Page 92 of Outcast

"Don't look at them."

His gaze snapped back to me. I'd never spoken to him in such a stone-cold tone.

"Inside." I started marching into the compound. "I’m calling a meeting."

There weren't any of the usual chairs. No one had had time to bring them out and arrange them. That was fine. They could all stand in the middle while I was on the platform.

Matías and Esteban each took an arm to lift me up. Then I turned around and faced my men. And theyweremine. Every last fucking Dirty Dog. Mine to take care of, or mine to pull retribution from.

It only took a few seconds to realize some people were missing. Wait, there were quite a few people missing. "Ricco. Where is Due?"

Esteban jumped on the platform. He searched the crowd with me. "Due's missing," he muttered. "So is Emil, and Treg, and Hap." He rattled off another half a dozen names.

Joel and Ricco spun left and right.

"This is a mandatory meeting," I called out.

"Where are the others? Where's Rob?" Joel asked, glancing at the four men who guarded us yesterday where they lined up in front of the platform.

I gave him a severe frown. I wanted him to know I didn't trust him. I also wanted him to know that this was the fuckup of the entire gang.

"Well," I raised my voice so the entire room could hear me. All conversation quieted. "It seems like we have a rat in the club."

23

MATÍAS

"No fucking way!" Joel’s face turned red.

"Not in our gang!"

"The hell you fucking say!"

Several of the men in the crowd yelled obscenities and Ricco cursed. They didn't believe there could be a rat inside Dirty Dogs.

"Quiet!" Rita shouted.

Men continued to shout their disbelief. Esteban's face grew thunderous as he took a step closer to the edge of the platform. Whatever he was looking for in the crowd, he wasn't finding it.

I stuck two fingers in my mouth and gave a sharp whistle. That caught their attention.

Rita glanced down. "Thank you," she mouthed.

"Why do you think there's a rat?" Ricco raised his voice.

Rita quirked an eyebrow. "Yesterday, after we finished our meeting with Matthews, one of our very own men tried to kill Esteban."

Esteban's shoulders bunched as he stared at something at the back of the room.

I craned my head, but I still couldn't see what it was.

"Who?" Joel demanded.

"Rob." As soon as the name left her lips, there was a commotion somewhere behind me.

Esteban pointed. "There! Grab him!"

I pushed through the crowd, shoving men left and right, trying to get to the back. There he was. I remembered this guy from my time with the Dirty Dogs–Kurt. He shoved away from a man trying to contain him and sprinted toward the door.

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