Page 44 of Burning Bridges

Chapter 25

LEO

Jettisonhisway back to The Joker where Kobe and I have spent the night in his office listening to all the audio from Piper’s place. I said I would back off, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t find other ways to keep track of her. And the audio we have from Jett bugging her house has been enlightening to say the least.

My hunch that her brother is still alive was spot-on. There have been a number of calls from untraceable payphones to a burner phone she has, and Jett was able to work his magic and enhance audio to single out the voice on the other end of the phone. It’s definitely Tony Acevedo. The asshole is still controlling her from wherever he’s hiding. He’s the reason she turned up to my club all those weeks ago. She was under strict instructions to spy on us. And he is the reason she has agreed to meet up with someone tomorrow evening at our restaurant, Antonio’s. I have no idea why he has such a hold over her. She’s a strong woman but just goes along with whatever her brother says.

There is a crash from the hallway, then Jett shoves a kid who couldn’t be any older than fifteen into the room. “This is Ben. He has something to tell you.”

I stand, walking toward the teen, looking him over as I go. He straightens his shoulders and looks right back at me. “What were you doing hanging around Piper Acevedo’s hair salon tonight?” I demand, my voice laced with a threat of what is to come for him if he doesn’t tell me everything I want to know and fast.

The kid looks toward Jett then back to me. He’s twitchy, like a rat about to run for safety at any moment, but he is trying to act brave, I’ll commend him on that. He reminds me of myself the first time I met William Harper. You know when you’re in the presence of someone great, you can feel it. And you have a choice—stand up and fight for what you believe in or let this world squish you like a cockroach. “I was asked to follow her. I didn’t mean to scare her, I swear,” he stutters out.

“By whom?” Jett demands, showing him the gun he's carrying.

“Kylo King himself,” he mutters. “But you have to understand, he said he would kill everyone in my family if I didn’t help him. He already hurt my sister, so I believe him.”

I glance at Jett for a second. Did this kid just say Kylo King? The eldest son of the Kings leader. I thought he was still in jail. He was a couple of years older than me, and I know his father had been working closely with the Acevedo family up until Anton was killed. But Tony hated the guy and made sure to cause trouble for him whenever he could. Why the hell would Kylo want Piper being watched?

I run a hand through my stubble, wondering what I should do with the kid. “Where are you from?”

“I grew up here, in Palm Springs,” he stutters out. “He will kill me if he knows I talked. And my mom and sister. Please, you need to help us.”

Anger fills me. This is just some local kid, but he is taking instructions from a King. He's scared because he is trying to protect his family. I've been in his shoes. “You now work for Jett.” I point to my brother. “You can keep an eye on Piper, but you check in with me. If I find out you've let slip any information about Piper to the Kings at all, I’ll let Jett deal with you. Let your friends know, Kylo King has no authority in this town. If they want work, they come to me.”

“Yes, Mr. Rivera. What about my family?” the kid pushes. His family is obviously more important to him than his own life.

“Give Jett the details, I will make sure they're not harmed by that piece of shit.”

His grateful eyes meet mine again. They are full of a sadness and a sense of responsibility no kid his age should have to carry around. I should know. “Thank you,” he says with a nod.

“Go,” I tell him, knowing how soft I've become, but this cycle has to end somewhere. If it were up to motherfuckers like Kylo, it never would, but that’s not the world I want to live in. The kid hurries from my office.

Jett gives me a scowl. “Why did you just let him go like that?”

“He’s just a kid, and besides, he’s more useful to us alive than he is dead. We have the Kings closing in on our territory, and I want to know why. Get Jimmy following him. If he goes back to Kylo, he will lead us right to him so we can shut down whatever this is before it gets even more out of hand than it already is now that Kylo is out of jail.”

Jett scowls at me as he follows him out of the room. He might not agree, but he knows I’m right. As he’s leaving, he dials a number and gives instructions into the phone for Jimmy, one of the heads of his security team.

Kobe gives me a look, telling me he is more on Jett’s side than mine.

“What, you would have handled that differently?” I snap, feeling like we're getting nowhere. If my own brothers can’t respect my decision, I really must be losing my edge, and that’s not good for any of us.

“You’re the one in charge, boss,” he says, holding up his hands in defense. “This explains why Euphoria has started showing up. Daddy King wouldn’t have any interest in it, but his son would. He clearly also has an interest in your girl.”

I nod, agreeing with him, as I light up a smoke and take off for the bar. I try to remember all the details I know about Kylo and why Tony hated him so much. I don’t ever recall him saying, but there was something there, a hatred he only held for certain people. In fact, I think it was Tony who set him up, landing him in jail in the first place. I take a seat at the bar and signal to Mick the bartender for my usual. It’s in front of me within seconds.

Kobe pulls up the stool beside me. “What do you think the Kings want with Piper?”

I finish my smoke then pick up my glass, swirling on my barstool to face the room, assessing the type of clientele we get in this place. It’s not overly packed here tonight, but the pool table is in action and there are enough rowdy bikers to cause a racket, the ex-Acevedo guys mostly. And from what I have seen, they've been loyal to us, except for Gator. But who else is working for Kylo right under our noses? If he's plucking kids off our streets, he is talking to these guys. They were Tony’s loyal workers, and if they know something I don’t, and he is in with Kylo somehow, they might just betray the relationship we've built here over the last couple of years and jump ship. I would like to think their lives have changed for the better since I took over, but after all the information we heard tonight, I’m questioning everything I know.

“Maybe it’s not Piper they want; maybe it’s her brother. I’m not sure what deal his father had with the Acevedos, but it’s kept them away from this town for years. And now that Kylo is out of prison and Tony is supposedly gone, they might think they have an in. Or they know something only a few others do.”

Kobe throws back his drink. “That he’s not dead.” He raises a brow.

“Exactly. If I know Tony Acevedo as well as I think I do, he’s just biding his time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. He won’t stay hidden for long. He loves the attention too much. And if he’s joined forces with the Kings, he now has access to money and ammunition. The only thing that doesn’t quite add up for me is I know Tony despised Kylo. Even if he was desperate for help, would he really turn to someone he hated so much?”

“Do you think Piper knows anything?”

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