Page 28 of Saving Blood

“Brought in plenty of cash for him too.” Bolt draws in a deep breath. “Apparently, Maxine was housed with the rest of them on his property in Rosarito until recently.”

Bolt’s words wash over me like a tidal wave, but I force my expression to stay neutral. He didn’t know what Maxine and I got up to last week, and I had no intention of telling him, but the thought of Maxine doing more than fighting for Hector’s club sours my stomach.

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence she’s fighting for us now.” Bolt barks out a laugh. “Hector probably sent her here to whore herself out to one of us as a distraction, but now we’ve got her number, the joke’s on him and her.”

Fuck. And I was the stupid bastard who fell for it. Didn’t take her long to spread her legs. Even the hard-to-get bullshit she pulled was probably an act. Nothing cranked a man up faster than a woman who put him off. Yeah, she played me perfect, but now I was onto her, the ball was in my court.

Game on, bitch.

“Right, Boss?”

“Yeah, right.”

“You want me to tell Diesel to fire her lying ass?”

“No.”

Bolt cocks his head. “We sure don’t want a bitch spy hanging around the gym or the chop shop or anything else we got goin’ on here. Especially if she’s working on Hector’s orders.”

“I’ll handle it. Handle her.”

“Sure, whatever you say.” Bolt shrugs. “Too bad, she’s got crazy skills in the ring, and she’s a hot-lookin’ bitch. Sure would like to see her face when you do it.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets exactly what she deserves,” I assure him while my brain spins with ways to make her pay.

Call it pride, call it stupid male ego, but I had to confront her one-on-one. I had to find out her game. Maybe I’m letting sex cloud my brain, but something about her doesn’t add up. Before this is over, I need to find out what her motives are and how she got mixed up with Rodriquez in the first place.

All things I couldn’t share with Bolt or Smoke or any of the other brothers ‘cause they’d see right through my bullshit and call me out for the truth. I was confronting Maxine because I needed to. I had to hear from her own lips what we did was all an act, a scam—then I’d deal with her my way.

The ten-minute walk to the address Bolt gave me lets me think about the situation. My anger settles, and I decide to let this play out in a different way. Maybe I could make her deceit work in my favor. Knowing her game, there’s no way I’d fall into her trap again.

When I cut down the street leading to her apartment, the sidewalk is less crowded. I duck into an alcove of a butcher store featuring dead chickens and rabbits hanging in the window. Perfect cover to scope out the two-story structure.

I’m just about to cross the street when I spy Hector going into the building. His presence confirms Juan and Bolt’s intel, but it does nothing for the ache in my gut or for what Maxine and Hector might be doing in her apartment.

MAXINE

I open the door wide, and Hector enters, accompanied by his bodyguard, Pedro. He nods to Pedro, who stays by the door while Hector moves around the tiny space like a welcomed guest who visits often. He does a quick appraisal then motions to the couch for me to sit, like it’s his place. Okay, technically, it is his place, but it always amazes me how the man claims every space he occupies—much like Blood.

When he joins me on the couch, his expression remains void of emotion, giving away nothing and amping up my anxiety to the next level. “Are you happy here, Maxine?”

“Yes.” There is no other answer he wants, so I go with the obvious, ignoring the voice in my head telling me I never had a choice in the matter.

“Then I have to admit, I’m confused.” He pauses for the expected response, and of course my breathing falters right on cue. “I allowed you this bit of freedom under certain conditions.”

Of course. There are always strings attached to Hector’s ultimatums.

“I thought we understood each other.” He waves his hand around the apartment. “With all I’ve given you, I expected results.”

“I have some information.” I reach for my phone on the end table.

“And you planned on keeping it from me?” His smooth tone belies his dark eyes.

Once again, I underestimated his one-mindedness.

“No, no. I was only able to get these last night.” I scroll through my phone. “It was very difficult. The Royal Bastards leave nothing to chance, especially when it comes to security.” I left out the part about the lack of alarms on the back door of the ladies’ locker room.

Hector snatches my phone and scans the screen. “Interesting.”

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