Page 65 of Saving Blood

The room erupts with all the brothers talking at once. Each with their own opinion on how this is a bad fuckin’ idea.

“Hector’s not gonna be happy when she doesn’t take the dive, then he’ll retaliate,” Diesel says.

Bolt crosses his arms over his chest. “Yeah, we don’t want him or his goons starting shit at the fight.”

“We’re not gonna let him get away with grabbing what’s ours.” Manny taps at his laptop.

“Fuck throwing the fight so that bastard can make money.” Bolt shrugs. “Just take the fucker out before the fight. No muss. No fuss.”

“Settle the fuck down.” Smoke smashes down the gavel. “We thought of that, but it’s too risky.” He pulls a cig out of the pack on the table and lights up, then nods to me to continue.

“There might be another way. I was thinking we let Hector believe it’s all gonna go his way.”

“No way I’m giving our winnings to that fucker,” Manny protests.

Smoke raises his palm. “Let the man speak.”

“We welcome Hector when he shows up, make him feel comfortable; we even insist he sits with us.” Groans and grunts surround the table. “This way we can keep an eye on him, and when Maxine wins?—”

“He’s gonna lose his shit,” Diesel spits out.

“Right, and that’s when we move into action. With the crowds and the chaos, nobody will notice when we corral him into the alley where the truck will be waiting for us to give him a one-way ride out to the desert.”

“Fucker deserves what he gets after all the shit he’s pulled with Maxie,” Diesel adds.

Diesel and Maxine grew close, and if he ever knew all the shit Hector put Maxine through, he’d lose it for sure, but for now we had to keep cool.

“What about his bodyguards?” Bolt asks.

“That’s where you and Ricky come in. Once the fight is over, you two make sure they’re out of the way.”

“That’s a lot of moving parts.” Manny looks up from his laptop. “The locals are afraid of the cartel, and Hector controls as many cops as we do, so if this plan goes south, we’re on our own.”

“We’re not gonna need outside help.” I look around the room. “We’re gonna be on our turf, so we handle it in-house.”

Smoke grins. “Marisol and I take rides out to the Pacific all the time, so I know just the spot. Off the main road, nice and secluded. Blood and I will get the job done while the rest of you stay behind, making sure no one follows us or gives us any bullshit.”

Diesel taps his fingers on the table. “It just might work.”

“And if it doesn’t, we’ll make it work.”

We go over a few more points, then the brothers file out. I stay behind, pull a cig out of my cut, offer one to Smoke and light us up.

“Whaddya think?” I ask him.

“I think we’re walking into the lion’s fuckin’ mouth, and if we don’t get our heads bit off, it’s a win.”

“I was thinking about that time back in Cali when the Demons tried to move in on our shit, and we paid them a visit at the strip club they hung out in. How you went in alone, picked a fight with the punk leader, and dared him to go outside. He thought it was gonna be you and him, but when you got him out in the alley, we were all waiting for him.”

“And after we busted some heads, we partied our asses off.”

“Hmmmm, those twins from Vegas we shared in the Champagne Room. They were amazing, but it was kinda freaky to look up and see the same face sucking your dick as the one who was riding mine.”

“Good times, brother.”

My brain spins with all the shit me and Smoke pulled off, and no matter how fucked-up, came out on top.

“This just might be crazy enough to work.” I hold out my knuckles, and we tag fists.

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