Chapter 22 #2
Liam nods solemnly. He bends down to the carrier. “Sorry, Priss. This is… bullshit.”
Sloane discreetly wipes her eyes. She’s not one to stifle her emotions, but I remember what we talked about.
That flow. Feeling what needs to be felt and letting it go.
She’s the kind of person that you’d probably have to work pretty damn hard at to get under her skin in any meaningful way.
She’s iron at her core, but not the brittle kind that will break.
She knows how to bend. She knows how to adapt and change her mind when it needs changing.
It’s all her, and just some of the many reasons that she’s so incredible.
I let us into my room and Liam pops the carrier open.
He lets Prissy out onto my bed. She immediately curls up and starts punching biscuits, like that’s all it takes to make life right for her.
My room is like Liam’s. Basically empty except for a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser.
It’s not cheap stuff, and I have no complaints, but the aesthetics of the place weren’t important to me when I got this room and they haven’t been on my mind in a meaningful way until now that Sloane is in here, and I wish there was at least one scrap of art or personal touch to make it feel more like home.
It’s an irrational thought.
She seems alright, holding herself together. She perches next to Liam on the black bedspread, stroking her hand down Prissy’s soft body. The cat might have been pissed off a few seconds ago, but she’s purring that feline storm up, arching and headbutting Liam and Sloane’s hands.
“Tyrant got a call when you guys were already on your way. I asked him if I could be here to tell you.”
I shift to stand in front of Sloane in case she needs me to catch her, but she’s already sitting and she doesn’t slip off the bed. She keeps her face neutral. “Go ahead. I promise I won’t say anything until you’re done.”
Liam inhales sharply. I hate the way he’s bracing himself like he can do it for his mom.
He slides his arm around her shoulders, a protective gesture, but also a silent apology.
“It’s that gang. They found out that Wizard was hacking them.
They want to know why the club is surveilling them.
They have no idea, but they don’t like this.
They traced all the club’s holdings and anyone who was connected with it was hit in some way tonight.
Mostly, it was windows getting shot out.
A warning and a message. The call came after they’d left Hart.
Their leader wants to meet with Tyrant, but no one feels safe doing that, so they’re gonna call in an hour.
Everyone on their end and ours will be included in that call.
They’ll have it on video, and both ends know it’ll be recorded. ”
“They hit everyone’s business?” Sloane asks. She’s gone pale and her voice is so small that I drop down and set my hands on her knees. She immediately squeezes my shoulder.
“They did,” Liam responds grimly.
Sloane exhales loudly. “That shouldn’t make me feel better. It doesn’t. But then they weren’t targeting us alone.”
“No. It was just anything and anyone they could find related to the club.”
“Do they know your name? Do they remember you?”
“I don’t think so. The guy that managed the nightclub I worked at was only working there himself.
The gang likes to launder their money in secret if they can, or they’ll get shut down.
They have legit people on the front end.
That guy had bigger problems and staff turnover was fairly high.
I was just another name related to the club. ”
“But if they have that information and they hit everyone, they have their own people looking into things.”
“Hacking? Yes. But we left no trail for this. No one texts or emails or even talks about this stuff over the phone for the most part, and unless they come here and bug the clubhouse, they’re not gonna know what’s going on.”
“Can’t they listen to Wizard’s computer? Or couldn’t they?”
“He makes sure that it’s not capable of sound.”
“Oh my god. Do you think they could have hacked into our security feed?”
Liam winces. “That’s likely how they found most of the businesses related to the club, and the houses.
We have security feeds for most of the properties, but that doesn’t mean that they were overly interested in what anyone was doing there.
They probably stopped at figuring out addresses.
Their leader said it was a warning. He doesn’t want a war with the club, and he can’t figure out what’s going on.
Tyrant told me that the club will be fine.
All of us will be. He needs to deal with this, and then he’ll move on. They’ve faced a lot worse in the past.”
“That’s not exactly comforting.” Sloane keeps her hand on my shoulder, her warm fingers over my leather jacket and partly against my neck. With the other hand, she keeps petting Prissy. “Are you supposed to be there in that meeting, Liam?”