CHAPTER SEVEN
CASH
Hunting down a stupid prick who thought it was fine to drink and drive felt like a good way to get my kicks. It took a little surfing around online to track down the guy’s social media accounts. From there we were able to determine where he liked to hang out. People shared way too much these days. It made things easier for us.
The three of us sat at a table in a bar attached to a popular restaurant. I tackled a plate of spicy buffalo wings, watching the door for those entering the building. Our guy liked to partake in wing night. Hopefully he would be here.
“Are you seriously going to eat that entire plate to yourself?” Blaze nodded at the mountain of wings on my plate.
When he made a foolish attempt to swipe one, I smacked his hand. I wagged a finger at him in a scolding manner. “Try that again and you lose a finger. I plan to eat each and every one of these wings. Why didn’t you get your own?”
Blaze frowned down at his plate of fries and gravy. “I wasn’t feeling chicken when I ordered. Just give me a few.”
“Go fuck yourself.” I grinned, stuffing another wing in my mouth.
“Dick.” Blaze’s gaze swung over to Daire’s plate. He eyed up the loaded nachos, considering his odds of getting any.
Daire ignored us, absently shoving nachos into his mouth while analyzing the people around us. When Blaze went to help himself to a nacho, Daire flicked his hand away without taking his attention off our surroundings.
We sat there for a solid hour or more. Our guy never showed. Probably laying low after the news article about his drunk driving incident. Maybe he didn’t have a ride now that he’d totaled his car.
“I’m going to ask the bartender if she’s seen him lately. Keep an eye on the door.” Shoving his chair back, Daire left the table, strolling up to the bar.
Blaze took advantage of his absence to scarf down several nachos from his plate. Just to be an ass, I swiped a few of his fries.
“Hands off, asshole. No wings, no fries.” He took a swing at me, making me laugh at his audacity.
I tossed back my beer, draining half the bottle in one go. This attempt was starting to feel like a bust. Although it had only been an hour, I wasn’t in the mood to sit there all night for nothing.
Daire returned from the bar, shaking his head. “She hasn’t seen him recently. She said she’ll shoot me a text if he comes in.”
I tossed some bones onto my plate, wiping my fingers on a napkin. “Figures. He’s probably laying low because of the accident. Should we take off when we’re finished eating?”
I didn’t hear their response to my question. I was too fixated on the man who’d just walked through the door. Motherfucking Brady Rollins. Hadn’t seen him in a while.
Brady and his brother had been involved in a human trafficking ring. They were recruiters who’d tricked, lured, and even kidnapped women for the organization. They’d landed on our radar after a failed attempt to grab a local woman who’d posted their photos on social media.
The local police hadn’t done shit. Knowing those corrupt bastards, they were most likely in on it. We’d gone after the two of them but we’d only nailed Jack, Brady’s brother. Brady had fled the scene, leaving Jack behind.
“Hey, take a look at who just walked in.” I nodded toward Brady who went to the bar for a drink.
Both Daire and Blaze turned to find our lost target flirting with the brunette bartender. Daire’s eyes narrowed. “We’ll never get our hands on him in here. Once he sees us, he won’t leave alone.”
Brady had done a good job staying hidden since we’d killed Jack. I’d assumed that he’d left town. Apparently, he was back.
The way he eyed up the bartender rubbed me the wrong way. Did he see her as a potential victim? The thought was enough to eject me from my seat.
I stood up and left my wings to Blaze as I stalked across to the bar. Maybe I couldn’t kill Brady in a public place with witnesses but I could put some fear into him. If he knew we were still gunning for him, he may go back into hiding. As long as he wasn’t active for his trafficking ring.
Of course we never did find out who was in charge of the organization. They used guys like Jack and Brady to do the grunt work so they could remain behind the scenes.
I tapped Brady on the shoulder. Annoyed at having his conversation interrupted, he turned to face me with an irritated scowl. The bartender breathed a sigh of relief and quickly moved to serve another customer.
Brady’s eyes widened when he saw me. He recovered quickly, schooling his expression into something harder and furious.
“Finally came out of hiding, huh?” I asked, leaning on the bar.
“You think I was hiding?” he scoffed. “From you guys? Give me a break. Actually, I’ve been looking for you cunts.”
Brady drew himself up to his full height in an effort to intimidate. He was still shorter than me. He wore his dark hair short and buzzed along with his shirt sleeves rolled up to show off his array of skull tattoos. Everything about him was a pathetic effort to appear tough. I knew what kind of man he really was though.
“Oh yeah? Well you found us. What can we do for you?” I raised a hand to invite anything he wanted to throw at me.
Daire and Blaze approached, coming to stand next to me. Brady’s tough guy glower faltered at their arrival.
“Did you think you could kill my brother and get away with it? I owe you fucking pricks for that.” Tightly fisting his glass of scotch, Brady took a drink while glaring hard at us over the glass. He seemed wary of taking his gaze off us for even a second.
“Actually, yeah we did.” Daire’s response was cool and unruffled. “You’re next, asshole. We haven’t forgotten about you.”
A vein in Brady’s forehead began to protrude. His face reddened. “You took something from me. I’ll take something from you in return. I’ll make you fuckwads wish you were never born. I owe you pain, and I will deliver.”
My fist shot out, slamming into his chin. Brady stumbled backwards, his drink spilling on his shirt and the floor.
“Why not settle this now?” I held up both hands in invitation. “Let’s take this outside.”
Brady let out a strangled sound of anger as he threw his glass at me. It bounced off my raised forearm. He threw himself at me next, arms going around my waist as he sought to tackle me to the floor. My bigger stature made him look like a child trying to take down a grown ass man.
Dropping a fist down onto the top of his head loosened his hold. He made a desperate grab for the bar as he slid to the floor. Daire’s laughter only riled him up further.
Brady grabbed a bar stool by the legs and swung it as he stood up. He nailed me in the shoulder with it before I wrenched it from his grasp. Blaze stepped in to take a turn, punching Brady in the back of the head.
The bartender’s shrill shout rang out above the rest of the noise. She shouted at us to break it up and get the hell out of her bar. When Brady turned to take a swing at Blaze, the bouncers got involved.
“That’s enough.” A guy with thicker arms than mine shoved between us. “Time to leave.”
“They threatened to kill me,” Brady shouted, hiding behind the bouncer. “Please let me stay until I can call for a ride. Don’t make me go outside with them.”
The bouncers exchanged a look before pushing the three of us along to the door. “Don’t make us call the cops. Just get out. Don’t let us see you in here again.”
“I didn’t even get to finish my nachos,” Daire muttered, letting the man push him out the door.
“So much for finding our drunk driver,” I mused.
Brady Rollins was hardly a threat. The man was a pitiful worm with a tough guy complex. Eventually, he’d slip up again, and then we would end him.