That wild prairie fire flamed in my veins, lapping hungrily at Reich.
“You had that in your hands all this time?” My tone was harsh. “What were you gonna do, Butler? Use it to bait me, offer it to me like a fucking carrot, to make our tentative agreements go your way? Get thicker cuts out of us?”
“Why not?” Butler shot back.
I slammed a fist on the table at my side, and Butler’s face tightened. A frozen silence gripped the room.
“Reich does have a point, though,” Butler said.
Reich’s head perked up at him.
“This is none of my business. Not anymore,” Butler said. “It used to be a family issue for me. Nina was my old lady after all, and I got her out from under this animal. But she’s not my old lady now. Now, this really isn’t my business, is it?” Right on point, Butler brought out his legendary fuck-it swagger.
Reich’s lips drew back in a snarl. “Give it to me.”
His panic was fucking delicious.
Butler shot him that shit eating grin of his. “I’m giving it all right.” He tossed the flash drive at me, and I caught it, my fingers curling over it tightly.
“You motherfucker!” Reich exploded.
“Yes, I am a motherfucker,” Butler said, making a show of wiping his hands. “And now I’m done with you.”
I gestured at two of my men, who immediately grabbed Reich by the arms. I held out the flash drive to Den who took it and hooked it up to his open laptop on the table.
I raised my chin at Butler. “Get out.”
“You don’t expect me to walk away now and leave Reich standing, do you?” Butler asked.
“You don’t have a choice here, Butler,” I replied. “You’re one Jack among many Flames and on our property. Unless you’ve got a death wish, you need to leave now while I still give a shit. I got business to take care of here.”
“You lied to me, Finger! He’s ours!” Butler shouted.
Den raised his head from his laptop screen. “It’s all here, Prez, just like Butler said. Plenty of fucked-up shit. Long list of names and info. Goes back for years.”
Finally, I had Reich in a way that I’d only imagined years ago. Completely by the fucking balls. But I wasn’t that kid screaming for vengeance and striking out in the only way I knew how, with my knife in the opiate dark of the night.
No.
Now Reich was sober and awake, eyes wide open, feeling the sharp rip of my blade through his flesh. Knowing it was me.
“Reich is mine,” I said. “The second you leave, I’m going to blow his fucking head off myself.” I turned to Slade. “Pick up the old lady and bring her here.”
Slade lifted his chin and stalked off, his phone at his ear.
“What’s going on?” Nina asked Catch, her voice thin. “Why is Deanna coming here? They’re not going to hurt her, are they?”
“It’s all right, baby.” Catch rubbed her shoulder. “We just need to talk to your sister about what she knows.”
I motioned to two of my men. “Get the Jack off my property.”
They grabbed Butler.
“Fuck you!” he hollered, shoving back at them.
“Leave, Butler, or we’re gonna have problems you haven’t even dreamed of,” I said on a hiss.
Led charged at Butler, his face red. “You’re going to pay for this, you son of a bitch!”