Chapter 12 Kratos
The ride back to the club takes far too long, something that seems to be a common issue where Jade is concerned.
I fucking hated leaving her in this damn city, but I knew that our best chance of shutting the ring down was the auction. Our best shot at finding a way in was with the help of other local gangs we had connections with, which meant I had to meet with them.
Unfortunately, the only information I’d gotten from all of this was that Sin started it, and it was by invitation only.
We already knew that, but the only gang anyone had heard of ever getting invited was Seven, and we didn’t have any connection with them.
Fuck, I didn’t even know where they were located, let alone how to reach them. It was job to find out.
Parking my bike out back, I head into Hopper’s, going right to my office.
It’s barely light outside, and a quick glance at the clock lets me know it’s just past five in the morning.
I made good time back, but with no information, I wish I’d left earlier.
Then I would have been here when Jade came through last night.
I didn’t like the idea that she was here without me.
I know she can take care of herself and that Dom kept an eye on her, but the people in this club can be some of the worst the city has to offer.
The list of things that could have happened is too long to even comprehend, and thinking about it only raises my blood pressure, something Jade already does well enough on her own.
I text Dom and let him know I’m back, telling him to report to me when he gets in before I sit down at my desk and pull up my laptop. Someone has to know about the Seven, and what better place to look than the internet?
Fuck.
Three hours online, and I’ve got nothing to show for it.
I slam my laptop closed harder than I intended, but I can’t bring myself to care. Worst-case scenario, it’s broken. I’ll just have to get another one.
Picking up my phone, I shoot a text to Spencer, letting him know I’m going to need his help.
A knock on the door pulls my attention before I can decide if I should text Jade while I’m at it. I call out for them to come in, dropping my phone back on the desk.
Dom comes in looking well-rested and ready to go the same way he does every day. Dom’s been with me since the beginning. We both ran drugs for Sin before I was anybody. He’s a few years younger than I am, and while I used to be small back then, he was even smaller than I was.
Something about him made me want to look out for the kid, and it got us both in some tight situations.
It also made us damn near inseparable. Dom is like the little brother I never had.
I trust him more than just about anyone inside our ranks, with the exception of Jade.
That’s why he’s my go-to guy for everything.
Most people think he handles the bitch work, and he’s okay with that because we both know better—that’s just what we want them to think.
Which is why I called him the moment Jade let me know she’d headed to Hopper’s last night.
I knew she would do it no matter what I said.
She’s always been stubborn, but even more so when it came to doing what she thought was right.
If I couldn’t be here to monitor her, Dom was my next best option, even above the guys.
Rick and his boys would be too easy for her to trick. They’d underestimate her, or she would give them the slip. Jade didn’t know to look out for Dom, and I was counting on that to help me keep an eye on her through him.
“Mornin' boss,” Dom says, closing the door and coming to drop into one of the chairs in front of my desk.
I give him a nod because it’s all I have the energy for right now.
“Man, you look like shit. Have you slept since you got back into town?” He asks with a chuckle. If he were anyone else, he’d be snacking on his teeth for talking to me like that.
But he’s not anyone else. Dom isn’t just another member of Vengeance; he’s one of my oldest friends, and I don’t have many of those. So instead, I recline in my chair and flip him the bird.
“I’ll take that as a no.”
“I’ll sleep later. Right now, I’ve got shit to handle,” I tell him, dropping my head against the back of my chair, and letting my eyes fall closed. I hadn’t even realized how tired I was until the bastard pointed it out.
“Sure you will,” he shoots back, sarcasm dripping from his words.
I pop one eye open and give him the best glare I can muster, which isn’t great given how tired I am.
He shakes his head at me, more than used to my temper and not at all affected after all these years. He holds his hands up in surrender, but his smile doesn’t waver.
Bastard.
“Anyway, I’m assuming you want a report on Jade.” He says, the laughter from moments ago is gone.
I nod, even though I’m sure he didn’t need the clarification. Anything else in the club would have been business as usual.
