Page 86 of Red Queen (Red Thorns Crew 3)

His smile grew positively maniacal. “There’s a lot of money in drug smuggling, Max.”

And there it was. The entire reason Benji was doing this. The entire reason my father had been hunting us down. Hunting me down. All for some measly drug-peddling. It had taken John over two years once he took over the Red Thorns to get us out of the drug game. And it still took me the better part of a year to really clean out the crew and get rid of the guys still dealing behind our fucking backs.

I should’ve known. I should’ve fucking known.

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, Benji.”

His eyes grew wide. “With your father’s expansion, he’ll have control over this whole region. And his reach will grow, mark my words. Others will come. Others will want a home only your father can provide. A home they’d never find with you. Then there won’t be a damn soul to stand between him and his kingdom because you and your little deer will be six feet underground. And all by my hand.”

I pressed my shotgun into his gut as his eyes sparkled with something unrecognizable. An evil and a greediness I’d never seen anywhere. Not even in my father’s eyes.

“Any last words?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”

“Then let me have them. I promise I’ll deliver them to someone that I think will care.”

“I take it this is where you say, ‘which is no one.’”

He snickered. “Guess you aren’t as stupid as you look. So got those words for me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

I felt Dani’s warmth back away from me and I grew worried as to what she was doing.

“Come on. You really don’t want to keep me waiting, Maxxy-poo.”

I grinned. “You talk way too much.”

28

Dani

I drummed my fingers on the outer wall of the motel on the other side of the tub. Hoping and praying someone heard me. Then I quickly stepped out from around Max and held up my hands.

“Please! Don’t shoot.”

Benji’s eyes stayed locked with Max. “Truth be told, I can’t believe you’re still here, Bambi. Maybe you aren’t the doe-eyed waste of space I thought you were.”

As much as I wanted to lash out at him for the insult, I let it roll off my back. Benji had said enough in the last few minutes to get both Max and Rupert off the hook. As well as throw Benji in prison for a very, very long time. All I needed was to keep people from firing any guns. Because if gunshots rang out, that destroyed everything. There were supposed to be precautions in case Benji came in with guns blazing. But he hadn’t. He came here to say what he needed to say first.

And we got it recorded.

Just a few more seconds, Dani. Stall him.

Benji’s eyes returned to Max. “Any last words, you two?”

I shrugged. “Only a few.”

Max hissed. “Dani, shut up.”

I snickered. “Funny that you think you can make me shut up.”

Benji grinned. “Cute. Now, what is it?”

With my arms hanging slack at my sides, I rolled my shoulders back. I felt the pistol I’d taken from Max’s belt band pressing against my side. I wasn’t sure if anyone could see it. Part of me hoped they did, but part of me hoped they didn’t. So without wasting any more time, I launched into the only plan I’d quickly formulated in my head.

“You made a mistake,” I said.

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