Page 21 of Beautiful Dangerous

“Look, Olivia, I don’t want to come across like I’m…”

“It’s fine,” she cuts in, and when she looks at me this time her eyes have lost that edge, and when she smiles it emits a genuine warmth. And I feel all kinds of crap kicking off in my head; the pit of my stomach, my fucking heart is breaking. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. The thought of just getting away from all of this, even if it was just for an hour or so, it was too good a chance to turn down.” She shrugs and leans back against the glass, sliding her hands into the pockets of her black jeans. “I should’ve told you.”

“Yeah. You should’ve.”

Our eyes lock, and she cocks her head. “What’s up, Lucca? What’sreallygoing on?”

“There’s nothing going on.”

Yeah.

There is.

“Really?” She lifts a brow, suspicion etched all over her dangerously beautiful face.

Alright. She wants to do this? Let’s do this. “He’s a fucking biker, Liv.”

“And what wereyou, huh? Before Javier brought you into the fold? He’s one of us, they all are now. Or they will be, soon.”

I narrow my eyes as I look at her, because I don’t think she’s being completely straight with me. I think there’s something else going on that she isn’t telling me about, and that’s making me fucking uneasy.

“Isn’t he needed at the clubhouse?”

“I’ve asked Eddie if he can stay with me today.”

I’m sorry, what…? “And what the hell amIsupposed to do? Play fucking gooseberry?”

“Grow up, Lucca.”

She’s seriously pissing me off now. They both are, I have no clue what game they’re playing here, but it shouldn’t be happening.

“Angel’s coming with me to the breaking the ground ceremony, for the new hotel.”

“Seriously? You want your name to be associated with the Devil’s Creed in such a public manner? You realize the questions that’s gonna throw up?”

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?”

She glares at me, her dark eyes burning into mine. “Donotquestion me, Lucca.”

“What’s happening here, Olivia?”

“Take the parcel to the casino, and then go to the port. See Harry. I want to make sure everything’s okay down there with regard to the weapons shipment.”

She’s shutting me down as far as all this Angel shit is concerned, and right now there isn’t much I can do about it. But I don’t have to like it, and I don’t. Not one fucking bit. “I thought the bikers were overseeing all of that?”

“They are. But I want one of my best men on the case too. The very best. We might be bringing the Devil’s Creed closer inside the circle, but we still need to make sure we’re privy to everything that’s going on down there. So, have a word with Harry, and make sure it’s all still on track. And when you’ve done that, drive up to the bikers’ warehouse. Take a look around.”

“Won’t that piss them off? It’s like we’re checking up on them.”

“We are. Be discreet. Do a recce of the surrounding area, look for anything out of the ordinary, then give Jimmy Golden a call and arrange a meet. If the police have even a whiff of something going down between us and the Pino brothers then we need to be prepared for it.”

Detective Jimmy Golden has been on the cartel’s payroll for a number of years now, so we can trust him – as far as we can trust anybody – to keep us informed of anything we need to know. But it never hurts to have a catch-up.

“Ask him about Colton. What was he doing at the bikers’ compound the other day. Just make sure everything’s alright.”

“Look, Olivia, I know it’s almost…”

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