“Her and Trent’s sister Hazel came in last night. I had Tobias at the bar, so he was the one serving them. For the most part, it was just regular girls hanging out.”
His words catch my attention, ‘for the most part' doesn’t mean that’s all it was. In fact, it suggests quite the opposite. I peel my eyes open even though my body begs me to close them again.
Dom sighs, leaning forward in his chair to rest his elbows on his knees, bringing him closer to the desk, and I can’t help but lean forward in my chair.
“Jade and Hazel had a drink and then went out on the floor. They danced for a while, and a bunch of guys seemed interested but stayed away.”
It shouldn’t bug me. I know Jade can handle herself, but it does.
The thought of some random asshole putting their hands on her is almost enough to send me over the edge, but I swallow the feeling down. Judging by the look on Dom’s face, that’s not all that happened, and I’m pretty sure I’m not going to like this next bit.
“Eventually, a guy I hadn’t seen before came up and put his arm around Hazel.
” He shakes his head and gives a half-hearted chuckle.
“I thought for sure your girl was gonna rip him to pieces, but she must have known him because as soon as she saw who it was, they were fine. She left them to dance and went to get a drink.”
A smirk pulls at my lips at the thought of her ready to go to bat for Hazel.
I’ve never met her, but I knew Trent, and he was a pretty stand-up guy.
I can imagine Hazel was raised the same, and knowing Jade as I do, I know she would do anything she could to protect her.
Hell, she would for most people, even the ones who didn’t deserve it.
If Hazel’s her friend, she will be even more protective.
“I looked into the guy last night. His name is Leo Prescott. He’s twenty-three and the son of Rebecca Ross, who’s the younger sister of our wonderful mayor, Randall.
It appears he took his father's last name, even though he isn’t in the picture.
” Dom all but spits Randall’s name, and while it’s no secret that we don’t like the mayor around here, it’s a bit more venom than I’m used to from my friend.
Dom’s usually pretty level-headed, and while crooked politicians piss me off as much as the next guy, I can’t think of a reason he would be this upset.
Which means something must have happened last night.
Randall often uses our club for business.
We have the most security. Not to mention we keep the press out, meaning he can do all of his dealings on the dancer's level.
He gives me a creepy vibe, but the girls have never complained.
If anything, they enjoy when he does business here.
Like most of our high-end clients, he is generous with his money.
I make a mental note to ask Dom about it afterward because, as upset as he is, I still need to know about Jade first. My mind won’t let me think of anything else until I know she’s okay.
I haven’t done all this for shit to just go sideways after one night. I know, obviously, that she’s fine. If she weren’t, Dom would have called me last night, but I still need to know what happened.
“Leo is Jake’s cousin, obviously, but he doesn’t seem to run in the same crowd. The kid’s clean as a whistle, and because of that, his friends are clean too. One of those friends is Trent, and with them being close and Hazel being close with Jade, it puts them all in the same circle at school.”
Again, my temper flares at the idea of this Leo guy being around her, which is ridiculous considering the fact that I sent her to live with three other guys. I must just be overtired.
“The problem wasn’t with Leo, though. It was with Jake.
He paid for their drinks, not knowing they were on the house.
At first, I chalked it up to him making a power play.
He knows who Jade is, for the most part, and knows she lives with the guys.
But the longer the night went on, the more interested he seemed to be in her.
I’m not sure if it’s because she completely ignored his advances with the drink, because he wants to get under the guy's skin, or he is genuinely interested, but he was on her all night.” His voice is even, but the look on his face is the only thing that keeps me from losing my shit.
Jake!
Of all the fucking people to try to talk to Jade, it had to be Jake. God, I can’t stand that little fuck or his piece of shit, father.
I huff out a breath in an attempt to keep myself in check. Judging by the look on Dom’s face, I’m doing a shit job.
Regardless, I need the rest of his details, so pissed off or not, he needs to get this shit over with.
I nod, and he continues.