Page 34 of Entangled By You
She pulls me into one last hug. “You’ve got this, Lex. Even if it doesn’t feel like it yet.”
I close my eyes and let her words sink in, warm and steady. “Thanks, Lo.”
We part ways, her boots slapping confidently toward her bike parked a few spots down while I meander toward the parking lot. As I settle into the driver’s seat, I pause with my hands on the wheel. My reflection stares back at me in the rearview mirror. It’s hard to miss the tired eyes, blotchy cheeks, and a soft swell of belly pressing against the steering wheel.
I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have most of them.
But maybe that’s okay. Maybe, for now, all I need is a plan to start moving forward.
I start the engine and drive.
RED HAZE
PIERCE
Si’s textwasn’t unexpected. It was on me to be ready at the drop of a hat whenever the club needed my expertise. What I didn’t expect was walking into the warehouse and finding a man duct-taped to a chair, especially in the middle of my workspace.
“Well, well, what do we have here?” I say, my voice echoing off the corrugated steel walls and high, dusty rafters.
Si leans against one of the metal-top tables, his knuckles already stained with blood. Across the room, Vik rummages through my neatly organized tools.
“Do you fucking mind? I have a system.”
“I have a system,” he mocks in a singsong voice, turning toward us with my hacksaw—the one from the third drawer.
“Is there a reason you’re doing this here instead of your room?” I ask Si as I make my way to the center of the warehouse, my boots loud against the concrete floor stained from blood and chemical spills over the years.
The man’s head lolls to the side, blood and spit trailing from his mouth. I can’t tell if he’s still conscious, but I knowhe’s not dead yet. The air hasn’t turned metallic enough. That smell always creeps in like a warning.
“I figured you’d want in on this one.” Si steps forward and grabs a handful of the man’s hair, wrenching his head up. “This here is the newest PI our dear friend the mayor sicced on Lex.”
Now that his face is upright, I get a clearer look. One of his eyes is swollen completely shut, a dark, puffed bruise that looks ready to split. The other eye twitches nervously as it flits between us. Si’s meticulous when it comes to torture. His form is calculated and patient. He’s left that eye untouched on purpose. That eye is meant to watch what’s coming to him.
“I hadn’t noticed anyone new following her.”
“Harlow clocked this one after their lunch the other day. Looped back around and followed him home. I kept eyes on him since, but figured it was time to bring him in and have a little talk.”
My blood turns molten as I picture this bastard sitting in his car, spying on Lexi. My fist flies without thought, slamming into his gut. The rush of wind past my ear mixes with the choked groan that tears from his throat. But it isn’t enough. I pull back, ready to hit again, when Si’s firm hand grips my shoulder.
“Let’s get some information out of him first. Then I’ll let you take over.”
I stretch my knuckles, the skin tight and tingling, and pace between Silas and Vik, only half-listening as the interrogation wears on.
I have to give the bastard credit, he’s made of thick stock. He doesn’t give much up, even as my brothers take turns breaking him down. That is, until Si brings out the pliers andstarts removing fingernails, one at a time. His screams bounce around the space but don’t escape the walls.
We spent tens of thousands soundproofing this place. Insulation, reinforced concrete, and custom paneling. It doesn’t just keep the sound in, it swallows it. And being tucked in the center of a forgotten industrial district on the outskirts of town means no one comes around unless they want trouble. The rare soul who passes by and sees our bikes parked outside has long since learned to keep their heads down and eyes averted.
“I’m going to ask you one last time,” Si says, his voice low and unhinged. “Then my buddy here is going to have free rein with that saw he seems awfully attached to. Why were you tailing Lexi Kane?”
The man isn’t as coherent as he was when I first arrived. His head sways, jaw slack, mouth thick with blood and fear. If Fingers had been here, he’d have a vial of something that would keep the bastard talking through the pain. But Silas has kept tonight’s business off the books. That’s why we’re here instead of at the clubhouse. And judging by the look in Vik’s eyes and the grip he has on the saw, things are just getting started.
Vik steps forward, his hulking Viking frame intimidating to anyone with eyes.
The PI, doing his best to keep his manhood in place, shudders when the edge of the saw gets placed on his thigh.
Vik usually isn’t the one involved in this type of business, especially since he’s become President of the club. He either needed a night to get out some pent-up energy, or is here by favor to his enforcer.
I won’t let him steal my satisfaction of removing this scum from the planet. He creeped on my girl, and we still have no idea what exactly the point of his invasion is.
