Page 156 of The Alpha's Second Chance Mate

“Did that little piece of shit set us up?” His eyes burned with hatred. “If he did, Boss gonna skin him alive and dip him in fucking alcohol after.”

“Dallas didn’t do shit,” I said. “He has no clue I’m here.” Reaching behind me, I tugged the four-inch blade I had tucked away in a sheath on my belt. His eyes widened, anger devolving into fear at the sight of the blade.

“Wha… whatcha gonna do with that?”

I grinned at him, a mirthless expression that didn’t reach my eyes. “You’re the one who first mentionedskinning. I like that idea.”

The man’s mouth dropped open, and I could see the horror in his eyes as I gently touched the tip of the blade to the soft flesh right below his Adam’s apple.

“I’m going to ask this once, and only once. I better get the goddamned answer I want, or this floor is going to be much redder than it is right now. Where the fuck is my son?”

Shaking his head slightly, he jabbered at me. “I don’t know. I do the money and security, man. That’s all. I’m not involved in the crazy shit?—”

I dug the tip into his skin. A bead of blood appeared, and the guy squealed like a pig.

“No, no, no, man, please, no,” he blubbered, tears welling in his eyes.

“I asked you a question. I expect an answer,” I said.

“I don’t know, I swear. The boss says I’m too dumb for stuff like that.”

“Well, seems Kyle and I do agree on something,” I snarled.

“Dallas knows, though,” he added quickly. “He’s the boss’s go-to guy. He takes the money from the big dogs. Banks, car lots, shit like that. I do the small fish like this fucking place.”

He’s the boss’s go-to guy. The words peeled a piece of my soul off. The hand holding the knife shook as I gripped it harder as rage, betrayal, and a cold numbness filled me.

Leaning closer, I dug the tip of the knife in a little deeper. “You have no clue how lucky you are to be dumb.”

Before he could respond, I spun the knife around and slammed the butt of the handle against his temple. His eyes rolled back as he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

“Prick,” I grunted under my breath.

Yanking the envelope from his pocket along with a thick wad of bills, I stood, shoved my knife back into its sheath, and opened the door, stepping back out into the diner. Emily, seeing me emerge unscathed, gaped at me. Striding over, I shoved the envelope into Lee’s chest and stepped close until we were nose-to-nose.

“You need to figure out whose side you’re on,” I told Lee. “If it’s not the right side, then maybe the Harbor Mills pack needs to stop by here with a few torches and burn this fucking place to the ground. Do you want that?”

All he could do was shake his head, trembling in fear.

“Good. Stop informing Kyle, or I’ll make you wish you were dead.” Slamming the rest of the money down on the counter, I glanced at the customers and Emily. “I think this belongs to all of you. I’ll let you figure it out.”

“Thank you,” Emily said.

“No problem,” I said. “I’ve got a date with my shithead little brother, but it might be best for all of you and the cooks in the back to get out of here before that asshole in the bathroom wakes up. Lock that bathroom from the outside first, though.”

“Yessir,” Lee said, and jerked a keyring from his pocket.

I gave Emily a small nod and headed for the door, pulling my phone out and calling Langston.

“Christ, Cole, are you good?” he said. “I saw your message.”

“I’m fine,” I said as I stepped out into the sunlight. “He won’t be any trouble for a while. Have we heard from anyone else?”

“Porter checked in a few minutes ago,” Langston said. “He and some of your pack subdued a couple other guys on the west end of town. I took down some asshole who looked like he wanted more than money from the florist. I spotted Dallas heading toward the bank about ten seconds before you called.”

My teeth creaked as I ground them together, fingers flexing around my phone. “I’m on my way.”

“I’ll meet you at the crosswalk by the bank.”

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