Page 22 of Curvy Desire's Second Shot

Marco shrugged and leaned back in his seat, motioning for us to sit. “Suit yourself.”

We slid into the booth, and Hudson wasted no time getting to the point. “You said you had information. Let’s hear it.”

Marco smirked, his eyes glinting with amusement. “Always straight to business with you, huh, King? No small talk, no pleasantries?”

“I’m not here to make friends,” Hudson said coldly. “Talk.”

Marco chuckled, then leaned forward, his voice dropping. “Your guy—Naomi’s ex? He’s been getting cozy with some of the higher-ups in The Fold. Word is, he’s trying to prove himself. Wants a permanent spot in the group.”

My stomach twisted at the thought, but I kept my expression neutral.

“What’s he offering them?” Hudson asked.

“Leverage,” Marco said, his gaze flicking to me. “Her.”

Hudson’s hand clenched into a fist on the table, but he didn’t speak.

“What does he want from them in return?” I asked, my voice steadier than I expected.

“Protection,” Marco said. “Resources. Power. The usual.”

“And how do we stop him?” Hudson demanded.

Marco hesitated, then leaned back, his smirk fading. “That’s the tricky part. I can tell you where to find him, but it won’t be free.”

Hudson’s jaw tightened. “What do you want?”

Marco’s eyes glinted. “There’s a shipment coming into town next week. Weapons, drugs—you name it. It’s tied to The Fold, and I’ve got a personal interest in making sure it doesn’t make it to its destination.”

“You want us to intercept it?” Hudson asked, his voice laced with disbelief.

“I want you to destroy it,” Marco said simply. “Do that, and I’ll give you everything you need to take him down.”

Hudson stared at him, his expression hard. “You’re asking us to go to war with The Fold.”

“Not war,” Marco said, his smirk returning. “Just a little disruption.”

I looked at Hudson, my heart pounding. This wasn’t part of the plan. It was dangerous—reckless even—but it might be our best shot.

“We’ll do it,” I said before I could stop myself.

Hudson turned to me, his eyes wide. “Naomi?—”

“We’ll do it,” I repeated, meeting his gaze. “This is our chance, Hudson. We can’t pass it up.”

His jaw tightened, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he turned back to Marco. “We’ll need details.”

Marco nodded, then leaned forward, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

The rideback to the apartment was tense, neither of us speaking as we processed what had just happened. When we finally arrived, Hudson closed the door and turned to me, his expression hard.

“Do you have any idea what you just agreed to?” he asked, his voice sharp.

“I know exactly what I agreed to,” I said, meeting his gaze. “And I stand by it.”

He ran a hand through his hair, pacing the length of the room. “This isn’t a game, Naomi. One wrong move, and it’s over.”

“I know,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. “But I’m tired of waiting for them to come to me. I want to fight back.”

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