Page 7 of Hidden Desires
As predicted, Marcus was not too happy when they returned with a truckload of merchandise that was supposed to have been sold.
It was probably a good thing that Ace was with them during the deal because Marcus didn’t seem as murderous when Ace explained how Blade had basically saved them all.
“So what the fuck happened?” Marcus asked, crossing his arms against his chest and giving them a look that said he was waiting to rip their heads off.
His ass was propped against the front of his desk with his legs crossed at the ankles. His swollen, bulging biceps threatened to rip the material currently stretched tight against his arms, in a look that could only be described as “angry biker dude about to commit murderous rampage.”
The man was huge.
Ace stepped forward. There always had to be one sacrificial lamb when it came to delivering bad news, and he was that lamb. They all hoped that Ace’s “younger brother” status might yield them mercy and perhaps a reprieve.
“Well, it was a double cross. The buyer tried to pay us using counterfeit bills, then opened fire when Caden called him out on it.”
“He did what?” Marcus growled, jumping to his feet, looking ready to murder someone.
“It’s okay, dude. Blade here saved our asses and even took out a few of their men.”
Well, that was nice of him.Blade wasn’t expecting Ace to make him sound like such a hero.
The boy rambled on about how Blade had saved both of their asses, and it was because of him that they all walked away unscathed.
It wasn’t hard to notice that Ace conveniently left out the part where some dude almost put a bullet in his head.
Ace was right. If Marcus had heard that his little bro was almost killed, he would have driven himself down to Tucson and murdered all of Red Angel’s wannabe gang before banning Ace from going out on any future jobs.
Who names themselves Red Angel anyway? It’s not a very intimidating name.
Blade had to admit, his heart stopped in his chest the second he spotted that hidden gunman sneaking up on Ace. He had no time to think. He just reacted and didn’t think twice about ending that asshole’s life.
A hard slap on his back pulled Blade from his thoughts.
“It sounds like you were the hero of the group. I’ll have to give you a little extra something in your next pay.” Marcus gave him a smile before walking toward his office door. “Cade, grab Nikolai and have him help you put the merch back in the basement. I’ll make a few calls and see if we can’t unload the stash on someone else. There’s gotta be some other crew looking to purchase guns. Good thing Martinez already got paid, otherwise he’d be after our asses for the money.”
Martinez was the leader of a midsized cartel that Marcus used to supply guns and other assault weapons when needed. The man was reasonable, but he always demanded payment up front.
The one thing Blade had learned over the years was that criminals always wanted their money, no matter what.
Marcus was a smart man. He always made sure to pay his suppliers first, then recoup the funds once the deal was done. It was due to situations like these that his boss kept such a hard business practice.
“And what about Red Angel?” Caden asked as Marcus walked past him.
Marcus turned his head when he reached the door. “Nikolai and I are going to pay the man a little visit. Show him what we do to people who fuck with the Shadow Vipers.”
Caden smiled. “Need another set of hands?”
“Sure thing. We’ll head out tomorrow night. Make sure you grab the rope and bone saw.”
“I’ll grab my brass knuckles,” Nikolai added.
And just like that, another murder was planned.
“Everything alright?” Ace asked when it was just the two of them left in the office.
Blade nodded. “Yeah, just thinkin’ about stuff.”
“Anything you want to talk about?”
That was the thing about Ace—he was always there for others. When Lucas first moved to New Mexico and didn’t know anyone, Ace was quick to swoop in and pull him into his group. Yes, the guy was gay, but Ace would have pulled any new kid into his group, no matter what their sexual orientation was. Now they are best friends.
