17. Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Drakos
I stood in front of Motorheads, glaring at the broken window and bullet holes in the building. Diego and Ivan stood next to me, and Ivan studied his iPad screen.
“It’s the same vehicle used in the drive-by that hit the Spade compound. We need to find out if the Club is condoning this, or if it’s just Terrance and his boys,” he muttered as he went through the security video.
I wanted to call Sylvie and check in with her, but I knew the Salazar funeral was today. This morning, I had a gut instinct to send Milo over to guard her. Pulling out my phone, I texted him and let him know what had happened.
Then I exhaled a long breath. “It’s time to start working with the House of Spades.”
Diego smirked tiredly. “That’ll be fun to watch—from afar. We need to make a police report since this is a reputable business, and we’re law-abiding business owners.”
“Sure. Except for the occasional money laundering and tax evasion,” Ivan grunted. “We need to retaliate.”
“Agreed. I’ll see you back at the office later.” I took one last look at the bullet holes and broken glass and stalked away.
At five that evening, Xander knocked on my office door. “Sounds like a rough day.”
His long hair hung down to the collar of his wrinkled button-down shirt. I glanced down at his feet and noticed he wore loafers but no socks.
Roman walked in behind him and headed to my liquor cabinet. “The shooting isn’t the only thing we need to discuss. Ivan just forwarded us a grainy video of you with a dark-haired woman and the two missing bikers at Titties bar the same night they disappeared.”
“Fuck,” I bit out and shoved my chair back. “Pour me two fingers while you’re at it.”
Roman slid a crystal cut glass with amber liquid across my desk. “Samuel LeBaron is—or was —a sadistic little prick. But he was also Terrance LeBaron’s only son. If you think Samuel is bad, his father is a crazy one-percenter who likes to spew Bible verses while he rapes and pillages. Tell us what happened that night and who the girl is.”
Ivan walked in as Roman finished talking, and I turned to open my laptop. Pulling up the pixelated video he’d sent over, I played it. Sylvie had been smart to wear that wig and a fuck-ton of dark makeup. Now that I knew her better, though, I could see the shape of her face and body underneath the disguise and her delightful dimples. The tattoos had also been a brilliant touch.
As I thought about what I could tell my partners without breaking Sylvie’s trust, my cell phone rang and Fennick Spade's name flashed on the caller ID. Adrenaline and inevitability washed through me, and my mind flickered through worst-case scenarios.
I put the phone to my ear. “Is Sylvie alright?”
Fenn paused. “Why do I like, but also fucking hate, that Sylvie’s wellbeing is your first concern? She’s fine, you bitch-ass motherfucker, but we need to talk.”
My shoulders slowly unclenched. “What can I do for you, Fennick?”
Maybe it was a cosmic coincidence that Fennick called me seconds after I heard about the video of Sylvie and me in that shitty, cockroach-infested bar, but my luck wasn’t that good. “I don’t have the energy to pretend to be civil, so just tell me why you’re calling.”
“Don’t fucking mess with me,” Fenn ground out. “I saw the video of you and Sylvie, but we’re not discussing anything over the phone. Meet me at the mortuary in fifteen minutes.”
“Sylvie who?”
He growled, and I thought I heard his teeth grinding. “Either you be here in fifteen minutes, or I’ll burn down your fucking loft. You two are going to tell me what happened that night.”
“You’re going to have to narrow it down.”
He breathed heavily. “You two smartasses deserve each other. Just come to the mortuary. Now.”
“You’re a bit of a nag, Fennick.”
“You call it nagging. I call it listening the first time . God, I sound like my mother. Hurry your ass up.” Then he hung up.
Xander leaned back and looked up at the ceiling, his lips twitching. Ivan chuckled and took a sip of scotch.
Roman shook his head and glared at me. “The woman in the photo is Sylvie Spade. Why the hell are you two together at Titties bar back in…” he leaned forward and looked at the time stamp on the video, “August, and what happened to the two bikers?”
I slid my phone into my suit pocket. “I need to talk to her first, and then I’ll fill you in. We also need to increase security.”
