Page 20 of Burning Bridges

I push him off, not needing his comfort. I grab the images and shove them and the note into his hands. He looks over them, his face unreadable.

He’s probably wondering why he and his men couldn't find the fucker and someone else could. “Where did this come from?” he demands, anger coming through his tone.

“It was dropped off this morning when I wasn't here. Priscilla took it. She said it was a big guy wearing a Kings jacket. That’s all I know.”

“The Kings wouldn’t set foot in this town. Even if they had a message to pass on, they would send someone else to deliver it,” he seethes.

“That’s what she said.” My eyes meet his, and I know that is all I need to say. “The note makes it pretty obvious as well. What the fuck does this mean? And don’t bullshit me.”

I don’t like the worry I see staring back at me. He doesn't even know what happened with the son of the notorious Kings gang leader, but he knows I hate them all, and I wouldn't without good reason because my father had a truce with their gang, one where until he died, they were working together. “You're worried they're going to want something from you now? That they're telling you this so you owe them something?”

I have no idea how he can read my mind so well, but the whole time I was waiting for him to get here, that was all I could think. “What would they want from me?”

“I don't know, but I think you're right to be worried. This is them letting you know you owe them.” He runs his hands through his hair, staring out the window. I watch him, waiting for him to tell me what to do. I feel like I'm missing something. “Some of the rules the Riveras put in place would have caused problems for the Kings. Maybe they want help from you to get their products back on the streets here. Or maybe this is just their way of apologizing for what happened.”

“They don’t apologize or care who they hurt, Axel. This isn’t an apology, you know that. It’s a warning or a threat.”

“Hmm, how well do you know the Kings?” His eyes meet mine, and I know he cares about me. Part of me wishes I could open up to him and tell him the truth. I trust him; I know he would keep what happened to himself. But I can’t. My pride won’t let me. I don’t want him to see me as weak; that's why I never told him when we were married.

“I know some of them better than I would like to. Tony had them dealt with, but since he’s gone, maybe they feel like they can weasel their way back onto our streets.”

“That’s not going to happen, Piper. I’ll fix this.” He shoves the photos back in the envelope and storms out of my office like a man on a mission.

I pull myself together and wander back into the main part of the salon to check on Hannah. She has had her hair cut and braided and is now sitting with Priscilla, having her nails painted. She smiles when she spots me. “Daddy was here, and he loves my new hair,” she singsongs.

All I can do is smile back. She’s so sweet and innocent. She has no idea what is going on around her, and I hope I can keep her protected from it. I don’t ever want her to know how terrible this world can really be.

Chapter 13

LEO

Axelstormsacrossthedance floor of Queen of Hearts, making his way to the mezzanine with a stone-cold glare. I wonder if he's here because he heard that his ex-wife has an appointment with me tonight. "We need to talk," he demands.

I check my watch. "Book an appointment like everyone else," I tell him.

"I'm not kidding around, Rivera. This is about Euphoria and Piper." His stare intensifies, and the mention of her name stops me from walking past him. If it's about her, I need to know what he has to say.

"You have ten minutes." He follows me to my office, taking a seat on the leather couch and handing me an envelope.

I open it and see images of Gator, very dead. "You found him?" I say, pleased he's off our streets.

"Nope. These were delivered to Piper from the Kings gang."

"Are you kidding me?" I yell, my blood boiling. I don't want anyone from that gang in the same town as her, let alone slipping her messages. How did I not see this happen? I've been watching her like a hawk this week. The Kings are a notorious biker gang from Palm Desert. They had ties with the Acevedos before Anton was killed. Until today, it's been years since I heard anything about the Kings. I thought Daddy King had retired the gang, and its aging population for the most part remained focused around drinking and shooting pool. How did I miss this connection to her? Am I too distracted watching her to really see what's going on?

"Unfortunately, I'm not. Piper's freaked out by it all. She called me for help, and for Piper to do that, we both know how much it must have rattled her." I can see his genuine concern for his ex-wife, and I hate it.

She called him for help, and jealousy sweeps over me, getting under my skin. I want it to be me she calls when she needs help. I'm the one watching over her. I'm the one who cares about what happens to her. Axel has moved on with his life. But part of me wonders if she still holds a flame for him, to go running to him when she needs help.

"Why would they be getting involved unless she has something to do with them already?" I ask.

"She doesn't," he says, deadpan. "From the whispers I hear, they're the ones manufacturing Euphoria and distributing it back on our streets. This was their way of telling her she now owes them something."

"So, they're pinning the blame on Gator when we know it's them distributing Euphoria in Palm Springs."

"From what I can work out, he was the face of the operation until this week, using old contacts to distribute the product. Kings aren't claiming anything to do with it. I dropped in to see Cory King this morning, but he's senile from too many years of treating his body like shit and didn't know much of anything that was happening. But they are involved. I would say he just has no idea what's going on under him. I have evidence they are using ex-Acevedos to distribute the product back through our town." The look he gives me tells me he has already dealt with whoever he found that was involved.

What I still can't work out is why I didn't see this guy delivering her these photos. I should have seen something. "When did Piper get this information?"

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