Page 44 of Savage

“Alrighty then,” I grumbled, sliding out. It was still early afternoon, and while I wasn’t one to go confronting assholes in the light of day, sometimes that’s just what worked the best.

“Let me talk to him,” Viper instructed as we headed for the door. “I don’t want this to go anymore downhill than it already has.”

“Ah right, because somehow this is my fucking fault.”

Viper spun around in the street, shooting me daggers. “No, this is just such a fucking touchy subject. We can’t afford to piss Robbie off, because then we’ll have to deal with his dad—and I don’t want to do that.”

“It’s not like either of them can put us in prison, it’d come back to bite all of them.”

“Ihighlydoubt that we’re the only criminals with Johnston in our pocket.”

I pursed my lips at that thought, not having ever considered it in that kind of light. “Let’s just get this over with.”

“That’s better,” Viper slapped my shoulder and the only sound filling the night was our heavy footsteps as we headed to the cherry-colored front door.

“Well, here we go,” I grunted, knocking on the front door.

“We’re being such gentlemen, showing up at the front door,” Viper joked, shaking his head. “I can’t fucking stand it.”

“Probably shouldn’t go kicking in the door,” I laughed, relaxing my shoulders. It was never a good idea to walk into a confrontation too tense. It always led to me throwing punches—and sometimes even then, Istillthrew them.

“Come on, Robbie,” Viper shouted into the door as he beat on it a little more firmly. “We just wanna talk.”

“He’s gonna think we’re here to kill him,” I chuckled.

“Maybe then he’ll open the fucking door.”

“Maybe we should just ring the doorbell,” I gestured to the small round button before tapping it. “Maybe he’s in the shower or something.”

“Tell me again how the fuck you managed to actually kill someone,” Viper snorted. “Jesus.”

“Shut up,” I leveled with him, just as the door opened. “See.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Robbie’s glare bounced between the two of us. “I can’t just have a bunch of fucking criminals showing up to my front door. People will see.” As uninviting as his tone was, he still stepped to the side, letting us inside.

Viper didn’t think twice, stepping right through the doorway, and I followed him, surprised to see how orderly his house was for being a bachelor. It honestly looked like the guy didn’t even live there—and that was just fucking wild. For as strange as the guy was, he sure as hell didn’t seem like the type to clean up after himself.

“So,” Robbie closed the door, lingering in the entryway. “What the fuck do you need from me? I don’t have the money yet. Even Charlie Hughes himself wouldn’t pull a favor for me.”

“Ah, there is it,” Viper sneered. “Yourfavor.”

“Whoa, man,” Robbie held up his hands, his eyes going wide. “I made the deal with Gunner—and he’s the one who said hehadto take it to your club.”

“You don’t take anything to one of the brothers and have itnotbecome club business. His business is our business.”

Robbie raised a dark eyebrow, completely unamused. “Strength in numbers, I guess.”

“So spill the real reason why you want us to off this cop,” I said, not giving Viper a chance to say anything back about the club. He was always quick to defend it—sometimes to a fault.

“Ah, so you’re really gonna accuse me of lying,” he snorted, rolling his eyes. “Would figure that a bunch of sadistic assholes would question the validity of a seventeen-year-old girl.”

Rage erupted in my chest, and I barreled forward, grabbing his shirt and slamming his back against the wall. He let out a sharp breath as his head thudded against a low hanging picture.

“We know that you’re bullshitting us,” I growled in his face, jarring him again. “We have connections everywhere in this fucking town.”

That got him.

His eyes flashed with fear for just a split second as his thin lips turned downward. “Fuck, man. I was willing to pay you.”

---