“Well, that’s new information.” I wrinkled my nose. “So Richie got into bed with the Iron Horsemen, who got into bed with a cartel?”
“Yup.”
“And Dev will do anything to get this shipment back.”
“Yup.”
“This is awful. This is really awful.”
He sighed. “You have no idea. The cartels make ISIS look like amateurs.”
I closed my eyes and something clicked and I said, “That’s why you haven’t launched a full on attack on the Iron Horsemen. You were worried this was bigger than Dev and you’re trying to find out who’s involved, aren’t you?”
He nodded and sighed, suddenly looking like the weight of the world was resting on his impressive shoulders.
“What do we do with this?” I asked, gesturing to the packages of coke.
“For the time being, we leave it. I’m not moving this shit to the club. Somehow Richie managed to get it here and Dev still isn’t the wiser. Last thing I wanna do is bring it back right under Dev’s nose. We’re going to leave it here. We’re going to make a plan, and then we go from there.”
Before pulling the tarp back over the stack, Colt took a small package and stuck it in his vest pocket, close to his chest.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
“I gotta friend who can trace this shit. Country of origin, remember?”
I knew he wouldn’t tell me anything more. He covered the product, and when he was sure it was concealed, we went to the gate and I turned off the light. Colt lifted the gate and went out first. He kept watch while I closed up. We kept our pace steady and calm, not wanting to appear like we were rushing. The storage lot was deserted this time of night, but we made sure to stay to the shadows and away from cameras. No one was getting our faces on security feeds.
I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until the doors of the truck were locked and the engine was running. There was something sinister about the storage unit. Who knew how many others were slinking around the dark, just like us.
“Are we going to go visit your friend?” I asked in exhaustion.
“We aren’t headed anywhere,” he said. “I’m dropping you off at the clubhouse and then Zip and I will—”
“Nope. Not happening.”
He took his eyes off the road to glance at me. “You’re not going, Mia.”
“Why? Is your friend dangerous?”
“She’s not my friend.”
“Ugh. Fine. Your colleague.”
“She’s not that either.”
“Colt,” I warned.
“Mia,” he said in the same tone.
“Why don’t you want me to go? This involves me and Richie left this in my lap. I’m not going to let you clean it up without me.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“I came with you tonight,” I said in exasperation. “I can’t just sit at home like a good little woman and wait for her man. Unless that’s what you’re expecting of me?”
Colt’s lips twitched in humor. “How do I answer that so I don’t get smacked?”
I smacked him.
“Guess that answers that.”
I looked out the window. “You don’t think I have the right to be there? I’m in this as much as you. Maybe more.”
“What is it you want?”
“Control. Over what I learn. Over my involvement. I’m the one Dev is harassing.”
“Hate to break it to you, darlin’, but if it’s control you’re after, you’re not going to get it.”
“Don’t patronize me.
“I’m not,” he said, still rational, still calm. “But this shit is bad. We are talking ultra-dangerous—and I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because of the life I dragged you into. I’m trying to protect you, darlin’. Don’t you see that?”
I was quiet a moment and then, “You didn’t drag me. I came running to you.”
“Yeah, I guess you did.”
We drove in silence for a few exits before he said, “You can come. But you will stay in the motel with Boxer. I’ll take Zip as backup.”
“Zip? But he’s guarding Joni.”
“I need my VP for this. I’ll get Cheese to take over Joni’s watch.”
“But he’s so young. Is he…experienced?”
“Yup. I trusted him enough to let him guard you, didn’t I?”
I thought for a moment. “Okay. I’ll stay with Boxer.”
“No fight?”
I settled down in the seat, feeling sleepy, my eyes closing. “Nope. You were completely reasonable. Thank you. Where are we headed? Back to the clubhouse?”
He didn’t answer as he fished his phone out of his vest pocket, flipped it open, and pressed a button. A moment later he said, “I need you and Boxer in Odessa by tomorrow at ten a.m. Get Cheese to cover you. It’s worse than we thought. Come ready for a fight. I’ll explain later.” He hung up and set his phone in the center console.
“You didn’t ask them about the distraction they caused.”
“Didn’t need to,” Colt said. “Mia?”
“Yeah, Colt?”
“I’m sorry.”
I opened one eye and looked at him as a pit of worry dropped into my belly. “For what?”
He glanced at me with a devilish grin. “For having the boys torch Dive Bar.”
My mouth dropped open. “What is it with you guys and arson? First Dev sets fire to my home. And now the bar, my bar, had an arson problem?”
“It’s not really your bar. Deed only. Dive Bar has been crawling with Iron Horsemen,” he pointed out. “None of that matters at the moment anyway. We needed a distraction, right? That was perfect. It’ll keep everyone busy for a while. And besides, you heard the lawyer, it’s insured and the paperwork is up to date.”
“I—you—seriously?” I glared at him.
He had the audacity to smile. “You should get some sleep.”
“How the hell am I supposed to sleep now? Arson. Coke. A cartel. This is freakin’ nuts.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
I swallowed. “I’m terrified, Colt. I mean, it was one thing to worry when I thought it was just the Iron Horsemen, you know? But a cartel? They take violence to an entirely new level and they don’t give a shit about your moral code of not touching families or Old Ladies.”
His hand clenched the steering wheel. “I know. Christ, I know.”
“What did Richie think he was doing?” I asked, trying to figure out the thought process of my deceased boss. “Do you think Dev was screwing Richie over in some way and Richie wanted Dev to get into shit with the cartel?”
“He’s not here to ask, sweetheart. All we can do is speculate.”
Had it just been about money? Had it been all about greed?
Richie had never been terrible to me or to any of his employees, he’d just been an absent boss. He certainly didn’t deserve the death he’d gotten.
No one deserved to die like that.
Somehow I was able to doze for a bit and woke up as we pulled into a shitty motel parking lot—one that looked like it could be rented by the hour. It was early morning and there wasn’t any foot traffic. Colt knocked on door number 6 and Boxer answered. Zip was sitting on one of the two double beds smoking a cigarette.