?” I ask.
Henry looks around again. His paranoia at being overheard is the most conspicuous thing about this meeting. “Yes,” he whispers.
“It’s extra for well-known and well-connected people. It takes more to make something stick when the target can buy their way out of most corners.”
“Whatever, I’ll pay it,” Henry readily agrees. “I just need to get my boy away from them before he dies.”
Though James and I agree to take the job, I can’t help but think this won’t be the end of it for Henry’s son.
Removing one bad influence won’t save someone determined to ruin their life.