Page 6 of King

Another twenty minutes later, I decided to pull out the big guns. One of the first lessons my dad taught me was that a girl had to use every weapon at her disposal. A woman crying made most men uncomfortable, so it was a handy tool when needed. So I turned on the waterworks, hoping I’d finally get through that gate.

2

KING

My desk phone rang, and I stopped talking to Echo and frowned. That phone was a direct line to the guard shacks at the front and side entrances to the compound.

Matteo was on guard duty. He'd taken us up on the offer to work at Hellbound Studio three months ago. I’d suggested he take some time to get to know the brothers here before choosing to be a prospect. He’d respected my honesty about the whole situation and took my advice. After a month, he asked to be a prospect, and I granted his request to join the ranks. We’d all taken a liking to him and had no problem with him becoming a prospect.

He was twenty-five, but he had a solid head on his shoulders and took shit seriously, so I was surprised he called for the third time in half an hour.

“She’s still there?” I asked when I picked up.

Cerberus lifted his head at my tone, but with one command, he relaxed and lay back down.

“Yes, sir,” Matteo sighed. “Wasn’t gonna call again, but…”

“But what?” I growled. Apparently, some girl had driven up to the gate and asked to see me. I didn’t know her, and I was inthe middle of a difficult job, so I told him to send her away. The next time he called was ten minutes later, informing me that she wouldn’t leave and was demanding—quite adamantly—to meet with me. He said she swore she had information I would want to hear. I’d told him to get her number and tell her I’d call when I had the time.

“She’s crying, Prez.”

I barked a laugh and shook my head. “Seriously, kid? You’re interrupting me because some girl is crying?”

“Yes,” he admitted. There was a moment of hesitant silence before he added, “I’m not trying to be insubordinate, but I don’t think even you would turn her away like this.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I grunted. “I’ll send someone with balls to take care of it.” Looking at Blaze, I quickly explained the situation and sent him outside. Then I spoke to Matteo again. “Thin ice, prospect,” I threatened.

To my surprise, he sighed in relief. “Worth it if I don’t have to say no to her again.”

Shaking my head, I muttered an expletive as I hung up. I didn’t understand how any woman could convince Matteo they were worth risking my wrath.

My road captain, Echo, and Kevlar, our sergeant at arms, were sitting at a round conference table set up on the right side of my office. Kevlar had stopped speaking, and Echo quit typing on his laptop when I answered the phone. “The fuck?” Echo asked, clearly as perplexed as Kevlar and I.

I shrugged. “No idea, but I don’t have time for that bullshit. Tell me about The Company going after our client.”

The man we were giving a new identity to was a whistleblower. A former employee of a company that manufactured and sold guns and ammunition. Our client had uncovered information that they were selling to warlords anddrug kingpins. Now there was a hit out on him, so he’d come to us for help.

Wizard had gathered all the info, but Kevlar—a former SEAL and munitions expert—was going over some of the finer details on The Company’s process when Blaze strolled back into the room.

His expression was confident, but an underlying wariness put me on alert.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re about to piss me the fuck off, Citizen?” I snarled.

Blaze didn’t flinch, but the slight wariness didn’t disappear either.

“I think you need to meet the girl.”

My already shitty mood plummeted. “Am I surrounded by a bunch of pussies?” I snapped. “You couldn’t send some chick packing?”

Blaze’s eyes narrowed. “Matteo was right. You want to face her tears and send her away, go for it.”

“For fuck’s sake.”

“But that’s not why I think you should hear her out.”

I raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue because I was reaching the point when I was gonna shoot someone.

“Don’t know why for sure. Just an instinct.”

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