Page 71 of Cognac Secrets

“I’m fine,” I grated and he raised an eyebrow. “Hex send you over here to babysit me?” I demanded.

“LaCroix, actually. When the Pres says jump you jump and then make sure it was high enough.”

“Whatever,” I said. “Theres a lot more important shit to handle than my feelings.”

Collier snorted, “Yeah, nah, LaCroix seems to think you need checked on and I volunteered.” He sniffed.

“I know you were over there too,” I said dropping onto the edge of the bed and pulling the boxer briefs I had waiting off the top of the pile of clothes I’d laid out.

He turned around and leaned a shoulder against the door jamb, turning his face just enough so that his voice would carry over his shoulder at me.

“Yeah, which is the only reason I gotta ask,” he said. “Just whose bleeding were you trying to stop?”

“Louie’s,” I answered stubbornly, because it was the truth. “I didn’t see anybody but Louie.”

“Just the way you was calling for a medic an’ all had us wondering,” he said.

“Thatwas training,” I said pulling off the towel once my bits were covered.

“You sure that was all?” he asked.

“I’m good,” I said. “Done it entirely too many times before… this…” I hesitated. “This isn’t even the worst,” I confessed.

“Fuck,” Collier muttered and dropped his chin to his chest, bowing his head. “I’m sorry, man. We just gotta know if you’re good to see this through.”

“I’m good,” I said. “Solid. I promise. Plenty of time for that other shitafter.”

“Yeah, well, Hex is getting the clubhouse swept for listening devices and shit since the pigs were all fuckin’ up in it. Just as soon as they release the crime scene.”

“Good plan,” I said pulling a clean shirt over my head.

“We’re headed out, LaCroix’s place before we talk any more business.”

I nodded. It wasn’t ideal, trekking all the way out into the fuckin’ swampbutit was the wisest course of action when you were potentially in a fuckin’ corn field. That is, way too many ears a listening.

I went over to my dresser and slid my sidearm out of its holster, checked it, replaced it, and put it on.

“Let’s fuckin’ roll,” I said.

“A’ight,” he gave a nod and sweeping up my jacket and bloodstained cut, I shrugged into both as we went up the long hallway down the middle of my newly acquired shotgun house and out the front door.

I locked up behind us, and we hoofed it up the street in the direction of the club. It was a brisk walk, but we knew we were good. One, it’s a pain in the ass to fuckin’ shoot anything from a moving bike or car. You pretty much just sprayed and hoped you fuckin’ hit something. Forus, it’d be a lot easier to hit them from a fixed point. Drive by’s didn’t allow for a whole lot of zigging and zagging the sort you would need for evasive fucking maneuvers – plus, I highly fucking doubted with how hard the neighborhood was crawling with piggies that they’d be so fucking bold. Shit, drive by’s in themselves were a neanderthal bitch move.

“We let our guard down,” I heard Axeman say as Col and I were walking up.

“I should have just gotten the fucking ice,” Chainsaw said and he sounded wrecked, man.

“We don’t keep the moonshine at the bar on ice,” I told him.

“It wouldn’t have mattered in this case,” Hex assured him then eyed me. “You good brother?”

“I’m not exactly golden,” I told the truth, “but I wouldn’t miss this for the fucking world.”

…after all, these guys didn’t really know it, but revenge was kind of my niche.

“What’s taking so long?” Cypress demanded scowling, the veins straining and his pulse point jumping at the side of his bull neck.

“I’m fixing to find out,” Hex went in the gate where a tech shouted ‘hey!’ but he ignored them and marched right up to the knot of bodies that was LaCroix, Saint, and a bunch of plain-clothes detectives or some shit.

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