Page 11 of Escape You

The implication lingered in the air like black smoke. Sort my house out or the council would step aside and let our town get poached by a neighboring crew, or worse, the New York faction. What would that mean for Rogue River? Would we pay them for protection? Bend to their will, do as we’re told. Over my dead body.

“Thank you for your honesty,” I said.

“We both want the same thing. To make our home better.” She relaxed in her seat and sipped more wine. At least the council hadn’t shut me out just yet. “How are you going to reel in your guys?”

“I’ve set a few of them straight, but it’s like I’m taking one step forward, then two steps back.” I drank from my glass. It was almost as if someone had been campaigning against me, which wouldn’t surprise me. I only wished the asshole behind it all had the balls to take me straight on. “I’m going to need road access in a month. New cargo. Let me prove to my guys that nothing has changed. That I can take over from Uncle Mickey.”

The old councilor did this for Uncle Mickey on a regular basis. He had a real knack for law enforcement diversion. I only needed one shot.

She nodded, biting her lip, brows furrowed. Good, at least she was thinking about it. She rubbed her forehead. “I can do that for you. Jesus, one day it’s the hard place, and the next it’s the rock place.”

“How are the hubs and kids? Isn’t school starting soon?”

“They’re good. I’m so ready for school to start up again.” She chuckled. And just like that, we slid into friendship territory. Linda trusted me. I had no choice but to trust her too.

Suddenly everything was hinging on the arms deal with the cartel. Get the crew in line to get the council’s support and the other bosses off my back. And possibly get the New York faction to retreat. I had to assume that rumor was more than a rumor.

After Linda finished her meal, she excused herself. I nodded and my guys promptly helped her out of her seat and out of the restaurant. Vic came and sat in her place, picking at the bread in the basket. The server brought a fresh glass and another bottle of sangiovese.

“What did she say?”

“The council is hesitant to throw their weight behind me. But Linda is willing to help us if we move forward with the shipment we have pending.”

He scratched his beard. “That’s the ten-million-dollar question, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. What does your gut tell you?”

He snorted. “Same as yours, kid. But…”

“But…” I nodded. “If we don’t go for it, it will all crumble very quickly.”

I let out a breath. We both sat there in silence. If we could merge our minds, we’d run through all the scenarios faster. “For now, let the guys know that the next offense will be punished severely. I’ll start with the legs and work my way up from there.”

He nodded, not at all fazed by my harsh words. My crew were grown men, but some of them still acted like children. Maybe Linda was right. In trying to be more lenient, I came across as weak. Well, that was over.

“Are you busy tomorrow?” I poured wine in his glass, then mine. For two people who’d been forced into a makeshift partnership, we made a damn good team.

He tittered, scratching his neck. “My calendar is wide open in the morning.”

“You up for crashing a council meeting?” They denied me a private audience before. I had to show them I wasn’t playing games. That something bad and ugly would come their way if they didn’t cooperate with me as they had with Uncle Mickey. Without my protection, this town didn’t stand a chance.

“I’ll wear my best slacks. And then?”

“We’re moving forward with the arms deal. We’re on in a month, as planned.”

4

Into the Lion’s Den

Tyler

“Rebecca.” I called after her.

Her silhouette slid across the terrace and descended the stone steps toward the gardens. Rebecca Smith was my key witness in my Venezuelan case. Or noncase, since the FBI had turned me down, claiming I didn’t have enough evidence. The same day the FBI denied us, she disappeared from my Soho condo. Something spooked her. My brothers and I had been looking for her for a whole week. Whether the FBI considered her a key witness or not was no longer relevant. Her current situation was entirely our fault.

Rebecca risked everything, her family and her livelihood, to help my brothers Matt and Wesley during their special ops mission in Maracaibo. She turned spy for them and stole valuable information from Smith, the leader of one of the biggest cartels in Venezuela. She uncovered a new business deal where Smith would supply bodies for profit to Jac Rossi, a New York Mafia boss.

In return, she asked them to get her and her brother out of Venezuela. But her efforts didn’t pay off. The evidence she provided wasn’t enough. The marines ordered my brothers to stand down. When they decided to go at it on their own, the entire operation turned to shit. I had to fly my own jet and bail them out.

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