Chapter 8 #2
I rolled my eyes at the term. Domenico rarely called me that.
We’d been best friends since college, but he never stepped over the line between our positions.
Calling me “boss” was his way of reminding me that he respected my authority, but he’d push those boundaries to the limit if he thought I was wrong.
“I wasn’t talking about abandoning my protection completely. Vinnie needs to retire, which means I need someone else to be head of security.”
Domenico narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t immediately turn the job down like I knew he would have just a few months ago. Something had changed recently, though I hadn’t been able to put my finger on it yet.
“Okay,” he agreed, taking me by surprise. “As long as you understand that our situation stays the same. Like I said, where you go, I go.”
“I can live with that.”
“Good. Now stop wasting your time with me and go focus on your woman. I don’t want to have to chase her if you don’t do your job and she runs off.”
“Get out of my office, testa di cazzo,” I gibed with a glare that held no malice.
He grinned and pushed off the jamb, then pivoted and ambled out the door.
I had one more task to accomplish before I was done for the day. Grabbing my phone, I looked up Kye “Fox” Pearson in my contacts and hit call.
With very few exceptions, Kye was known as Fox—his road name. He was the president of the Iron Rogues Motorcycle Club in Tennessee. He’d gone to college with Nic, and they’d remained close when their lives went in separate directions.
We’d worked with him a few times, so I knew I could go straight to him rather than through Nic.
“Fox,” he answered, sounding gruff and entirely exhausted.
“It’s Rafa,” I told him. My lips quirked. “How are the twins?”
Jett and Violet were toddlers, and as much work as one kid was at their age, I couldn’t imagine wrangling two. But I hadn’t been able to resist poking at him a little.
“Little hellions,” he grunted.
“I’m sure that’s true, but I bet they have their badass biker dad wrapped around their little fingers.”
Fox grunted again. I was right, and everybody knew it.
“Somethin’ you need, asshole? Or you just stocking away an ass kicking in the bank?”
“I wanted to run something by you.”
He yawned, then muttered, “Shoot.”
“Are you familiar with Chet Chanler?”
Fox was quiet for a minute, then he replied, “Know of him. Spoiled, pompous little motherfucker.”
“Sounds right,” I agreed dryly.
“He’s crooked as fuck. You don’t want anything to do with him.”
I sighed. “Unfortunately, that’s unavoidable.”
Fox swore under his breath. “Nic know about this?”
“Not yet,” I answered honestly.
I knew my answer was telling, and Fox picked right up on it. “About a woman, I’m guessing.”
“Sì.” I gave him a brief overview of what had gone down.
“Fucking hell,” he muttered. “We’ve got a file on him.
Gonna send it over when we’re done. Good news is, the little shit can be bought for the right price—and he doesn’t give a fuck who’s paying it.
So he doesn’t have anyone—besides Mommy and Daddy—who are truly loyal to him.
Just throws money around to get stuff done and doesn’t realize that if the shit ever hits the fan, he’ll be shredded by the blades. ”
“That’s the good news?”
“Bad news is that he’s currently mixed up in some real shady shit, and until it’s over, or he betrays the assholes he’s in it with, they’ll have a vested interest in keeping him alive. Which means going after him could shed unwanted attention on the Family.”
“So no good options,” I grumbled, rubbing my temples where I felt tension gathering.
“Nah. But there are some not-so-bad moves you could make. If it’s handled carefully, you should be able to take care of him while keeping things under the radar.”
For the next half hour, we talked through some strategies. I was about to end the call when he sighed and growled, “Rafa, wait.”
“Yeah?”
“Shouldn’t tell you this…but I think you need to know, and I won't give you any specifics.”
I frowned. From his tone, I was confident that I wouldn’t like whatever he had to tell me.
“This isn’t the first time Chet has gotten abusive with a woman.”
“What the fuck?” I growled.
“Parents managed to sweep it under the rug both times…that I know about. The last one, though, he didn’t want to let her go. She came to us because she needed to disappear.”
So many caustic emotions swirled around inside me that I felt like I might lose my fucking mind at any second.
“Chet ruined her life by spreading false tales that got her kicked out of school, turned on by her friends, and even managed to have her lawyer father disbarred. Of course, he promised to make it all go away if she came back to him.”
“Merda,” I cursed.
“One day, she found a bag of white powder in her car and realized he’d planted drugs on her.
It was serious fucking luck that she discovered them before driving to work where she would inevitably be pulled over and her car searched.
She flushed it and showed up on our doorstep a few days later.
King helped us with a new identity, and we smuggled her to a new home. ”
King was the president of another MC, except this one was in Georgia and not far from Camillia Falls. My connection to that MC was stronger because one of my cousins, who was like another brother to me, had patched a few years ago.
“Why tell me this?” I finally asked.
“To warn you that his fixation on your woman might be a bigger problem than anticipated. And to let you know that we’ve got your back. You want to go at this motherfucker, we’re in.”
“I appreciate it and will likely take you up on the offer. But I need a few days to get Vivienne settled first and some time to figure out the plan and how to set it in motion.”
“Understood. In the meantime, we’ll keep digging into him, his parents, and his connections.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and Rafa?”
“Sì?”
“Call your fucking cousin and tell him what’s going on.”
“I was planning on it, Fox,” I muttered. “It’s been less than two fucking days, and I’m just wrapping my head around this shit.”
He grunted in response, then hung up.
I sat in my chair for the next ten minutes, brooding in the silence, trying to sort through the overload of information in my brain.
Eventually, I was ready to pack it all up for a while to focus on Vivienne.
In my line of work, compartmentalizing was an extremely valuable skill.
And I was a fucking pro at it. I didn’t want her to worry or focus on anything besides us, so I filed everything away before going in search of my angel.