Ivan leaned forward. “I’ll continue to keep tabs on the MC compound and Terrance.”
The drive to the mortuary was a blur of streetlights as I wondered who else had seen that video and recognized Sylvie. I also worried about what kind of danger she was in and how best to protect her.
Fenn waited for me outside, a dark silhouette against the flickering light of the vintage mortuary sign. As I approached, I could sense his barely restrained anger.
“You’re still wearing your fucking suit. Do you ever take it off, or do you sleep in them?”
“Where’s Sylvie?”
“Inside.” He stepped closer to me. “Tell me what happened.”
“I’ll tell you what I told my partners. She and I need to talk first, and then we’ll decide what you need to know.”
He stared at me with an eerie, blank expression for a few seconds, and I wondered if he would try something. Then, he started laughing and turned to stride into the mortuary. His reaction threw me off. I reluctantly followed him, thinking he really was crazy. My senses were on high alert, and our steps echoed in the empty, quiet space. Ezra's office door stood ajar, a sliver of light cutting through the dim hallway.
Sylvie leaned against Ezra's mahogany desk wearing a black suit from the funeral she’d worked that day. Her irritated, worried eyes found mine, and the air crackled between us. The woman was a stunning contradiction, and I wanted to walk over and wrap my arms around her protectively.
Ezra sat in his chair behind his desk, and Callum and Kilian quietly talked in the corner.
“You told them.” I guessed. “That means I need to tell my partners too, but it doesn’t go any further.”
Her head snapped back a little as if I’d slapped her.
Fennick stepped around me. “She hasn’t told us a goddamned thing. Why do you think I dragged you here, dumbass?”
I ignored him and kept my gaze on Sylvie. “Can we talk?” My voice was steady despite the turmoil clawing at my insides. “Alone.”
“No,” Fenn snapped. “One of you needs to tell us what the fuck is going on, how you two really know each other, and why you were together at that bar.” He turned to Sylvie. “Which reminds me, are you up on your tetanus vaccine?”
Sylvie rolled her eyes. “Yes. And I do need to talk with Drakos—privately.”
Ezra stood and walked around his desk. “Hello, Drakos. Come on, Fenn.” Kilian and Callum were already heading for the door.
Fennick studied Sylvie for a few seconds, then he turned to me. “Why do I get the feeling you just screwed the pooch? Alright, five minutes, fancy fuck boy.”
I crossed my arms but kept my face neutral. If Fenn knew the nickname irritated me, he’d call me that for the rest of my life.
Sylvie didn’t take her eyes off me. “We won’t need that long.”
“What do they know?” I asked when Fennick closed the door.
“Just what they saw on the video and what they’ve already guessed. Despite whatever you think about me, I keep my promises. One of Kilian’s contacts saw the video and sent it to him. It doesn’t matter. Whatever this weird thing is between us, it needs to stop.”
I felt a primal need to protect her, but I’d offended Sylvie, and now she was trying to freeze me out. It didn’t matter, I wasn’t going to let her. “No.”
“No?”
“That’s what I said.”
Her nostrils flared. “Go home, fancy fuck boy. I don’t need your protection or your judgment.”
I shook my head. “I don’t give a fuck what you told them, and I wasn’t implying you broke your promise. We’re well past that at this point. Now what do they know, and what do you want to tell them?”
She studied me with shadows in her eyes, then exhaled. “What they saw in the video, and that two bikers are missing.”
I slid my hands in my pockets to keep from touching her. “My partners saw the video too. We need to tell them about that night and swear everyone to secrecy. But it’s only a matter of time before someone at OutKast puts it together—if they haven’t already.”
She nodded. “Okay. I think we should—”
“I’m not giving you up.” Losing the battle, I stepped in front of her and pulled her close. “Ivan can fill the partners in. We’ll tell your cousins together, then go home, make dinner, and decompress in the hot tub.”
Her body slowly unlocked, and she laid her cheek on my chest. “I… Alright. That sounds so good right now. We need a game plan, though, because those drive-by shootings cannot go unanswered.”
She wrapped her arms around me, and I rested my cheek on her head, wondering how I could keep her with me and ensure her safety.