18. Dax #2
She clung to me like I was her only lifeline, and instead of fighting it like I normally would, I just let it happen.
This poor woman had been through hell today, and I wasn’t going to stand in her way of what would make her feel better.
The FBI joined us along with Dr. Lowe, who was able to extract Mariana from me and got her into a wheelchair to get her back inside.
Alvaro made to protest, but I shot him a look and shook my head.
“She’s had a hell of a day, just let it be for now.
You’re coming with me, and we’re going to figure out everything we can that you might know about your uncle.
The only way to keep your mother safe is to take the bastard out. Got it?”
Alvaro nodded but winced and grabbed his head. “Fuck, why does that hurt so much?”
“Sorry, Mrs. Blackmore, but you’re not taking him anywhere. He’s coming with us,” Agent Park informed me with a less-than-endearing tone.
“Yeah, see I’m gonna take issue with that.
I gave you the bad brother, the one who tried to blow us up and a whole bunch of other people.
You’ll get all the fame and glory you could possibly want digging into that guy’s brain.
As for this guy, he’s the good son who had never wanted to be part of the family biz.
You don’t get both,” I announced, punctuating it with an overly cheerful smile.
Wrapping an arm around Alvaro, I steered him in the direction of the front of the building where our SUV was.
“Hold it right there, Two Tricks,” Park ordered. The command in his voice told me he had his gun trained on me, which was the only reason I stopped but didn’t turn around. “You really shouldn’t have done that.”
“You’re a criminal who’s aiding and abetting another known criminal. Why exactly shouldn’t I be doing this?” Park demanded.
This time I did look over my shoulder just in time to see Void and Cam descend upon him. Void removed the gun from Park’s hand while Cam throat-punched the asshole, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
“My husbands get very upset when people pull guns on me,” I shared, watching the agent as he gasped for breath.
“Pretty sure I said last night that we weren’t going to talk again.
I feel like for your health and well-being, you really should make that happen.
None of us want to see what happens now that you’ve received your only warning.
Next time, they might just kill you. Who knows? ”
When I started forward again, Alvaro didn’t fight me at all.
He fell in line, happy to do as I asked.
Back at the SUV, we sent him to the back with Sprocket, feeling that was the safest option.
That and Sprocket had special voodoo power that made people tell him things whether they wanted to or not.
I’d experienced that myself a few times.
“Where are we headed?” Eagle asked once we were all packed up.
“I say just start driving before they change their minds and come after us for attacking a federal officer,” Wes suggested as he pulled out his phone. “Anyone object to me calling in the triplets? I feel like we need to start looping them in as it is anyway.”
We all agreed, and Wes made the call. It seems they even had a great place for us to meet up that wasn’t the apartments or our hotel room.
I grinned as we pulled up to a strip club called the Ruby Room.
Apparently, they had an area they used for illegal gambling a few nights a week, but otherwise, it was unused.
Harper and the triplets were already there setting up computers, maps, and other things we might need to locate someone.
It was really coming in handy having them as part of this since they were some of the best at hunting people down.
Not every target they were contracted to take out had known whereabouts, so this was nothing new to them.
“Don’t tell me you’re adding to your harem, Dax, isn’t seven men enough?” Jaxson asked me with a raised brow seeing Alvaro. “Plus, he looks a little on the young side. You sure he’s legal?”
I just stopped dead in my tracks, jaw on the floor. “What? Why the fuck would I add another man to my roster? Seriously, I have more than enough dick to last me a lifetime. God, I’d never get anything done if I kept adding people. I’d be on my back twenty-four-seven.”
“Trust me, it’s not as awful as it sounds,” a woman commented with a wink as she entered the room with a bucket full of bottled beer. “The thing is, you have to change up positions every once in a while, or that is hell on your back.”
We all laughed as she set the bucket down on the table then walked over, offering me her hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, Dax. I’m Raven. I own the Ruby Room.”
Raven was sultry elegance to the max. She was tall, thin but toned, showing she took good care of her body.
Like her name might suggest, she had pitch-black hair that hung in sleek waves down to her ass.
Raven had that effortless beauty that was born from the confidence she had in herself.
I knew right away this wasn’t a woman I’d want as my enemy.
“I feel at a disadvantage. You seem to know me, and I feel like I should know you,” I said, shaking her hand.
Raven gave me a bright smile and flicked some hair over her shoulder. “Like you, I’m the puppet master behind the operation, running it all from the shadows. Have you heard of the Ruby Cobras?”
“No,” I gasped. “The famous street racers that pull on all those amazing races all over the States? It’s what, a five thousand buy-in just to get your car entered?”
“It’s recently been raised to seven due to the current issues in the criminal world.
My hope is that once things settle down, we can re-evaluate that.
Buying off cops and business owners is getting expensive in this economy.
As much as I love the races, I can’t have it cut into the bottom line of my other businesses,” Raven shared.
“Makes perfect sense to me,” I agreed. “I’ve always wanted to enter one of your street bike races. It’s on my bucket list of things to do before I die.”
Raven pulled a business card out of her sports bra and handed it to me. “That’s my personal number… you just let me know when you want in, and I’ll make it happen.”
“I think I’m in love,” I whispered. “Damn, this is one of the only times I wished I was a muff diver because that has to be one of the sexiest things someone has said to me.”