Page 56 of Ice
He shrugged, setting aside his phone.
“Depends on what you’re gonna yell at me for today.”
I grinned as I sat down.
“Me? Yell at my Club President? Doesn’t sound like me, man.”
His lips twitched a bit. I guess that’s as much of a smile as I’m gonna get from him.
“So what do you want?”
I leaned back in my seat.
“Something to do. I’m going out of my tiny little mind up there. Also, the prospects tailing me all over the fucking place? Getting kinda old.”
Reacher looked just as fed up as I felt.
“And if I could guarantee that you won’t go back to using, I’d give them a break, but let’s be honest here. You’re not feeling it yet, but pretty soon you’re gonna be fucking desperate for more coke, and I’ll do anything in my power to make sure you don’t find any.”
I nodded. “I get that. I’m trying, Pres. I really am. Giving me something to do is the best way to stop me going that route. When I’m just sitting up there, it’s all I can think about. Well, that and Lissa. Keep me busy, please, I’m begging you.”
He rifled through some papers on his desk.
“There is actually something you could help with, but you gotta understand, brother. I have so much shit going on right now, that I could really fucking do without another meltdown coming from you. I want you back on the inside, but you’re gonna have to prove that you’re with us.”
“I am. I really fucking am. Look, I fucked up, and by fucking up, I also fucked the woman I was falling for, and not in the way I was really desperate to. You know we never got that far. I want her though, Reacher. I want her like I want to fucking breathe, so if I have to prove myself to you, before you’ll trust her around me again, then that’s what I’ll do.”
He handed me the papers.
“This is one of Rossi’s guys. I… I have my suspicions about something he’s involved in, and I want hard evidence, before I take it to Rossi. I don’t want him anywhere near my fucking people until I know for sure, especially our old ladies. I think he’s working both sides.”
I looked at the pages he’d handed me. A copy of the guy’s ID, and some notes on places he’d been seen.
“Links to the cartel?”
He shrugged. “I hope not. But that last hit we did? Seems we missed two vital fuckers who are trying to set up again. I thinkthey were tipped off, and none of our guys would have done it, so it has to be one of his. This guy… I dunno. There’s something off about him. You know how it is, I can’t go to Rossi and say ‘your guy’s dirty’ unless I know for a fact he is. For all I know, this could be a fucking family member, once removed, or some shit.”
I nodded. “Who got you this much?”
Reacher grinned. “Let’s just say that one of our members has developed some rather light fingered skills, and I really wanna nurture that fucking skill. He took his ID and slipped it back to him once we got a pic.”
“Nice. I take it I’m being kept out of the loop on who that is too?”
He rubbed his face.
“For now. It’s not just you. I’m not telling anyone. You know how the guys are, they know we have a pickpocket among us, and next thing he’s gonna get blamed for every damn thing that goes missing.”
That was a fair point. “I’ll get right to work. Guessing I can’t convince you to let me take my setup back to my room?”
Reacher shook his head firmly. “Non-negotiable, brother. Makes me a pussy to say it, I’m sure, but you need space from the work you do. We’re not failing you again like we did before.”
I stood up, heading for the door, stopping with my hand on the handle.
“Reacher, you and the guys… you’re the only real family I’ve ever had. If anyone failed anyone, it was me failing you. It’s not gonna happen again, I swear.”
I meant every fucking word. First, I’d get my place back in the club, and then I’d get my old lady by my side where she fucking belonged. If I could convince her to give in to her feelings for me.
Lissa
