Page 82 of Prodigal Son

His brows twitched. “Salary.”

“Really.”

“I had access to a car and driver, too, and a big bonus every Christmas. Gifts. But all of it was above board. No under the table shit.”

Raven leaned sideways into Axelle, drawing her attention. “They wanted a pretty face,” she whispered. “Someone who’d set people at ease. Charm them.” When Axelle stole a sideways glance, she found Raven’s lips pursed in something like disgust – probably with herself. “Someone smart enough to handle meetings, but stupid enough not to go snooping and ask too many questions.”

“He’d fit the bill, then,” Axelle whispered back.

They’d been quiet, but Clive noticed them, and his eyes strayed toward them, white-edged and wild, those of a prey animal caught in a snare. But still curious, for all that.

“I sent three of our best into your office today,” Albie said, snagging his attention again, and Axelle realized he was talking aboutthem. Raven, and Vivian, and her.Three of their best. “But you were ready for them. Youinvitedthem there.”

Clive’s gaze shifted back and forth across Albie’s face, a fast flicker. He breathed through an open mouth; fresh sweat had popped up on his face, shiny as donut glaze. “I – I didn’t want to. Please understand that. This wasn’t – none of this – was my idea. I didn’t want to go through with any of it.”

“You had men in the upper floors. Armed men, with tac gear. Very professional. What were they going to do?”

Clive hesitated.

Albie dipped his head again, and Nicky stepped forward.

“Wait!” Clive gasped. He wet his lips again; it didn’t seem to be doing much good. His voice was sticky, his mouth obviously dry. “Wait, please. They…” He bared all his teeth in a dramatic wince. “I don’t know what they meant to do. Probably – probably just capture them. Use them as leverage. I don’t think they meant to – meant to kill them.”

“You don’t think,” Albie deadpanned.

“No…”

“You didn’t ask?”

“I can’t ask these people questions. That’s not how it works.”

“Then how does it work?”

“I follow their orders. I put my head down, and do what I’m told, and they leave me and my family alone.”

“And pay you a shit-ton of money.”

He made a face. “That doesn’t matter anymore. That’s why I took the job, yeah, but once I’d been there a while, and the threats started, all I wanted was to get away.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I’ve just told you: I couldn’t!”

“Did you try?”

Clive worked his mouth a few times, and his gaze slid away.

“So Raven and the girls,” Albie said. “They were going to kill them.”

Voice small: “I really don’t think so. No. I don’t know.”

Not to agree with the asshole, but Axelle really didn’t think so either. Eden had been shot at, yes, that first day, but the little sister – Cassandra – had been taken, rather than caught in a drive-by. That suggested hostage to Axelle. They wanted Devin, and they would use his children as leverage.

“You called Raven and invited her,” Albie said. “Why? How did they know about her?”

And here, a sneering little smile touched Clive’s mouth; something like confidence straightened his spine a fraction. “Don’t you know? That day Raven showed up at Ryan’s office, asking about Gleaux – soon as she pulled out of the parking garage, a whole fleet of bikes pulled out in front and behind her. A regular outlaw escort. The way I heard it, there’d been rumors, sure, but no one knew for a fact that she had ties to the Lean Dogs. That confirmed it. And there’s only one reason a class act like Raven would have a thing to do with your lot.”

“Damn it,” Raven muttered. “I knew it.”

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