11. Damian
CHAPTER 11
DAMIAN
The strip club looks different when it’s closed. No neon lights flickering in the dark, no bass thumping through the walls, no perfume and sweat clinging to the air. Just the empty parking lot, the dull glow of a streetlamp buzzing overhead, and the deep, sinking weight of knowing I’m about to meet the devil himself.
Konstantin.
Riot and I roll up on our bikes, the low rumble cutting through the silence. The front door is already cracked open, a sign that we’re expected. No bouncer, no girls, just a couple of Konstantin’s men standing by, hands resting near their guns, but not pulling them—yet.
My brothers aren’t far away. Looming and at the ready. While I don’t have an issue with having twenty, fifty, or even a hundred motorcycle pipes rumbling in together anywhere, sometimes it’s important not to show all the participants at once.
Riot kills his engine first, dropping his kickstand, swinging a leg over his bike and standing tall. I do the same, cracking my neck as I eye the door and then help guide Alaina off.
“You ready for this?” Riot asks, voice low.
I smirk, though there ain’t a damn thing funny about this. “Born ready.”
He grunts, gives Alaina a look before leading the way inside. I take Alaina by the hand, regularly giving her a squeeze of reassurance as I can feel her nerves amping up.
The place is damn near unrecognizable. The floor’s been mopped, the chairs stacked, the stage empty except for the brass poles that still gleam under the dim security lights. Feels eerie, like walking through a graveyard instead of a place meant for indulgence.
Konstantin sits in the center of the room, feet up on a table, a glass of something dark in one hand, his other draped lazily over the back of the chair. He looks exactly how I expect—like a man who’s spent too many years thinking he’s untouchable. A man with a change in status.
His cold, calculating eyes flick up when we enter. A slow smile stretches across his lips, but it doesn’t reach those dead-ass eyes.
“Boys,” he greets, voice smooth as silk, dangerous as a blade. “Glad you could make it.”
His gaze softens looking to his granddaughter, “Ally.”
I squeeze her hand but keep her semi-tucked behind me. I don’t like the way Konstantin has conducted himself since the shooting. More worrisome is the fact that a full million dollars’ worth of uncut coke landed at her backdoor and he’s not put his own men on her. If it was my family, I wouldn’t trust anyone else with their care or safety.
Riot doesn’t respond, just crosses his arms over his chest. I take my time, scanning the room, counting the men in the shadows. Four, maybe five. Not enough to put us down before we could take a few with us, but enough to make this meeting a delicate dance.
I pull out a chair and sit, slouching like I don’t have a care in the world. “Let’s get to it. You wanted proof of life, you got it. Now, what the fuck do you want? You obviously know you can’t keep her safe since you haven’t even attempted to invade. I’m doing the protecting. Can’t say I mind.” I look to Alaina, “view is nice, company nicer. Asking me to give you proof of anything, though, it only pisses me off old man.”
Konstantin chuckles, swirling his drink. “Ah, Chux, always so eager to cut to the chase. No pleasantries? No small talk?”
I level him with a look. “Don’t got time for bullshit.”
His smile fades just a fraction, eyes sharpening. “Fair enough.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on the table. “Why is Alaina present for this meeting? I asked for proof of life, I would imagine that a video or picture would come my way. I need to know you’ve kept her safe since you cut her off from everyone.”
I don’t flinch, don’t even let a muscle twitch. “Safe? The way I’m reading it. You want to play it safe and protect your precious granddaughter from the monster you are, huh? Because with me, she is secure and no one can get to her. That’s what an honorable man does when someone he cares about gets caught in a line of fire they aren’t remotely prepared for.”
Konstantin studies me slowly, his fingers tapping against his glass. “And you are an honorable man? I think we all know better than that.” But he doesn’t deny shielding Alaina from the monster he is. With every breath he has taken since the shootout, I question his allegiance more and more.
Riot steps forward, his presence a solid wall at my side. “I think everyone in this room knows exactly the dick size of every other man here. I promise you my brother’s is the biggest. Keep stalling and fuckin’ around Konstantin, and Ally’s gonna be the one to tell you how much she knows about my brother’s cock size.”
For the first time, something flickers in Konstantin’s gaze. Fear. But there is more.
He snarls, “The Kings of Anarchy, playing white knights. This is new.”
“It ain’t about being knights,” I say, leaning back. “It’s about making sure she ain’t a pawn in whatever game you’re playing. It’s about seeing something fuckin’ special and protectin’ it at all costs. You failed her, I won’t.”
Konstantin exhales sharply, a ghost of a laugh. “Chux, my dear boy, everything is a game. And everyone is a pawn. The only question is—do you know the rules?”
My jaw tightens. “You tell me.”
His smile returns, this time more genuine. “I need her back. I need her back to the bakery.”
