Page 23 of Brew
“He had a pet pig?”
“Yes, it was called Maurice, and he wants to get another one because he said pigs make great pets and that they’re misunderstood. Ever since I heard him say that, I stopped eating bacon.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Well, don’t even think about us getting a pet pig in this apartment,” I chuckle. “But I’m sure he’s right about them being misunderstood.”
“They’re apparently really clean animals, they only roll in mud to keep cool and for skin protection,” she goes on. “And they separate their living, eating and toilet areas.”
My child often likes to learn facts when she’s really interested in a subject. Apparently, that’s now pigs.
“Well, I didn’t know that,” I say. “But I think you need to finish supper and have a shower before it gets too late.”
Luckily, she’s also easily distracted.
As I clean up after dinner, I can’t help thinking about Harlem and Indi saying those things about Brew and me. Was he just teasing, or does he really know that Brew likes me? I’ve examined the evidence in my head over and over, and I still can’t come to a conclusion. Let’s face it, Brew doesn’t like anyone. Even if he did, we’re so different.
We have absolutely nothing in common. Even when Sawyer hinted at the meeting that Brew hadn’t been around the sweet butts at the club in forever.
Those sweet butts at the club keep askin’ for you.
I meant what I said about them not being pieces of meat, but I can’t deny that I liked hearing he hadn’t been around the women in the club. And that right there is the reason I need to keep this professional. Brew is my boss, and no matter how generous he’s being, I am not going to be on the back of his freaking sled. Not happening.
CHAPTER
SEVEN
Brew
“You know no shit goes down we don’t know about,” Diamond informs me. “If I’d heard about The Grid, I would’ve called you.”
I don’t doubt it, but I needed to see for myself.
She may be the prez of the Stiletto Riders, but she sure as shit makes sure everyone knows she’s the boss of Texas. What these ladies do is nothing short of impressive. So far, they’ve kept the territory safe far better than any law enforcement.
I swallow hard.
Three months ago, I was led to Oklahoma; I found Valencia’s remains. Those sewer rats buried her in a shallow grave, like she was a piece of scum on the bottom of their shoes. It gave me little comfort to have found her, though her family finally had closure and we were able to give her a proper burial. They say closure is a thing, but sometimes I don’t know if I’ll ever have peace. Not when I know how horrifically she suffered and how scared she would have been.
I killed a lot of men that night. Every single one of them in the warehouse who were involved died, too; even beingassociated with these trafficking monsters is a death sentence. In my book anyway. They only got what they deserved.
“Glad you’ve got a handle on things, but we follow up every lead,” I say. “People slip through the cracks, new networks poppin’ up all the time. Every time we shut one down, a new one pops up in its place.”
“Trafficking is a big business. We’re not well liked around these parts; every last one of us has been threatened, but we’ll never stop fighting.” Diamond has her own demons, and I get the feeling this is a little too close to home.
Some time ago, Star, Nevada’s ol’ lady, tracked down her sister who’d gone missing. Tilly went out with friends one night, her drink was spiked, and she was snatched. It took Star a while to track her down, but she managed to get her back. Tilly was one of the lucky ones. I’ve got a lot of respect for what she went through in order to make that happen, now Tilly is a member of the Stiletto Riders because they were the ones who found her and took her in.
Diamond, however? Even I wouldn’t mess with her.
“I respect that, and I know the stats, but somethin’ tells me this was a wild goose chase and maybe we need to backtrack.”
Sawyer is rarely wrong about these things, but maybe with us and the Stiletto’s sniffing around, it scared The Grid away. Fuck know’s where they’ll pop up next.
I’m more annoyed I didn’t get the opportunity to knock some skulls together, but every single bead on these organizations is one we have to check out. As frustrating as it is, it’s a long game. Haze knows the drill, sometimes he’ll come with us, but usually he’ll stay behind to deal with the business. Besides, now we have Erica, his time in the office is cut in half.
“That may be so, but next time you can just call.”
I snort. “Got it. Sawyer and I don’t mind the open road, anythin’ to get the city grit out of our hair.”
She thumbs behind her. “You’re welcome to stay at the clubhouse tonight, but fair warning, I can’t guarantee your safety, pretty boys.”
