Page 10 of Bastard Prince
“I’ve looked everywhere I can think of, and I can’t findanythingthat shows the hit is legitimate. I haven’t been able to track down the source, but they could be going old school, keeping it completely off grid. Whoever they are, they’re either really good, or really fucking lucky, but I’m still working on it.”
“Good,” I said, even though there was really nothing good about what she’d said. In fact, it was all shit, but I knew she was trying her best, so being an asshole to her wouldn’t help.
“There’s already been an attempt on Francesca’s life.” I let my gaze roam around the gathered faces, seeing the reactions on all of them. Each one looked pissed as fuck about the fact that someone had come for my wife, a woman they hadn’t even met yet. “Yesterday morning, some asshole in a van attempted to run her over in the parking garage of our apartment building.”
Even as I said it, my pulse sped up at the use ofour.
It felt good. Right. Francesca was my wife, my partner. Everything I had was now hers to share. Including my people.
“I have moved her to a second, secure location.”
At that, Rocco snorted. “Let’s see how long you can keep her there, hey?”
I sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, Rock’s right. Francesca is not exactly the kind of woman to simply hide away and let me handle this.”
“Because she’s a badass independent woman who don’t need no man,” Lexi chimed in without lifting her head, and I was shocked to see a ghost of a smile crack Lucky’s typical resting bitch face.
Hell, even I wanted to smile at that comment, mostly because it was absolutely true.
I didn’t, though.
“Indeed,” I said instead. “And with that in mind, I want to try and keep a man on Francesca at all times. For the most part, that’s gonna be me, but Rock or I will let you know if we need you to fill in. She has her own muscle, but if I can’t be with her, I want someone from our crew watching her back.”
“She’s gonna fuckin’ hate that, man,” Rock informed me, like I didn’t already know that shit.
“Too fuckin’ bad. I am not asking her. She doesn’t like it, she can stay in the house. But seeing as how that’s about as likely as Lexi becoming a nun, then we do it my way.”
“Hey!” Lexi barked. “I would make a fantastic nun, fuck you very much.”
“She’s already got Benny worshiping at her alter,” Trick whispered not so quietly. He was still laughing at his own joke when a loudthwackcaused him to freeze. We all stared at the blade of Lucky’s knife, where it was buried half an inch deep into the wood paneling barely a hand’s breadth from Trick’s face.
He gaped at the knife, then turned his shocked face to Lucky, who sat with her arms crossed, her dark eyes narrowed and her normally tanned skin flushed with anger.
“That was rude,” she growled, her voice so quiet we could barely hear her. Trick swallowed, nodding jerkily, and reached for the knife. “Don’t!” Lucky said. Her voice wasn’t loud, but the command in the single word was unmistakable. The bar was quiet as she got up from the booth, her black cargo pants and matching tank top making her look like she was on some sort of special ops team rather than a member of a crew of enforcers for me. Lucky made her way across the bar, her combat boots nearly silent on the wood floor, and leaned over the table, getting right in Trick’s face. She gave him a smile that could only be called dangerous before she reached up and plucked her knife out of the wall, spinning it between her fingers like a baton before sliding it into a small sheath at her belt and returning to her seat next to Lexi, who held up her fist for a bump of her own.
Blowing out a breath, I placed my hands on my hips. “If you’re all finished, there’s more shit to discuss.” When they all appeared to be paying attention again, I continued. “On top of the hit, there’s also shit stirring with the Russians.” That brought a round of grumbles. These guys had all been with me the last time things went south, and I knew none of us were looking to see that happen again. “There is nothing really concrete so far, just a feelin’ in my gut that Anton is lying to me.”
“Your gut’s never steered us wrong before, boss,” Benny said.
“Well, this time, I wouldn’t mind being wrong. We got enough going on right now, we don’t need anymore blood on our hands. “But,” I paused, looking each of them in the eye, except Lexi, who was still busy typing away, “that doesn’t mean you let anyone get away with anything. As it stands right now, the terms of the truce are still in place, and I won’t have one of my guys breaking it. You keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground, though. I want to know the second you see something that stinks. If shit’s gonna fall apart, it won’t be because one of us started it. But you can bet your fuckin’ asses that we will finish it. If we get double crossed, there will be no truce. Not this time.”
I let my words sink in, stepping back and letting Rock move forward for his turn to talk. “Trick, we’re sending you in for a look around. Get close, watch them, and report back. Please,” Rock implored when Trick’s eyes lit up, “for the love of fuck, do not start shit. Just watch.”
“Scout’s honor, Rock,” he swore, holding up three fingers.
“You were never a boy scout, so cut the shit.”
“True, but I banged a girl scout in high school once,” Trick replied, smiling like a crazy person.
“Wait,” Benny asked, a frown on his face, “when you were in high school, or when she was?”
“Um, let’s say both,” Trick said, side-eying Lucky as he did. We all knew how she felt about young girls being taken advantage of. She was a stone cold-killer most days, but she was a totally different level of violent when it came to kids. Fuck, I guess we all were, but her more than the rest of us. Something in her past must have made her that way, be we didn't talk about Lucky’s past. Mostly because she didn't remember it.
But that was a whole other story.
“One last thing,” Rock said quickly, wanting to put an end to all the bullshit before it got out of hand. “There’s a new player in town, goes by Frankie the Wolf, and he’s causing some whispers in all the wrong places. We don’t have much more than that available to us, but once again, pay attention. It’d be nice to get ahead of this before it creeps up on us.”
A round of nods and everyone started to stand, ready to get to work.
