Page 56 of Puma's Pride

“Mal’s a great kid.” Trouble says. Climbing on the back of his bike. He holds his helmet in his lap and grins. “He’ll look good in a Shadow Born kutte.”

“Fuck you. He’s a Demon.” I laugh. Flashing lights on the other side of the gate draw my attention. I glance at Trouble, who has shifted in his seat to look.

Showtime comes running up. “Cops. They have a warrant.” She says. “They think we’re holding a man prisoner.”

Well, fuck. “Go to the game room, keep the kids and the others there. Move them into the panic room the minute you sense trouble.”

She nods and bolts inside. Trouble and I walk casually to the gate and hear the cop ordering Max to open up.

“What can I help you with?” I ask Detective Sterling. He and I have had some interaction in the past, but nothing official. Until now, it seems.

“You can open this gate.” He demands. “I have a warrant to search the property.”

“And I have a right to read the warrant before you come in.” I tell him, reaching through and accepting the document. I read through it and understand most of it. Even though I’ve never studied law, I’ve signed my fair share of contracts. You get to know some of the lingo. It looks like someone knows we grabbed Spada and brought him here. Well, fuck.

“You can call your lawyer.” Sterling informs me, and I nod. I know my rights, but I don’t need the lawyer, not yet. After all, they won’t find a damn thing with this search. Spada is long gone and even if they found the opening to The Pit, they won’t find anything incriminating.

I nod at Max. “Open the gate.”

Wildcard joins us as I watch the cops swarm over the property.

“Want me to call Baskins?” Wildcard asks. Baskins is our criminal defense lawyer.

I shake my head. “Only if they arrest someone. But they won’t find anything, so I don’t think that will happen, although…” I trail off as I consider the situation. We’re standing away from the cops, but I glance around to see if anyone is nearby.

“What?” Trouble asks.

“Juan’s behind this.” I state. “He set Spada up. Alisa called it earlier. She mentioned how Juan knew our SUVs were bulletproof. It was a suicide mission.”

“Juan knew we’d bring him here.” Wildcard suggests, and I nod.

“He probably planned it so that the cops would get here while we were still interrogating him.”

“But he doesn’t know how fast Chill works.” Wildcard states and Trouble chuckles.

“Fuck, she’s terrifying.” Trouble adds.

“She is.” I agree. My mind still working through the plan of a madman. “Fuck.”

“What?”

“Juan was here on the grounds. He could have planted something.” I admit. “We searched the grounds for him, but not for anything that could get us busted. Fuck. We may need to call Baskins after all.”

We silently watch the action. Although I’m eager to get inside and check on Alisa, I know they are safe with Showtime. My mind flips through the various items Juan could have planted when he was running around the compound. My best guess is drugs. With his contacts, he could get his hands on enough cocaine to cause us some serious trouble.

I knew from our discussion with Greg Spada that Juan not only wanted Alisa to gain more power, but he has his sights set on inheriting his father’s empire, too. Which means he plans on killing off his brothers and possibly his father, as well. I hadn’t had the chance to call Sal yet and fill him in on what we learned. I thought I had more time. But if Juan is setting me up to get arrested, then I won’t have that time. I turn to Trouble and Wildcard and fill them in on my fear. “If they arrest me, then you need to make sure you update Sal on what we learned from Greg. He has to prepare for Juan coming after him and his other sons. Call Dante for backup.”

“If they arrest you, they’ll likely arrest all of us, especially your executives.” Wildcard said and I nod, turning to Trouble.

“I’ll see to it.” He assures me. “I’ll be your backup outside if the worst happens. They can’t tie me to anything. This isn’t my club. I’ll make sure the women and kids are safe, Diego as well, if it comes to it.”

“Thanks.” I tell him. My head snaps up when I hear a shout from one officer. Fuck, this is it. I shut down my anger and force my expression into neutral, even though I’m ready to pull out my gun and start shooting.

I watch Sterling step toward a cop coming into the gate. What the hell could they have found outside the gate? Confused, I study their transaction but can’t figure out what the younger cop is saying. I notice Sterling go rigid, his attention on the gate before he looks around the compound. Once he spies me, he strides over with purpose. As he gets closer, I see rage and a hint of fear. What the fuck is going on? An angry and scared cop is not someone to fuck with.

“Do you have cameras covering the road?” He asks me.

I frown at him, but nod. “Of course.”

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