Page 23 of Sypher

Saying nothing more, he simply leaned around me and opened the door.

I turned, pushed open the door and stepped into the room. The silence was broken moments later by my brother’s footsteps.

“Danny, what’s wrong?”

In a businesslike tone, I got straight to the point, leaving no room for pleasantries. “I want to hire you and your team.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t fucking play me, Ace. I know what you and your friends do for a living. I never said anything because it was your business, but now I have need of your services.”

Ace frowned, the lines in his face etching themselves deeper as he pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. “Gonna need more than that, Danny. What’s going on?”

“I met someone. Someone I care for very much, and I want you and your friends to help me put his mind at ease.”

The chair groaned under Ace’s weight when he leaned back, a self-satisfied smirk spreading across his face. “His mind?”

“Yes.Hismind. You got a problem with that?”

Ace said nothing, but his actions spoke volumes when he got up, circled the table, and then pulled me into his arms, crushing me in a bone-jarring hug. “About fucking time, little brother. Have you told everyone else?”

Shaking my head, I replied, “No. You are the first.”

“Sit down. I want to know all about him.”

“You’ve already met him.”

“Who?” Ace frowned.

“Dante.”

“The punk who got lippy with that girl you were dating?”

A low groan escaped my lips as I rolled my eyes, the gesture expressing my complete exasperation. “Wasn’t dating. We fucked once.”

“He was still rude to her.”

“Bitch deserved it,” I argued. “Look, Ace, we can talk about Dante later. I know you do private security around the world. Have you ever done security for a place called the Trick Pony?”

I barely finished saying the name before Ace’s face became an impassive mask, his silence speaking volumes. He knew the place.

Before he could ask me anything, I continued, my words tumbling out in a rush. “Ace, Dante was in that place. I don’t need to tell you what happened to him. All I want to know is who the bitch was that tortured him and how to find her.”

“It’s not that simple, Danny.”

“The fuck it’s not. I’m your brother. Family. We don’t abandon family.”

“I’m not abandoning you. I just can’t tell you what you want to know.”

“Either you help me, or I will go it alone. If I have to, I will bring it to the club and let Reaper handle it.”

“Shit,” Ace cursed, his face red with anger as he paced the small room, the sound of his heavy boots echoing in the confined space. “Fuck! I fucking knew that motherfucker would come to bite me in the ass one day. The reason I can’t tell you is because I did the fucking private security for that place. I’m contracted.”

“What program did you use?”

“I am not telling you that.”

“How much then?”

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