Page 26 of Full Throttle

It wasn’t until the sun had set early in the evening when Jeremy showed up. I was on the couch, watching some trash reality TV show with Sullie. An engine hummed outside, and I lifted my head from the pillow.

“My nephew is finally here,” Sullie softly boomed.

Since the day I moved in here, I quickly learned that Sullie Jones was a man who boomed. He never got too quiet, but he could get to a soft boom.

“Where’s he been all day?” I sighed. Part of me wanted to be hurt that the leader of Oasis, the man who wanted me in St. Louis, didn’t visit me much. The other part of me realized that Jeremy Jones was a man of action, and his organization was under attack. He had bigger things to worry about than checking on me. He was working on getting revenge.

I could support that.

Sullie looked at me from his place in the chair, a slow smile spreading across his face. “He’s a Jones, girl. If I know anything, that boy has been plotting and planning. One of his driver’s getting attacked…” The big man trailed off for a moment.

I nodded understanding. “But that guy, Tiggy, he was killed, right?”

Sullie nodded, sadness in his eyes. “Tiggy wanted to be an Oasis driver, but he never made it to that level. Tiggy’s death will be avenged, I promise you that.”

At that second, there was a knock at the door. I moved, trying to sit up, but Sullie stopped me. “Lay back down, Nikki,” he ordered, standing up.

As usual, I watched as he went to the door, his hand going behind his back to where his piece was. Once I asked him why he did that even though he knew who was at the door, and all he said to me was, “I’ve seen too much shit, girl. When I answer the door, my hand is on my gun.”

Sullie checked the peep hole before pulling the door to reveal Jeremy, and—

Holy fuck, that’s the tattooed man.

I’d only seen him once or twice since coming to St. Louis, and I didn’t know much about him other than he was Jeremy’s brother-in-law and Cain’s brother worked for him. However, in my gut, I knew that he was a powerful man—and a dangerous one. Jeremy, who was dressed in jeans, Timberlands, and black hoodie, stepping his first, his eyes immediately coming to me. I didn’t have time to watch the other man enter as Jeremy came to me, his body blocking my view. A second later, he was eye level with me, his hand reaching out and going to the top of my head.

His face was filled with regret. “I am so fucking sorry, Dominique,” he whispered.

Suddenly, knives formed in my throat. I didn’t expect this from him. “It’s not your fault,” I croaked.

Darkness clouded his face, and a shiver went down my spine as he vowed. “It is. We’ve dealt with this for far too long. I didn’t want you at Oasis only to get hurt,” he said firmly as the other two men conversed lowly in the background. “I brought you to Oasis because you’re a damn good driver.”

I nodded. “I know that, Jeremy.”

He dropped his hand. “Lee told me that you want to know everything.”

“I think I deserve that,” I whispered, moving to my elbows, burying the wince.

“You don’t have to get up,” he urged.

Ignoring him, I pushed up even more, sitting up fully as I swung my legs over the edge. “I’ve been laying here for the last few hours. I need to get up or I’ll become one with the couch.”

Jeremy’s lips twitched. “Right,” he muttered, rising. He moved, and I got to see his brother-in-law up close for the first time. He was dressed in an all-black suit, his black hair slicked back but buzzed on the sides. His eyes were almost as light as Cain’s, but they didn’t come close to matching Cain’s beauty.

“Dominique,” he greeted, his voice deep but pleasant. “I’m Collin.”

My eyes shot to Sullie, who gave me a curt nod.

When I looked back to Collin, all I saw was death in his eyes, which were on my temple.

He took a few steps closer, his dress shoes hitting the hardwoods softly. “We haven’t had the chance to officially meet, but my brother-in-law tells me you’re one hell of a driver,” he began, the violence in his eyes dimming a bit.

I’d seen him around Oasis sometimes, but mainly at Sullie’s on Sundays. Kay, Collin’s wife, started the tradition years ago. She seemed kind, along with Gwen and Haley. The three of them seemed pretty tight. However, no matter how bright and warm Kay’s smile was, I was always focused on her husband lurking behind her.

Collin was a scary dude.

“Who are you?” I blurted.

He raised a brow, confused. “I understand that you might’ve hit your head, Ms. Wells. My name is Collin—”

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