Page 32 of Tangled Souls

But Pulse is popular from what I understand. I’m sure people don’t pay the cover to get close to the owner.

Well, most people at least.

From the moment we came to Seattle and started to get the lay of the land, Pulse was on our radar, and it wasn’t just about it being a good night spot. There’s something shady going on there, but we never had any proof. Making an enemy out of Aamon wasn’t something we were interested in doing, but we didn’t become friends or get into business together.

Having Pulse under new management would be a good thing. And safer for the patrons.

“Fuck,” Huck grunts.

All eyes turn toward him, and he looks disgusted. “I’ve run Pulse through the information I have on Mikhail, Chambers, and now Adam. There’s some overlap, especially when it comes to Chambers and his financials.”

“Plot thickens,” Maxim’s voice is ominous.

“There’s nothing with Mikhail or Anatoly that I can find, but it doesn’t mean anything,” Huck interjects. “Adam is too new in the city. He doesn’t have much of a footprint here yet.”

I nod slowly, thinking over what it means to have a connection between Chambers and Pulse. Richard could have been the money man, at least in name, but he could have been a lot more too. We never had anyone inside Anatoly Morozov’s operation, so it’s all speculation at this point.

My gut is screaming at me.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they used Pulse to tag women for the trafficking shit,” Baker gives voice to my own thoughts and fears.

As I rub a hand over my face, dread fills me. “I was thinking the same thing,” I mutter.

“Then will he even want to sell?”

“Like whether he wants to sell or not matters,” Maxim answers Huck’s question.

“You better fucking believe that it doesn’t matter. We’re buying the club,” I state without any fucking room for argument.

Maxim claps and rubs his hands together. The gleam in his eyes tells me he’s looking forward to tonight. He knows I won’t want to wait on this.

I pull my phone out and send off a text to my personal shopper to get an outfit together for our woman. She needs to look hot as hell, which won’t be a hardship at all.

“And we’ll have the prettiest woman on our arm while we go and check Pulse out,” Huck’s voice is full of pride.

It’s the same feeling that warms my chest. Having Oaklynn stand next to us isn’t a hardship. She’s been an asset in every situation she’s been put in. I know it will be the same tonight when we go out, even though my protective instincts are screaming for me to keep her at home.

Maybe she’ll have a little fun while we’re at it. She deserves it.

As I look around at the guys, I realize we all deserve it. We’ve spent a lot of fucking time dealing with Morozov and balancingthe power in this city, along with the men who wield it with honor.

We’ve been playing it safe.

It’s time to shake things up.

“Are you sure taking Oaklynn is a good idea?” Baker’s voice is full of trepidation, trying to be the voice of reason as he puts thoughts of our safety first.

“Try and keep her home,” Maxim challenges him. “You know she won’t stand for it.”

“I know,” he grumbles, “but I don’t have to like it.”

We chuckle together, knowing we’re all on the same page. We need to present a united front when it comes to who holds the power. We’re Oaklynn’s sword and she shall wield us however she sees fit.

As it fucking should be.

“Aamon doesn’t know what is coming for him,” my voice is deep and dark.

Hopefully, he’s ready to sell. Pulse will be ours one way or another. The night ending with blood on our hands doesn’t bother me in the least.

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