Page 93 of Waging War
The officer’s head tilts. “Full immunity to a pack of ex-cons?”
“Their pasts may be colored, but they’ve moved on. It’s been years since any of these men have had a run-in with the law, and I won’t let you use them without knowing they’re fully protected.”
I came here tonight to ask my pack for exactly what Félix is asking. But where I don’t have the means to make this arrangement with them, he does. I cross the room until I’m close enough to see the brown of his irises.
“Protect my family, and we protect you. That’s the deal.”
He stares at my outstretched hand. Looking to Dad, he asks, “This is your daughter?”
His chest visibly rises. “Bit of a hardass, isn’t she?”
Félix’s smile is genuine as he reaches for my palm. “You’d make a good cop.”
Shoulders back and arms crossed, Ben nods. The pride on his face blooms with my own.
Jack’s hand splays across Cassidy’s belly, and Derrick holds Jules against his front as they wait for the verdict. This room is full of people I love and care about deeply, and there’s nothing that I won’t do to protect them.
“Do we have an agreement?” I ask Félix.
He twists his gaze around the room, then back to me. “We’re agreed.”
CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR
Ben
Irun a hand through my hair and release the breath I was holding. Thankfully, Jackie and Félix were able to recover Jack and the rest of our friends, but Sam’s still hidden somewhere, and I’ve been crawling out of my skin with restlessness each hour since our meeting.
Jack insisted on helping us, which means we now have two groups to execute this mission. Hazel, the Wolves, Jack, and I round out the first one; Jackie, Sasha, Félix, and his cops make up the other.
A sickness builds low in my stomach. Even with our team stacked the way it is, I can’t shake the trepidation. Bruce is a loose cannon, and his unpredictability has gotten significantly more unstable.
I click on my earpiece. “Can everyone hear me alright?”
Jack nods as Félix responds. “Ten-four.”
“Roger that,” Sasha says, followed by several more check-ins.
Across the parking lot of the motel, motorcycle engines vibrate the ground while Hazel and her crew ready themselves. Pressure tightens my throat as I watch her positioned on her father’s right flank, with Cooper on his left. She deserves to be there, leading her crew, and the sight is sexy as hell.
They roll up in front of us, bracing their feet on the ground.
Cooper throws me a helmet. “You ready, enforcer?”
Enforcer.
If we pull this off, I’ll never hear that title again.
I nod before sliding my eyes to the wild woman straddling her Harley. Before now, it was impossible to believe I could have a future with any female, let alone one who initially wanted to kill me. But life has a funny way of pushing people toward each other when they least expect it.
We’re still clawing our way out of the trenches, but there’s not a single other human I would choose to fight beside. Like a firestorm, she’s scalded me, and I’ll happily burn alive at the end of Hazel’s flame.
I place the helmet over my head and walk toward her Harley as Jack heads for Cooper’s. With my heart thundering, I meld my body against hers and straddle the back of her bike.
I nod to Kenneth. “Let’s end this.”
“Wolves.” Félix’s voice cuts through the rumbling machines.
Sliding a finger under her helmet, Hazel presses the device Félix gave us. “We’re ready.”
