Page 65 of Unveiled Wounds

“Tsavo,” Krait called back into the clubhouse. “Grab the duffel off of my desk.” He slithered down the stairs towards us. “I had it ready, just in case you actually succeeded.”

Tsavo slammed the back door to the clubhouse, carrying a duffel bag as he took the back steps two at a time. He was a bald, menacing bastard. He honestly made Wreck look tame. Tsavo lions were not really a species, but they’d killed enough men to earn the title man-eater. If he wanted a fight, we wouldn’t back down, but no one wanted to challenge him. We wouldn’t win, except maybe Count. I’d pay to see that exhibition.

“Let’s see my prize.” Krait clapped his hands together.

Sabre nodded to C and D to open the back of the truck.

“You know this shit’s fucking worthless, right?” Krait said as he nodded to Tsavo to hand Sabre the money. “As long as you were going to burn the warehouse, I wanted my piece of the pie.”

“You overpaid.” Sabre dropped the duffle between his feet, crouching to slide the zipper back. Satisfied, he nodded at Krait again. “It’s a good thing we pulled the guns, then.”

“Guns?” Krait got excited.

“Looks like semi-automatics. When you get halfway back, you’ll see them.”

Krait squealed, the sound eerily mirroring a snake’s rattle. “I’ve… well,you’vejust eliminated all Lopez Clan’s drug supply in the states. We’ll check it, but if it’s cut with baby powder, then we’ll burn it. Diego won’t be able to supply his clients, and I’ll reign supreme.“ Krait swiped his tongue across his lips, and I swore there was a fork down the middle. “The guns were well worth my donation.”

We stood to the side, watching and waiting as the Knights unloaded the truck. When the last pallet rolled off the truck’s ramp, Sabre threw the duffle into the truck’s cab and went to mount his bike.

“The tablet?” Krait asked.

How did Krait know? It made me wonder if this had been one big setup. They couldn’t have been the ones to send the paid soldiers to the holding cell. It wouldn’t have made any sense, but something didn’t sit right with this whole thing. We had done all the dirty work for petty cash we didn’t need in the name of revenge.

Sabre nodded at me, and I pulled the tablet from my saddlebag. Handing it to him, we shared a look. He’d caught the implication, and I wouldn’t have to explain my suspicions.

“This?” Sabre asked, holding the tablet out to Krait. “It’s been cracked for your viewing pleasure.”

As we prepared to leave, that was when Krait dropped the mic. “El Sombra Roja is visiting at the end of May. He’s planning on seeing his girls unannounced.” Krait laughed. “I might join him. You know, since my nephew doesn’t visit me.”

Chapter 25

Is There Anything You People Don't Claim?

Meredith

“This is madness,” I whispered into the darkness. I closed my eyes tightly, laying as still as I could.Go to sleep. Go to sleep.I sang to myself, but my efforts were futile. Grizz wasn’t here, and I was deathly afraid of what might appear in my nightmares. If Pulse made his random appearance and used Grizz for his fucked-up game, I would break, protecting him. Sleep was going to evade me tonight, and I reached for the TV remote.

Flipping through the channels, I landed on the Fight Night package. The club only had the premium channel because Grizz had paid for it as part of Cyph’s extortion. I was watching two men beat the fuck out of each other, holding back tears. That was when I decided I shouldn’t be alone and flipped off the TV before the first sob escaped.

Getting dressed, I headed for the main room. The lights were on, and a couple of brothers were playing cards. It was enough to not feel alone. I made some popcorn, settling into the couch to watch a movie. The opening credits had just scrolled whenGrace sat the baby monitor on the coffee table in front of us. She plopped down next to me, and I passed her my bowl.

“Can’t sleep?” she asked, waving off the popcorn.

“I didn’t want to be by myself.”

“Same.” She laid her head on my thigh as we both pretended to watch the movie. It was supposed to be a funny romcom, but neither one of us laughed at the jokes.

“They’re okay,” she whispered.

“They have to be, or we’ll kill them.”

She let a small laugh loose, refocusing on the movie we were staring at. Dead was the first brother to sit with us. He said nothing as he got comfortable in his spot. Count was next, plopping into the recliner that was directly behind us. Every couple of minutes, someone new would find a spot, until we were all in a four-foot radius.

We were three movies in when my phone rang. Grace quickly sat up as I reached into my pocket. Grizz was video calling me, and I didn’t hesitate to answer.

“Hey, give me a sec,” I said. “I’m going to take this in the kitchen.” I pointed the phone at Dead before running towards the door. He nodded in my direction, acknowledging he’d heard me.

The kitchen had windows, so I sat on the furthest barstool, away from the direct line of sight.

---