Chapter 14
DIESEL
Blood and I head to the back room, but all I can picture is Martina holding the prospect’s hand. I have no fuckin’ clue why it bothered me so much, and then that bothered me too.
“Looks like Smoke and I won the bet.” Blood grins at me.
“Fuck no, I call interference. I didn’t even get a chance to work my magic until you came over cock-blocking me.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Blood laughs. “You got magic?”
I throw Martina one more look before we leave the main room.
“Hey.” Blood stops outside the door. “You ready to do this?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Head in the game, right?”
“What are you sayin’?”
“We’ve been waiting for this meeting for two weeks, and I wanna make sure our Enforcer is on point and looking for any problems.”
“Let’s get this done.” I barrel through the door, pissed at Blood’s questions.
I’ve never let down the Bastards, or given less than a hundred and fifty percent. I resent his doubt, but I keep all that bullshit to myself ‘cause, like Blood said, we got business—and business always comes first.
I slap on my game face and saunter into the room all bad-ass and ready to throw down if needed.
Smoke is already at the head of the table.
Blood sits to his right with me at Smoke’s left, then Ricky, Manny and Bolt.
Benito throws Eduardo a dismissive look and sits at the opposite side closest to the head of the table.
I do a quick scan of our guests, but something seems off. Eduardo is our main contact, which made us believe he would be calling the shots, but their body language says different.
Benito continues to ignore Eduardo, who twitches like a junkie about to jump out of his skin. All along we thought Eduardo and Benito were equals, but obviously Eduardo is nothing more than a lackey.
When we were all seated, Smoke stood. “I’m sure none of us wants to be here on a Friday night, but since things got screwed up last time,” his gaze slides to Eduardo, “here we are.” Smoke sits and makes eye contact with everyone in the room. ending with Benito.
Benito clears his throat. “An unfortunate miscommunication.” His gaze flits to Eduardo.
“No miscommunication,” Smoke corrects. “Your boy was thirty minutes late, and I don’t do late. You set a time; you honor it—anything else is bullshit and disrespectful.”
“I’m in total agreement.” Benito lowers his eyes to the table, then looks up. “But now is the time to move forward.”
I already got this bastard’s number. Typical cartel boss, all manners and soft words on the outside, while they’re plotting your death on the inside. It took a while to get used to the way things are done down here, but we were all quick learners.
“For the benefit of all of us,” Smoke adds.
The good news is Smoke and Blood have already taken down two cartel kings in as many years.
Word travels fast in Tijuana, so they’ve developed a rep, and everyone knows they are well versed in the way the game is played.
The Royal Bastards also made it clear problems are handled quickly and efficiently.
We don’t fuck around when it comes to business.
“The deal we propose is solid and straightforward.” Benito steeples his fingers.
“We need to expand our business interests, and we have the perfect location for a casino. We have the money for keeping the authorities in their place, making sure they look the other way. What we don’t have is the protection from our enemies. ”
“And for this protection, we get—” Smoke already knows the deal, but he wants Benito to confirm it.
“You get a place to exchange your money.” Benito smiles, and I’m reminded of a rattler I saw out in the desert last month.
“And there’ll be no cap on the amount of exchange?”
Smoke could be just as smooth. The fucker hardly ever lost his cool, which in most cases, was even more frightening. He knows how to work a room, and his stone-cold expression can’t be matched.
“That’s the deal we made.” Benito shrugs. “Why all the questions now?”
“‘Cause we were supposed to make this deal two weeks ago. Just making sure nothing’s changed.”
Benito and Smoke stare at each other, and I shift my arm, exposing the gun in my holster.
“Nothing’s changed. You can be assured of our word.”
Yeah right, the word of a cartel boss who would kill his mother for more territory. Since I’ve been in Tijuana, I’ve seen a guy gun down his father and another guy gun down his wife in cold blood, so nothing is off the table or off-limits, and we all know it.
“We will contact you when the casino officially opens, and once we are up and operating, all deals made tonight will begin.” Benito holds out his hand, and Smoke waits two whole heartbeats before he acknowledges the gesture.
Benito nods to Eduardo, who hasn’t uttered a word, then they turn toward the door.
Smoke and Blood exchange a look. “Why don’t we seal the deal at the bar?”
Benito stops just short of the door, turns, and nods his agreement, letting Smoke lead the way.
