Page 31 of Ride Long
I snorted and downed another mouthful of beer. Gasket liked to think he was an observant bastard, but he knew nothing. I didn’t care what his relationship with Sloane was, but what was between her and me was not for him to know. Not when she was locked up inside the compound surrounded byguns.
“You might think you’ve fooled Marini, but it’s only a matter of time before he sees right throughyou.”
“The man isn’t capable of love, so even if it were true, he wouldn’t be able to work it out,” I shotback.
“You used to be such a good liar,” Gasket remarked, tilting his head toward the sky. “A real manipulator. After the Hollow Men killed your wife, the only thing I thought you gave a shit about wasrevenge.”
“Don’t you dare talk about her.” I snarled. “You don’t get to.Understand?”
He brought his chin down and stared me right in the eye. “Is that what you toldSloane?”
I ground myteeth.
“Does she feel the sameway?”
“Will you shut the hell up?” Ibarked.
“You’re playing a dangerous game, Chaser. Who do you think Marini would believe if it came down toit?”
I narrowed my eyes. I wanted to say it was me, but Gasket was childhood friends with Marini. He’d been with Fortitude before it had even been called Fortitude. I was seven years into the game and brought information and skills the old man didn’t have, but blood ran thicker than power. Though, lately, it was hard to say with the president. He lusted after a lot of things that weren’t loyal to his oldest brother-in-arms.
“Flip a coin. You’d have better luck working it out,” Iretorted.
“Right now, she’s downstairs having dinner with him. After a week here, he finally wants to see her.” Gasket sighed. “And it’s not to catch up on seven lost years,either.”
I glanced at him, my stomach feeling unsettled. It was too soon. Way too soon. She’d stepped over the line with Harley even though the bastard deserved everything she gave him and thensome.
“Why did she attack Harley?” I asked. “Did he try to jumpher?”
Gasket shook his head. “No. She walked in on him beating onSam.”
I cursed under my breath. There were so many things wrong with how Harley treated his woman, but interfering was the worst thing Sloane could’ve done. No one could break a cycle of abuse that deep with one broken nose. Now she was in a room with Marini getting one of his stock standard talking-tos. There would be no happy family reunions between thosetwo.
“She better watch her back, then,” I muttered, crushing the empty beer can in my hand. “Harley won’t let this slide. Being Marini’s daughter won’t stophim.”
“I can’t watch over her all the time,” Gasket said. “This is where I hope I’m right, and you’re already looking out for ourgirl.”
“Our girl?” I snorted. I used to be so good at reading people, but this old fucker was impossible. If I misjudged, I was as good as dead. If he was telling the truth…the game had turned in our favor. We couldn’t affordmistakes.
“For once in your life, drop the tough guy act, Chaser.” Gasket’s shoulders tensed, and he lowered his chin. “I wasn’t able to save her from Marini when he tried to sell her off, but I was the one who helped her get out…and the one who stopped him from going after her until now. Who do you think convinced him to sendyou?”
It was my turn to tense up. Gasket had just handed me enough information to get him a one-way ticket to six feetunder.
“Out there, I can’t help her, not with this,” he went on. “On her own, she was done for. They would’ve gotten to her, and I would be sitting by a grave rather than on this stinking roof with you. In here, I can do something. There is no one else.” He eyed me with a look I wasn’t sure I could explain. Did Gasket actually trust me with Sloane? Fuck, stranger things hadhappened.
“Does she know?” I asked, tossing the beer canaside.
“No.”
“What about Marini? Does he know it was you who got her out the firsttime?”
“Not that I knowof.”
So now we had dirt on each other. It wasn’t quite the stuff alliances were made out of, but when Sloane’s life was at stake, neither one of us could take anychances.
“If you care for her like you say, then you’ll keep your mouth shut,” I said, knowing the game was well and truly up. With Gasket, anyway. “If I need to get her out, I won’t be kind to anyone who gets in my way. Not even her surrogatedaddy.”
“That’s all I wanted to hear,” the old man said with a smirk. “I convinced Marini to let her work with me in the garage. Since she can’t leave the compound, I’ll be able to watch herthere.”
