35. Cyrus
CYRUS
Even the purr of the Vanquish’s engine didn’t feel like a comfort.
Not when Dom Dumont wanted to meet with me.
Blade sat back in the passenger seat, the tip of her shoe tapping against my carbon fiber dashboard.
“Feet.” I growled as the Aston Martin pulled into Valemont.
Groaning, Blade planted the sole of her combat boots onto the black carpet of the Vanquish.
The last thing I wanted to do on my birthday was be dragged into Dom’s greasy autobody shop for some bullshit meeting.
What the fuck could she even want?
A part of me wondered if I was about to have a hit taken out on me. After all, Dom was interested in cleaning up Valemont’s streets. And despite how clean we kept our product, she might be more interested in ending the trade entirely.
Good luck in college town.
The last time I saw Dom I was calling Blade off of her little redheaded fucktoy. We’d done the Violence a favor then, harboring them when Zeus was hot on their tail.
Hopefully, Dumont wouldn’t forget that with her newfound power.
I’d be sure to remind her if she did.
Blade only managed to sit still for a few seconds before she started tapping her fingers against the passenger door. Her eyes flicked around the road, falling on the garage door of Lucky Strike Autobody.
Sucking in a deep breath, Blade rolled her shoulders back and cracked her neck with a quick tilt of her head.
The translucent garage doors swung open as we approached, hardly making the red sports car slow down at all as we ducked into the shop.
As soon as we entered, the gate fell closed behind us.
High security.
I parked the car and hopped out. The shop was loud, a few cars in the back being worked on by Major Callahan and Spencer Moore. Along with a few other straggling bikers who had their bikes up on electric lifts.
They waved at us, but Blade and I ignored them. Instead, we set our sights on the glass enclosed office.
Without bothering to knock, I pushed open the door and stepped into Dom’s suite.
She looked up slowly, a slight smile on her face as she met my gaze. In her lap was the same pretty redhead that Blade almost took a bite out of. She was less skittish now, her arm wrapped around Dom’s neck as she looked back at us.
Dom’s jet-black hair was slicked back, her expensive button down open down to the center of her chest as she leaned back in her chair. Giving her girl — Kiera, I remembered — a spank, Dom was ready to start our business.
Kiera did as she was bid, rising from her perch and walking toward the door… and us.
Unable to help herself, Blade licked her lips and let a sinister smile take over her face. “Funny seeing you here.”
Recognition flashed in the woman’s green eyes.
Tilting her head, she debated snapping something back but sucked her teeth instead and made her way out to the shop. From the corner of my eye, I watched her hop onto the hood of the car Spencer was working on.
She’d made herself pretty comfortable in the Violence’s company. That much was clear when they’d stayed at Feverpoint at the start of the summer.
The Oracle had been glad to have access to us then — that safehouse clearly a worthy investment of my cash.
Dom’s elbows rested on the desk now, staring Blade down. “Is this the fucking freak that tried to touch my Viper?”
Of course it was. Blade was all too recognizable, her curly blonde locks visible with her mask on. Plus, her vibe was more unique than any fingerprint.
But I shrugged. “I plead the fifth.” With the office door closed, I crossed my arms. “What do you want?”
Gesturing to the chair, Dom spoke. “Sit, please.”
“No, thanks.” Blade and I answered in unison. Despite being equals in our business, Blade usually trusted me most to handle the talking.
Unable to stand still, Blade moved toward a metal bookshelf and started to pick random knickknacks.
Dom watched her with a furrowed brow.
“Get on with it, Dumont. I don’t have all day.” I sneered. Sure, Dom had declared Valemont her territory. But Feverpoint was a land of its own. And I was not going to be some feudal lord, answering to a tyrant.
If she kept the peace, so would I.
“We’ve taken control of Valemont. Crime is down.” Dom looked proud until a dark cloud came over her eyes. “Except for the trade.”
I kept my face level. If she wanted to make a target of me, she’d lose. That much I knew for sure. We liked to employ guerilla warfare and these bikers were playing toy soldiers.
Blade had pulled open the back of a clock, metal clattering against the shelf.
“What is she doing?” Dom hissed.
“Fixing something you didn’t know was broken.” I pushed on. “What’s your point?”
Turning back to the topic at hand and trying to ignore Blade’s prying, Dom lifted her chin. “I admire your organization’s commitment to keeping your shit clean and as minimally addictive as possible.”
When we’d gotten into the drug trade, I knew we needed a hard line. Otherwise, we’d get greedy. People were always going to want to experiment, to get a cheap thrill. It would be foolish to assume we could eliminate a human urge.
We were animals, all of us.
I was just more honest about what drove me.
But my patience was wearing thin, niceties doing jack-fucking-shit for me.
From the corner, Blade slammed the clock back on the shelf. “What’s the ask, big dog?”
Sighing, Dom shook her head. “I’d like to enlist your help. The other dealers are dangerous. They don’t care about what their product does to our people. Valemont deserves better than the laced garbage they traffic here.”
She lifted her hand before I could speak. “I know the turf wars have stopped your expansion. And I respect your desire to keep things peaceful.”
There was a caveat coming, I could smell it a mile away.
“I want you to take over the entire drug trade in Valemont. Eliminate your competitors, stop the flow of the hard shit.” Dom’s shoulders rolled back, her tattooed hands clasping together.
My jaw tensed, it was an intriguing offer. “What’s in it for us?”
Raising her arms, Dom looked like a proper fucking gangster. “All the money, the power, you’ve been missing out on. No one selling shit you refuse to carry. Glory. Fucking hard cash. All of it is yours. So long as you keep it clean.
“Violence will stay out of your way and we’ll keep the cops off your back too.”
Looking out the window at my Supernova Red Aston Martin, I licked my teeth.
Money was the last thing I gave a fuck about.
I had plenty of it. I’d used my earnings from our trade to buy property all over Valemont, I’d refurbished dozens of abandoned buildings.
I could retire to the fucking Caribbean and avoid extradition for the rest of my days if I pleased.
I met Dom’s icy blue eyes, “It will be bloody.”
I knew she had the stomach for it. Everyone in the world had seen the type of Justice she’d exacted on her father.
“One last push and then there’s peace. Seems worth it to me.” Dom nodded.
It was a good deal, a way to bring us in. Something The Oracle had been desperate to do for years, and we’d managed to keep our relationship with them strictly equitable. They sent us the worst of the worst and we cashed a hefty check.
But this — this was continued independence. Further control.
And a bit of bloodshed too.
Who didn’t like a little violence?