Page 48 of Bastard

“Okay this is something I’m actually not well versed in at all. I know some of the cryptocurrencies and dark web money flow through the same channels, but I have no idea how antiquities play into that.”

Our eyes met in the mirror. “The short explanation is that they loot artifacts—steal them—and then smuggle them into the US on doctored paperwork. Sometimes even hidden inside other shipments. It’s bad because they’re stealing history from other cultures without their consent, and because that money ends up funding terrorists. All while the Feyereisens’ make a chunk of change on the whole process.”

“Assholes,” I grumbled. It seemed like every rock we flipped over revealed even more slimy cockroaches. “So how does that affect us?” I sat on the bed, fully dressed and ready for a very long day ahead. I even packed a backpack with two full changes of clothes. It was the first time Sam and I would be separate in a couple of weeks.

Sam moved on to applying makeup. “David thinks there’s more to the Calos County records disappearance than just my birth records. All he said was that Georgia used her skills and connections to make the records disappear and create the new one for me, and that there was a Feyereisen connection in there he hadn’t expected to find.”

“She definitely wasn’t working with them.”

“No,” Sam laughed. “Definitely not. And David has never been one to speculate. He either has solid theories or absolute facts. Which means he’s close if he feels comfortable sharing he’s onto something, but not close enough to disclose exactly what.”

“I appreciate his integrity but fuck that’s annoying.” At least I’d be too busy to obsess over it in my spare time.

My phone vibrated with a message from Storm. “Your ride is here. Take your time. We have some things to talk about.”

Sam wrapped her arms around my neck. “I just have to finish packing up. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’m going to miss the fuck out of you too.” Maybe Georgia was right. I was pulled in too many directions. Eventually Devil’s Wrath would be almost no stress at all and I could give Agent Steel my resignation. Did I want to keep seeing my own private clients, too? Saying goodbye to Sam right now certainly made it feel like a waste of my precious time.

Sam pressed kisses along my jaw and cheek, then finally on my lips. “Get your work done and come back to me.”

“Trust me, work is looking less and less interesting to me.” If my dick was in charge I’d tell all my clients goodbye during our meetings today. Luckily my brain still worked.

We shared one last, dirty kiss in private, then I left her to finish up without getting in the way. I let Storm in and took him to the study.

“You sure you want me to leave, boss?”

“I need someone with Sam.”

He shuffled his feet. “I know. I just…” he grumbled instead of finishing his sentence.

“You don’t like walking away from a fight.”

“You know it.”

“You’re not walking away. Your job is just as important and dangerous as the rest of ours. Fuck, maybe more so.”

“It’s going to get ugly. Shouldn’t have let the Chubbies join.”

I really didn’t have a choice. Devil’s Wrath was still Todd’s club. “I don’t think we could pull this off without them.”

Storm stopped fidgeting and looked me dead in the eye. “They aren’t going to follow the rules and you’re going to have to be okay with that.”

“Just because the world I want to live in has rules doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to survive.”

I already felt my mask slipping back into place. I didn’t want Sam to see it, but it was happening anyway. Soft was for Sam. Happy was for her too. Once she walked out that door with Storm I would forget those feelings entirely.

Tonight I would kill anyone who got in my way.

20

“You sure this is the way to go?” Riddick asked. The adrenaline rolled off all of us as we stood outside the fighting arena.

“Nothing else to be done. What am I supposed to do? Ask them nicely to leave Sam alone?”

Home Run sucked his teeth. “Got no choice, boss. You gotta flex that hand ‘else everything we’ve worked for goes down in flames.”

I placed Sam in her ivory tower with Storm. She was safe and far, far away from everything we were about to do. By my side I didn’t just have friends or even brothers. We were blood to each other. No one else I’d rather have with me.

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