Page 94 of Frisco

He drew in a breath. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe I’ll stick it out here a bit, do more of what you asked me to do before heading back.”

“Ask a brother to go with you. One of ours.”

He nodded, already starting to walk away. “Will do.” His eyes went past my shoulder, and he gave me a small heads up. I didn’t need the warning. I heard the gravel and knew who was coming my way.

As I turned around, Crow was alone. His men were still on the front porch, all watching their VP approach me.

He gave me a chin-lift. “Heard a rumor you’re heading out.”

I grunted. “Boise’s fast.”

He laughed. “What are your plans concerning what I talked to you about?”

Right. All the brothers he didn’t trust, and he’d given me good reason not to trust them as well. I gave him a hard look. “What you said was serious. It’s not against the rules to have side jobs, side hustles. You know that, but Estrada’s moving southeast, right toward where our national prez is currently still laid up. Trust and believe that I’m going to take what you’re proposing into strong consideration, but I need to handle a couple things before making that move. You hear me?”

What we weren’t saying had to do with digging six feet down for a few guys, guys we called brothers, and finally doing what I came here to do. But before all that, I needed to tend to Kali.

Crow gave a small nod, easing up. “I hear you.” He scanned the front yard, seeing some of the other guys packing up their bikes, and some that weren’t. “Plans for your men?”

I relayed the plans I’d hashed out with Boise and Stripes just now.

As I spoke, Machete crossed the yard, coming from the barn. Claudia came behind him, her hands stuck in her back pockets. As he angled toward me, she shifted to the house, moving past the guys on the porch. She almost had a bounce to her step, but she wasn’t looking my way.

I doubted Kali’s sister would look my way ever again, not unless her life was on the line. Just my guess.

“I’ll keep in touch with you?” Crow asked.

I nodded his way as he went toward the house, and Machete came over.

He glanced in Crow’s direction. “That one’s got a different look to him.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Machete watched as Crow conversed with some of his men before they moved off the porch, going for one of the other barns.

He shook his head. “Just got a feeling. The guy’s off.”

I had that feeling too. “Got nothing to go on with that, though.”

“No, but we got computer people. They can be steered to look a certain way.” He gave me a look.

Yeah. Maybe he was right. I’d have to make that call as soon as I could.

“You came over for a reason. What’s up?” I asked him.

“Just seeing how the sister is?” He glanced at the house. “Claude’s a little worried, thinks Kali’s out of her depth, considering her recent divorce.”

Fuck’s sake. I gave him a long look, a very hard look too. “It’s cool you and the missus are clicking, but you know her. This is her wading in, and you know I won’t be receptive.”

He grinned, a dry chuckle coming out of him. “I said as much, but she wouldn’t stop yapping until I told her I’d say something. For what it’s worth, I think part of her wants to mess with your relationship and the other part of her is concerned. The ex did a trip on the sister.”

I stifled a sigh because I knew all this too. “Tell your woman that if she wades into mine, I’m wading into hers.”

His eyes narrowed. “That a threat?”

“No, but she’ll sure as shit take it as one. The way she thinks, she won’t be able to get that out of her mind. Might give me and Kali some peace for a few days, at least.”

He grinned, but Machete had ceased to exist for me.

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