Bolt and I exchange a look that says we got better things to do on a Friday night than entertain these two, but it looks like we’re gonna be having a drink with some cartel assholes.
MARTINA
I discreetly check my phone again, but no message from Eduardo. It’s been at least a half hour. How long do outlaw bikers and cartel bosses meet? I doubt they were talking about their next vacation or where their kids went to school.
I’m halfway through my third and last margarita when I see Smoke, Blood and Diesel emerge from the back hallway followed by Eduardo and—Benito.
I blink furiously, thinking the tequila is playing tricks with my eyes. They settle at Smoke’s table in the back, and I spin around, my heart racing along with my brain.
Would Eduardo be able to ditch Benito to meet up with me?
Did Eduardo sell me out and bring Benito here?
Would Benito see me and grab me?
Granted, the place is packed with people, but we really aren’t that far away from each other. If he focuses on the bar, he’s sure to see me sitting at the end barstool.
“What’s the matter?” Maxie asks.
“Nothing. I . . . I have to . . .”
“You’re as white as a sheet.” Marisol leans in. “Do you feel all right?”
“Ahhh, no. Must be the drinks. I have to go.”
“Wait, we’ll go with you.” Marisol flags down the bartender.
“No, I have to go—now.” I turn slightly to retrieve my purse, and Eduardo is staring directly at me. I’m sure in another minute they’ll be heading my way, and I’ll have no way out.
Maybe Benito already knows I’m here, and he’s made some deal with the Royal Bastards to help him capture me.
I jerk my head away, and Maxie flanks me. “Do you feel sick?”
“Yes, yes, I need some air.”
“Okay, c’mon.” Maxie steers me out the front door while Marisol leaves a tip at the bar.
I suck in the cool night air, but I can’t stop looking over my shoulder.
“What’s really wrong?” Maxie asks. “‘Cause you’re shaking like a leaf, and your eyes are darting all over the place.”
“I . . . I thought I saw someone I knew in there.” I jerk my thumb toward The Tropics.
“Someone who wasn’t there before?”
I nod and gulp in more air, but my heart won’t slow down. Any minute, I’m sure the door is going to bang open, and Benito will grab me. Only this time, there will be no way out. He’ll have the Royal Bastards behind him, and he'll never let me out. Or they’ll punish me for sure, and then . . .
The street swims in front of my eyes in a kaleidoscope of colors. My knees fold, and I crumble to the sidewalk. My shoulder hits the concrete first, then the thud of my head.
“Shit!” Maxie grabs for me. “Martina?”
“What happened?” Marisol’s voice filters over me.
Maxie lifts my head, then cradles me against her body. “Go in and get one of the guys. Something’s wrong. She just passed out.”
“No, no, don’t get them.” My head lolls against Maxie’s shoulder.
“It’s all right, hon.” She holds me tighter. “You need to lie down. You’ll never make it to your apartment.”
“No, no, you don’t understand. He’ll take me back if he sees me . . . He’ll, no, no . . . ”
“Hon, just try to relax.”
“Fuck, what the hell happened?”—a familiar male voice I can’t place.
A flurry of other voices and being lifted into strong arms. Doors slamming, more voices, then something soft under my head and body.
I open my eyes, but I can’t get my bearings.
“Don’t let him take me . . . Don’t let him take me back,” I plead.
The mattress dips alongside me, and a cool cloth is placed on my forehead.
“Babe, what happened?” Diesel’s voice.
I thrash my head from side to side. “Don’t tell him I’m here. Don’t let him take me.”
“She said that outside too.” Maxie’s face floats over me.
“We were just sitting at the bar, and all of a sudden, she freaked out, saying she had to go.”
“She probably drank too much.”
“No, it was like something spooked her,” Maxie said. “She ran out the front door, and I thought she was gonna be sick. Then she started hyperventilating and collapsed.”
I force my eyes open because I have to tell them I’m in danger. I have to tell them about Benito. What if he came into the apartment with Diesel? What if he’s already here, and Diesel lets him take me?
Diesel sits on the edge of the bed and strokes my hand. “Tell me what happened, babe.”
I grab his wrist with all my strength. “Please don’t let him take me.”
“Who, baby? Don’t let who take you?”
“Benito. Don’t let Benito take me.”