“That ain’t happening.” I raise my eyebrows as now I see the answers clear as day. “You ran that pallet through her shop. Fucked up, Konni, crossing that line.” I fight to contain my rage that he would put her in this shit. “How long you been double crossing the Kings?”
He doesn’t answer, I keep going. “Come on, Konni boy, how long? I happened to be here the moment she called catching the pallet. But you weren’t surprised something was at her shop. You didn’t dare wade in or react. You let me step in and take her out of the picture. I called that meeting with you last minute over the shooting. A shooting you also didn’t seem surprised by. So how long you been a double crossing bitch?”
His fingers tighten around his glass. “You don’t know what you’re interfering with.”
“I hate riddles and games. It’s obvious by the way you didn’t cry out denials with my insinuation which tells me I’m on to something.” I shrug. “As for whatever I’m messing up for you … Don’t care. You wanna run drugs, they go through Kings. You know this shit.”
Alaina gasps and I look to her. “Told you I’m an open fuckin’ book. Never said I was a boy scout,” I explain leaning over, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. I’m shocked when she doesn’t pull it away.
“You should know you don’t get to own it all.” Konstantin’s voice is calm, but there’s an undercurrent of menace. “You think I’m the one she needs protecting from suddenly?” He shakes his head. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with. I just need her back to work regularly. This doesn’t touch her, but everything has to be as it was.”
I glance at Riot. He hasn’t moved, but I can feel the tension radiating off him. We knew this wouldn’t be simple, but the way Konstantin’s talking… there’s more to this than any of us prepared for. I don’t like surprises. I don’t like being caught off guard. The man has bested me twice now. A third time won’t happen.
“What’s the threat?” I ask, keeping my tone casual. “If it ain’t you, then who?”
Konstantin watches me for a long moment, then sighs and leans back. “My brother owed a debt. A large one. And now that he’s gone, that debt has fallen to me. I need to move a little bit for a few months. I can do that through her shop. When I work this off through the shipments, it will stop. Kings and I will be back to usual as if it never happened.”
Riot stiffens. “Bullshit. If it was about money, you’d have settled it yourself.”
Konstantin’s lips twitch. “True. The money is… a technicality. They don’t want the money as much as the chance to move product for a bit. The real issue is who the debt is owed to. It can’t be paid off in a sum.”
A chill runs through me. “Who?”
His gaze darkens. “Men who don’t forgive. Men who don’t forget.” He takes a slow sip of his drink before setting it down with a deliberate clink. “And men who will kill to collect.”
The air shifts.
Riot and I exchange a look. This just got a whole lot worse.
I exhale through my nose, rubbing my jaw. “So you’re saying she’s got a target on her back.”
Konstantin inclines his head. “From home, yes.”
I drag a hand through my hair. “Jesus Christ.”
“I suggest you return her to me,” he continues, his tone deceptively gentle. “Before they come looking.”
Riot steps forward, placing both hands on the table. “You want her back to protect her, or to hand her over?”
Konstantin’s smile is slow, careful. “Does it matter?”
Alaina squeezes my hand as I feel the trembles over take her. Rage consumes me. This backstabbing motherfucker has zero loyalty not even to family.
I don’t blink. “To her, it does.”
Silence stretches between us.
Then Konstantin stands, adjusting his collar. “You have twenty-four hours. After that, I can no longer guarantee her safety.”
I push out of my chair. “Good thing I can.”
He chuckles, turning for the door. “Then I hope, for your sake, that’s true.”
With that, he disappears into the dark, his men following behind.
The second the door closes, I let out a breath. “Well, fuck.”
Riot rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah.”
Alaina lets out a huff. “How can he leave me like this?” He didn’t give me a single answer and I’m in a world I don’t understand, she whispers as we stand and I pull her against me.
“You’re gonna be safe with me, sweetheart.”
“And if I don’t stay with you?”
“I can’t do what I need to do unless I have you with me and where I know I can keep you out of the crossfire.”
“Are you going to force me?”
I shake my head. “Not a nice guy, not that kind of man though. You should know, you choose to walk away, sweetheart, that’s it.” The truth hurts, but it’s the way I’m cut. I don’t do games. I don’t do seconds. When someone turns their back on me, walks away, there is no coming back. “Baby, I got an attraction. Wanna see how this fire between us can be, but I won’t beg. I damn sure won’t chase. And if you walk away, I never look back. Second chances don’t come in my life.”
She steps away. “I need a minute, Damian. I need to process what just happened.”
I nod and she backs away. She paces the small club space staying within my line of sight.
Good girl.
I glance back at the empty club, then at my brother. “You think she’s gonna run?”
Riot shakes his head. “I think she’ll fight this pull you got going on. But I think she’s got it as bad for you as you got for her. In the end she’s smart. She’ll sit tight until we can figure out who the debt is to and pay it off.”
I grin, despite the shitstorm brewing. “Yeah. She’s gonna taste sweet, fuck me sweeter, and only if she asks me will I spare Konstantin my wrath.”