Page 23 of Intimately Faithful

Then he took a seat in one of the back booths to wait.

He wasn’t a last straw kind of man, but this felt like he had no other choices offered to him and that in itself put Danny on edge.

Now he watched as every cautious and snooping set of eyes observed the man known only as Lawless stride through the tables, with his black coat flapping around his legs and a deep-etched sneer as his side-kick.

Danny saw a healthy dose of fear and curiosity on most every face.Understandable. The man didn’t look approachable and the turtle-neck dark tattoo swathed around his throat wasn’t any help in making him amicable to the general, gawking public.

Danny understood people.

Knew how to recognize the good from the bad.

Knew when he was in danger … which hadn’t been for a long time, but that skill never abandoned him in times of need.

He’d been the one to initiate this meeting, but it wasn’t one of pleasure.

The scowl told him he better make this good.. or else.

There was a powerful edge that went far beyond Lawless’ menacingstay the fuck awayappearance. One that repelled and attracted at the same time.

Women shifted in their seats, straining their necks in order to watch him walk by.

Men edged back out of his way without a seconds thought.

And Lawless himself? Never looked at anyone.

He slid his body into the seat opposite Danny, wrapped his coat around his legs and rested both clasped hands on the top of the table.

Impatience in the lone eyebrow he raised.

“Thanks for meeting me.” Offered Danny. He’d dealt with intimidating men all of his life, so he knew how to handle himself.

“What’s this about?”

He’d been pretty cryptic calling the MC to ask to speak to Lawless and then request this meeting. He’d heard of the poor state of affairs between both the MC and the mafia all last year, so he wasn’t risking saying anything that could be listened in through the phone.

“There’s a situation I thought you and your friends would want to be made aware of because it overlaps with something to do with me, by some kind of freak coincidence.” Waiting for him to go on, Lawless appeared to already be bored. “Does the name Grigori Kuznetsov mean anything to you?”

To give him his due, Lawless didn’t so much as flicker with recognition. Though it was Danny who lead the conversation, it was evident who was in charge. He didn’t mind, he wasn’t the kind of man who lost his manly shit over an alpha personality in his vicinity.

And he’d asked him here for help.

He could hump the chair leg and Danny wouldn’t so much as lift an inquisitive eyebrow.

“You know it does, or you wouldn’t have asked me here. But I’m not joining the dots from you to thebratva. What did they do, steal your holy water?”

“I’m taking this conversation is in confidence?”

He smirked. “Should have asked that at the beginning, vicar.”

“I’m a pastor.”

“Sure. Let’s reverse confessional.”

Danny chuffed a laugh. This guy was yanking his chain on purpose. Whatever put ease in the air was fine by him. Being a pastor meant he had a lot of time and patience for all kinds of personalities. “That’s Catholicism. I’m a pastor.”

“I know.”

He and Danny talked randomly, a couple of summers ago. At the time, Danny presumed it was completely accidental. Now though, he wasn’t so sure. Lawless didn’t seem like the type of guy who did anything aimlessly or spur of the moment without knowing about it first.

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