Page 76 of Deadly Aloha
“Seeing as he’s driving, yeah.”
I shook my head at my ex-brother-in-law. The clubhouse wasn’t that far. We’d be fine.
Leaning forward, I tapped the flat of my dagger against Konstantin’s shoulder. “To be honest, it took us so long to find you that I thought you’d be long gone. You had to have heard about Baranov by now. How he was burned alive in that church of a home? Want to know what his last words were? I can tell you.”
The man’s jaw twitched, but there was something in his expression that told me he didn’t mind Baranov’s death. Hemust have had other contacts within the flesh trade to be so confident about losing a—for lack of a better word—vendor.
Unfamiliar with the streets of LA, we only took two wrong turns to get Konstantin to drive to the Royal Bastard’s clubhouse, where we’d been staying the past three days. The sliding gate was already open and waiting for us as the cage pulled in. Konstantin was sweating bullets by now, and his leg did not look good.
A crowd of bikers, and even some Ol’ ladies, were waiting for us when the vehicle came to a stop.
“Get out,” I ordered before exiting from my side of the car. Tangaloa would keep his gun trained on Konstantin until we could get him restrained.
Spirit, who had already been at the LA clubhouse when he was hunting down the asshole who hit Lu, was more familiar with the vast number of members. He walked forward now with the LA President, Capone. I was grateful for the cuts, because I was shit when it came to remembering names.
Capone was about my height and reminded me of those old mafia movies. Like if I rewatchedThe Godfather, I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw Capone in the background as one of the extras. He had this air of authority that I respected and was just psycho enough for me to actually like him. His dark, almost black, eyes were a vault, only ever showing emotion around his Ol’ Lady, Danyella, and his daughter, Nina. Out of all the hardened bikers in this place, it was that teenage girl who scared me the most. How did someone so young and innocent bring a man like Capone so readily to his knees? It was why I was so certain I was having a boy. The universe would not be so cruel as to give me a girl and still expect the world to survive.
While Aftermath and Red welcomed us to their clubhouse with open arms, it was clear they were pissed about the reasonwe’d ended up in their territory. In that regard, we were in agreement.
“Brought you anAudi,” I told Capone. “A gift for your generous hospitality. It’s a tad bloody, but nothing a bit of elbow grease can’t get rid of.”
The man’s jaw ticked. “I’ve had better gifts.”
I was tired enough that I actually chuckled. “Yeah, it sucks, but don’t worry, it’ll get better.”
“That right?” he raised a skeptical eyebrow. To two of his Prospects, he ordered, “Take him out back. We’ll be there shortly.”
The LA Chapter had a garage they’d reconfigured into, as Lu would call it, their torture room. The set up was impressive, and it would hold Konstantin, but I still preferred my way.
“If you don’t mind,” I added to Capone, “my guys are getting what we need. I’d like to show you howIget answers.”
Capone raised an eyebrow. “I heard your style’s a bit,” he glanced at Red and Aftermath, “different. Color me intrigued. What do you need from me?”
My smile was wolfish. “Once my men are ready, just a ride to the marina.”
The marina was desertedthis time of night. Still, we worked fast to keep down the chances of witnesses.
“Gotta say, Ali-Ali-Oxen Free, this is not what I expected,” Aftermath said from beside me. He had his arm around Kensi, who looked far too excited to be present for what was to follow. I liked that about her.
Capone looked skeptical. “They’re tying him up too high. He won’t drown from up there.”
Tommy and Tangaloa were working quickly to tie Konstantin to the keel of the boat, just below the bow. Like a live-action figurehead. Tangaloa and I were barefoot and shirtless again, which felt more freeing than being released from a pair of handcuffs, while Tommy was wearing a pair of water shoes, loose muscle shirt, and cargo shorts.
“Ye of little faith,” I scolded good-naturedly. “I don’t want him to drown.”
Once Tangaloa and Tommy were ready, we all boarded. Spirit and the twins were back at the clubhouse. Even with the size of the boat, I didn’t want to weigh us down. Capone, Aftermath, Kensi, Tangaloa, Tommy, and I needed the ability to have a quick escape.
Tommy had chosen a forty-footer. He would have ensured it was gassed up too. I didn’t ask if he’d asked to borrow the boat or if he’d stolen it. If it met my specifications, I didn’t honestly care.
Konstantin wasn’t gagged. It would make breathing harder for him, and breathing would become essential in a few minutes. As I said, I didn’t want him to drown. Not fully anyway. I was good with a little drowning. He couldn’t give me answers if he was completely drowned.
Tommy took the helm. Despite living within spitting distance of the ocean, none of Capone’s people owned a boat and very few had ever been on a boat. I did not understand it. The water wasright there, and they looked at it like it was just a pretty addition to the landscape. Fuckinghaoles.
It took us less than twenty minutes to reach open sea. When Kensi asked what that meant, I explained that it was a term used when we weren’t near land. Either it couldn’t be seen in any direction or it was too far away to be helpful.
I turned to Tommy. “Open her up.” To Kensi and Aftermath who were standing by the bow, I said, “You might want to hold onto something.”
Both of them frowned slightly but readjusted their positions to now be gripping the rail. Tommy revved the engines and then we shot forward. I put a hand on Capone’s arm to steady him as he started to topple over.
