Page 13 of One Love

Time to go, I guess.

I follow a few feet behind until I’m stopped in my tracks when Zavier approaches them. He looks to instruct the guard to take Mr. Wright out, then turns to the scarred guy, a frown on his face.

Assuming I’ll get some answers as to who this guy is, I send a text to Shoo—who I asked to wait outside with the van in caseI needed him—letting him know Mr. Wright is on the way out before joining Zavier and this mystery dude.

“…said you’d never come onto the floor.” I only hear the end of whatever Zavier is saying.

“Things changed.” The scarred guy’s response is accompanied by a shrug, making Zavier chuckle as he glances at me now standing with them.

“Good evening, Shadow. Everything okay?” Zavier is all charm and attempted grace, but he knows damn well what just happened.

“Aside from Mr. Wright being a fucking douche again, yeah. Who’s this?” I nod to the new guy.

That dangerous grin is back on his lips as he answers for Zavier. “You could ask me yourself. I’m right here, in person.” He holds out his arms, the long-sleeved black shirt he’s wearing tightening across his chest.

“Shadow, this is Dmitry Novák. Dmitry, Shadow.” Zavier gestures to each of us in turn, introducing us in the most awkward way ever, and I raise an unimpressed brow.

“Is that Russian?” My question is purely for professional purposes, I always need to know who I’m dealing with in my world.

The guy scoffs, rolling his eyes like my question is ridiculous. “Czech, and I already know who you are.”

Dmitry’s confession isn’t exactly music to my ears. Having people I know nothing about know who I am? Yeah, not cool.

Before I can form a response, Dmitry winks and walks a-fucking-way. He goes into one of the staff doors and disappears. I don’t like it.

“How does he know me, Z?”

“Ooh, nicknames are back.” He grins.

“How?” My tone is harsher this time.

He rolls his eyes, a smile still firmly etched in place. “He’s head of security. He knows the names and faces of every person that comes and goes from this place.”

I don’t like it, but I also can’t be mad about that. Z’s doing what he should do with security and I’ve gotta admire that.

Tonight has been a royal clusterfuck, my initial mission fucked up the ass because of a pretty, albeit imperfect, face distracting me. I should’ve left it alone for the night, carried out what I planned to do and asked these questions another time.

Now I’m left feeling frustrated, pissed off, and a little hot under the collar.

I pull out my cell and message Tab, knowing he’ll still be awake at this time of night. We always are.

Me:Get your gloves, I need to punch something.

Chapter Five

J

“This reeks of the Greeks!” We all groan at Shoo’s ridiculous rhyme. Of us all, he’s the least affected by the clean-ups, no matter how gruesome or disturbing. Granted, being a little fucked up in the head is a necessity if we want to do our jobs correctly, but he’s at least one step beyond that. “Come on! It’s a good one.”

“It’s really not,” Tab deadpans as we roll the newest casualty in the tarp before we load him up into the plastic-protected interior of the van. Two days later and Tab is still sporting an angry bruise on his cheek, failing to avoid my right hook. I mean, I warned him that I needed to punch something. So I did. His face. “I’m fucking gutted, man. These guys are all newbies. Can’t be older than, what? Twenty-two?”

He’s right. Whoever is doing this has our young blood in his sights, which I know is a clue, but I don’t know the meaning behind it.

“It’s not the Greeks. At least, it’s not Zavier.” My words get stuck in my throat as I help lift the body. Holy fuck, he may have been young, but he was a big boy.

“What about his…what is he, his cousin or something? The one who killed his brother then disappeared,” Tab calls out as he pushes the body deeper into the van before closing the double doors and turning to face me.

“Aleko Kastellanos. I thought the same thing but Glitch put out feelers and with triangulation and satellites or whatever the fuck he does to get us answers, he confirmed that the guy is down south living his best life.” Glitch spent way too much time digging into this guy, a little excited about his new life as a quickly-rising-in-the-ranks member of the Sons of Khaos. Apparently, the new and revised version where, instead of riding Harleys, they’re straddling sport bikes, and instead of running guns or drugs, they’re making bank betting on street races.

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