Page 41 of Hell Bent

Pointing his beer at Sway and Lottie, Razor gritted his teeth as he answered Teller. “They’re digging into Tesh’s death.”

“We didn’t have anything to do with that, did we?” Teller watched Razor, who was staring down Sway’s friend. “Razor! Did we have anything to do with his fucking death?”

“Fuck no, but we know who did.”

“Who?”

Razor turned his attention from Lottie, who was flirting her ass off with her boyfriend and another guy who had joined them at the bar, to his President. “Not the Bloody Scorpions. But the guy sitting with them is Dawson Franks, and the other guy flirting with Sway is one of his fighters.”

Teller scrubbed a hand down his face. “Fuck.”

“You can say that again, Teller.”

“At every fucking turn, those assholes are in our shit. Now, Dawson Franks is mixed up in this shitshow. I’m not ruling out the Scorpions possibly playing a role in Tesh’s death, but I don’t think they pulled that trigger. Ya feel me?”

“I feel ya. There’s only one way to deal with the Scorpions.”

“Well, those days are coming sooner than later.” Teller didn’t need reminding that the Scorpions were a thorn in their sides. They were like bad grass—every time you killed a patch, another one popped up. Before he retaliated against the group, he’d have to make a call to Jameson.

If the National President ordered them to take care of the threat, they’d unleash hell on the Bloody Scorpions. Theother issue was Dawson Franks. The guy managed multiple underground fighters. The Royal Bastards owned their own fighters and came up against Dawson and his fighters often enough to have a business relationship based on a mix of hate and respect. If Vicious and Razor were correct in their thoughts, Dawson was in deep shit.

“Razor, we don’t need problems with Franks on a personal level. So, whatever you’re thinking in that head of yours, stop.”

“Teller, I’m just wondering where Vicious is and why he’s not handling his woman.”

“Leave it alone. It’s his business.” Teller felt uneasy about Sway sitting at the bar with another man. The right thing to do would be to drag Sway out of there kicking and screaming, but they didn’t need a scene or have the cops called.

Teller scooted his chair back, and without another word, he got up and walked toward the bar. He wanted to wave off Blackjack and Havelock, but after his next move, he might want the backup. Weaving through the small crowd of locals, he made his way to where Sway sat. “Sway.”

Sway heard her name and sighed. Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Teller a bored look. “Yes?”

“Can I speak to you? It’ll just take a minute.”

“Sure. Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Easing out of the chair, she was happy for the intrusion. Sitting there making nice with Dawson’s friend gave her the creeps. He was giving her information on who he thought was responsible for her brother’s death, but to her, it sounded forced and full of half-truths. “What’s up?”

“You need to get your things.”

“Why?”

“I’m taking you home. And if you come along without making a scene, I’ll think about not calling your ol’ man.”

Crossing her arms, she wanted to shout for the world to hear that Vicious had left her. “I appreciate it?—”

“No. Get your things and do it right now.”

“Fine, but I’m only going because those guys are giving me the creeps.”

“They aren’t good people, Sway.”

“What about Lottie?”

“She can come if she wants, but she looks quite content with her current situation.”

Sway looked toward her friend and her eyes went wide. Lottie wasn’t one for a lot of PDA, but there she was, making out with Dawson like a horny teenager. When the show stopped, Sway tracked the direction of Lottie’s glare. She was staring down Razor, who looked pissed-off. “She’s playing with fire,” Sway mumbled.

“You can say that again.”

“Give me a second.” When Sway went to walk off, she saw how Dawson’s buddy was looking at her and she turned back to Teller. She wanted to tell him to call Vicious. Instead, she simply asked if one of them could step back over with her. She didn’t have to say a word as Blackjack moved around her. Sway feigned shock when the man gathered up her coat, scarf, and purse.

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