Chapter Seven #3
“Yeah. I should handle that now and not later. I’ll tell Cinder to come in and visit with you for a little while before I make a few calls.”
She kissed me, holding me close. “Be careful. You might not want to lose me, but I don’t want to lose you either. It scares me that the Mafia could be searching for you.”
“Always, sweetheart. I have two precious people to come home to every night. Well, technically, one is still hidden inside you, but the two of you are my family. I will fight my way back to you every single time. Doesn’t matter what they do to me. I’m coming home at the end of the day.”
“Don’t make me promises you can’t keep.”
I kissed her forehead and went to get Cinder. While she poured him a cup of coffee, the ex-President and I shared a look. He gave me a brief nod and I went to the bedroom to make my calls. Although, depending on what Wire had to say, maybe I’d only be making one phone call.
I dialed his number and paced while I waited for the line to connect.
“Are you suddenly psychic?” Wire asked, instead of a typical hello.
“No, why?”
“Just about to call you. I may have stirred up more shit than I realized when I brought back Romeo Strayer. The men after your wife took the bait. They ran to Las Vegas and started searching. Unfortunately, so did a few men from the Bratva based in Los Angeles.”
“So they’re hunting me,” I murmured.
“Not sure yet if it’s a bad thing. However, the Cartel ran into them. When they realized the two people they wanted were married to one another, they teamed up to locate you and your wife. There’re some texts and emails between a few of them.”
“Motherfucker. Wire, this is bad. Like, really fucking bad. If they both come here, I don’t have enough manpower to go up against them. It’s not just Dakota I need to protect. I have other women and kids who rely on me to keep them safe.”
“I know. I’m watching to see what move they make next. So far, they’re remaining in Nevada. I didn’t leave much of a paper trail for them to follow, so they’re spinning their wheels right now. If they have anyone on staff like me, it’s only a matter of time before they track you down.”
I smiled faintly. “Thought there wasn’t anyone like you, except maybe your woman.”
“You know what I mean. Besides, there are kids out there wreaking more havoc than I ever did. They’re faster, smarter, and by the time they’re adults, they could very well be far better than I ever was.”
Now there was a horrifying thought. “You run across any, let me know. I’d rather recruit them than end up on the wrong side of their skills, if you know what I mean.”
“I do, and I will. Although, the Dixie Reapers and a few other clubs might want a shot at them too.”
“As long as they’re an ally, I don’t care what club they work with.”
“I wish I knew what to tell you. I haven’t heard from Specter since he asked me to track down his sister.
Maybe he can resolve at least one of your issues.
As for your father’s people… That one’s on me.
If you need backup, I’ll let the club know and we’ll send a few people your way.
” Wire sighed. “It’s your call on how you handle things but keeping your woman on lockdown until this is all resolved might not be the way to go.
If I tried that with Lavender, I’d probably wake up with my balls locked in a cage. Or worse. My accounts drained.”
I snorted. “She loves you and you know it. Things with Dakota are still too new. I walked in tonight listening to her talk about how she should probably leave. She feels bad for bringing trouble here. Honestly, I’d have gone after her if she hadn’t come to me on her own. I think she understands that now.”
“Wish I had better news. I’ll do what I can on my end. If I see movement heading your way, I’ll let Venom and Torch know. They’re aware you might need assistance and the club is on standby. I’m sure the Devil’s Fury and Reckless Kings would help too.”
“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” I sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m going to try to reach Specter. I have no idea why he’s dragging his damn feet on this. Thanks, Wire.”
I disconnected the call and took a moment to gather my thoughts. Pulling out the burner phone, I called Specter. When he didn’t answer, I called again. And again. By the fourth time, the fucker finally answered, sounding out of breath.
“What the fuck?” he demanded.
“Hello to you too, brother.” He cursed, and I heard rustling.
Ah. So that’s why he hadn’t answered. “If the other side of that bed contains the woman the Cartel wants, and your sister is still a target because you’re getting your dick wet, assassin or not, I’m going to nail your ass to the fucking wall.
That’s my wife and kid in trouble, thanks to you. ”
“Things are complicated,” Specter said.
“Yeah. Sounds like it. Want to tell your sister how complicated it is?”
“I need a little more time,” he said.
“It’s been a week, Specter, since she had to run from her damn home, scared shitless. But this has been going on longer, hasn’t it? How long, exactly, since you ran off with the Cartel’s woman?”
He sighed. “A month. For the record, she’s not the one in my bed. Her husband beat the hell out of her. She was in recovery at a secret medical facility. It will be another few weeks before she’s able to walk on her own, maybe longer. I can’t hand her over to them, Charming. I’m sorry.”
“I don’t give a shit if she goes back to them. What I need you to do is pull your head out of your ass, or your dick out of whomever is in your bed and find a way to make the Cartel back off. Or at the very least, get them to stop looking for your sister.”
He growled a little. “Wait a fucking minute. You said wife. When the hell did the two of you get married?”
“Wire did his computer shit and married us. Under my real name, which means they can’t trace her here yet. It’s only a matter of time before my identity comes to light.”
“Something tells me I need to know who you really are,” he said.
“Romeo Halden Strayer, deceased son of Yuri Strayer, previously of Los Angeles.”
“Yuri Strayer,” he mumbled. “I know that name.”
I waited a moment while he pieced it all together. Then I heard his fist meet the wall and the woman with him shrieked like a damn banshee.
“Motherfucker! You’re Goddamn Bratva? What the fuck, Charming?”
“I’m not. Didn’t want that life. Which is why I was dead until Wire brought me back to life. He thought it would offer your sister another layer of protection. Now we have the Cartel looking for her, the Bratva searching for me, and they’ve decided to work together since Dakota and I are married.”
“Shit.” I heard him pacing. “Fine. I’ll figure something out, but I seriously need some time. This situation… I can’t go in guns blazing. There’s too many people, including some innocents like the lady I saved.”
“I need her safe, Specter. I don’t care how it’s done. Wipe out the entire fucking Cartel if you have to. It’s not fair to Dakota. She’s an innocent too, in case you forgot.”
“I’ll call back in a week. It will take me that long, at least, to figure out what I’m going to do. Just try to keep her contained.”
I snorted and ended the call. Great. That went absolutely nowhere.
The only thing I learned was that Dakota wasn’t the only one in trouble.
Now I was too. Which meant I needed to talk to the club.
Not about Dakota. Not yet. But they needed to know I had trouble coming for me.
My past had finally caught up, and I had a feeling it was going to chew me up and spit me out. Or at least try.
Good thing I’d already confessed about my true identity. Otherwise, this would be even worse.