Chapter 14
Maverick
“You ever heard of the Alliance?” Bear leaned next to me at the bar and grabbed a bottle of beer from Dan.
I scoffed. “Is that a new pop band? You’re the one with the teenager, not me.” In addition to finding an old lady, Bear had also become the guardian of a sixteen-year-old this year. More power to him, but not a road I wanted to go down any time soon.
“Actually, Dan, let me get a pint.” I was in the mood to drink from a glass. Was Kat into the Alliance? We hadn’t gotten around to discussing music. Although, she struck me as more of a jazz person. Something a little classier than bubblegum pop. I scanned the bar, my eyes finding the stage.
Bear sighed. “Far as I can tell, they’re an investment firm.”
“You looking for stock tips?” I supposed he needed to work on a college fund. Kat was in finance. She probably knew something about it.
Bear took the beer from my hand and set it on the bar. “I’m not standing here to shoot the shit, Mav. Do you think you could focus on club business for five minutes?”
I stared at Bear, needing several seconds for his statement to sink in.
Fuck, I was tired. Thank God Sinner finally wanted to talk to a lawyer.
He couldn’t get out of prison fast enough.
There was a time when the club was all I focused on.
A few weeks knowing Kat, and my priorities were shifting. I needed to get a handle on that.
“Sorry, man. The Alliance. An investment firm. Did Rowan mention them?”
“No, I’m still waiting to hear back from him. This is something I’ve been watching for a while. They’re buying up properties in Atlantic Shores under several different names. Including the property the Diablos were operating out of.”
Ah, now we were getting somewhere.
“Got any names?”
“Working on it. It took Baller this long to trace the shell companies back to the source. And either that was because of his hard work paying off, or…” He cocked an eyebrow as he took a swig.
“They were ready to be found.”
Bear nodded. “Exactly. I think they’re gearing up to make a move. Whatever the fuck that move is.”
“Get me a list of the properties they’ve already purchased. Maybe we can figure out what they all have in common.”
“It’s on your desk.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “You’re a good man. In fact, I was thinking about stepping back and letting you—”
“Pixie! Yeah, baby, I hear you! I’m coming.” Bear grinned. “Sorry, Mav, we’ll have to finish this conversation later. My woman is calling.” He set down his beer and started to back away. “And for what it’s worth, distraction looks good on you.”
“Pussy!” I shouted, but without any malice. Bear was the perfect enforcer, and I couldn’t blame him for not wanting to take on more of the decision-making and leadership roles. It was a heavy burden.
The bar was busy. If someone had told me six months ago that we’d have a thriving night life, I would have laughed in their face. But Pixie had made quite the transformation and all legal. I stroked my chin. Stitch’s gambling den could actually work now. If we could get all the bullshit settled.
Did Larry still have his blasting powder? I needed to blow some shit up and clear my head. I chuckled, imagining what Kat’s face would look like when she heard the loud boom. Fuck, I was doing it again. Why did my thoughts always go back to her?
I took another swig. It was still early, only nine o’clock, but I couldn’t stand here any longer. Bear said he left that file on my desk. Maybe I could—
“EEK! You came!” Pixie’s voice rang above the crowd. Looking up from my glass, all thoughts of leaving early vanished.