Page 41 of Ruthless

He shrugged. “Yeah, the bikers. Most of them are pretty petty when it comes to actual convictions, except for one with a murder charge. He killed the guy who murdered his father—interesting story, really.”

I nodded, wondering if it was mine. Well, not that Ghost Eyes was mine. He walked out right after sex. “That’s intriguing, but you know, most of the time guys join the clubs because they don’t fit into society.”

“Or maybe they’re running from their past,” Tyson countered, letting out a sigh. “And I hate to break it to you, but I don’t have high hopes for us. Lucas had been keeping his eye on the one that goes byAxlefor quite some time.”

“I don’t know which one that is,” I chuckled, propping my back against a pillow so that I faced Tyson. More than likely, Ghost Eyes was watching, maybe even listening to our conversation… But I didn’t care.

“He’s the one who punched my fucking lights out down here,” he grunted, shaking his head.

My stomach knotted up. “Oh? The one with the gray eyes?”

“Yeah, he’s got gray eyes,” Tyson said with a shrug. “He’s a bad,baddude, Rachel. Lucas has been keeping an eye on him for a while, though he wouldn’t ever tell me why. He’s got a fake name and shit. His current identity is Collin Adams, but his real name is Trevor Webb.”

Something about the name sounded familiar, but I couldn’t piece it together in my mind. It would probably hit me later. “So, who is he?” I tried to keep a serious business tone, but honestly, I was dying to know who Ghost Eyes really was…

And if he might kill me.

“He was the son of one of the big mob bosses in New York City, but he was the child of a mistress, Tisha Webb. I don’t think he was ever supposed to get involved in the mob, but his father played a little bit of favorites. Trevor rose fast in the ranks, and he was a threat to his half-brother, who hated his guts. I know there was some kind of hit involved that was supposed to put Trevor out… But he faked an accident and slipped into the abyss.”

“And Lucas found out his identity, how?” I asked, never having even heard him mention anything close to this. I would’ve remembered something as wild.

“I don’t know,” Tyson replied. “That’s what I’m saying. Lucas didn’t offer up any information on how or why he knows anything about the guy. He’s been keeping an eye on him though. I don’t know what it’s for.”

I shook my head as I tried to come up with some kind of purpose. I knew that Lucas hailed from Las Vegas and had some sketchy roots, but I didn’t know anything else. However, Ididknow that that Las Vegas had mob activity… And that the bikers mentioned my partner doing something in the gray area…

Could he be involved with the mob still?

“Look, I just know that the guy is dangerous. He grew up in the mob, and never was charged withanything,but his reputation and connections pretty much say everything there is to know about him. It’s nothing to him to kill us.”

“Right…,” my voice trailed off as I tried to picture Ghost Eyes—er, Trevor—as some kind of big mafia guy. My mind created a scene of him in a tight, fitted dark suit, and I had to admit…

He would look lethal in more ways than one.

“I think Lucas is going to come up with the other half of the ransom,” Tyson continued, obviously having had enough of talking about Ghost Eyes. “He can’t stand the fact that you’re caught up in your brother’s mess—and neither could I. But you know, I thought Lucas was wasting fucking time by not getting over here and rescuing you. We could’ve worked together, and you’d be out of here.”

I raised an eyebrow at him, his own words confirming what I had assumed. “You should’ve listened to him.”

“He probably has no idea that I’m even here.”

“Oh, I bet he can put it all together,” I muttered, my eyes dropping to my hands in my lap. I felt overwhelmed at the moment, and I shifted down into the covers, tugging them up around my chin. I could still smell Ghost Eyes on my skin, and feel him between legs, which were growing sorer as the time passed… But I hadnoidea how to feel about it—about the sex or who hereallywas.

“We’ll get out of here, Rachel,” Tyson murmured. “I won’t lethimhurt you like he hurt all the others.”

I blinked a few times, growing quiet…What?

Chapter 18

Axle

“I’m not surprised,” Viper said, his arms folded across his chest as he stared at me across my kitchen table. “I knew there was something about your past that you were hiding from us. I had Charlie dig into you, since you said you had mob ties… But nothing ever popped for you.”

I sat there quietly, thankful that he hadn’t mentioned throwing my body in a ditch since I broke the news. “Yeah, because the name was given to me by a contact in the FBI.”

“Jesus,” Viper grunted, shaking his head. “I can’t believe you had all this under your sleeve, you know. We could’ve been taking advantage of these connections.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t risk putting the truth out there until I knew for sure that you all could be trusted. The Vitali family is a powerful family with far reach. I know they have contacts in Las Vegas…”

Viper pursed his lips. “And now it’s at our doorstep somehow.”

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