Colt
“Right, Karma?”
Prez’s voice echoes in my head, and I glance up, almost forgetting that the majority of the club is watching me, waiting to hear the plan to take down Lukas Deveroix. My face goes blank and I see Zane in my peripheral grinning like an idiot.
“Just give him a minute, Prez,” he snickers. “All his blood flow has been supporting his other head the past few weeks.”
My gaze jumps to my backstabbing friend and I flip him my middle finger. I had forgotten over the years that Zane knows what I look like when I’m with Lyric: happy and completely obsessed with her. Since that first night we made love, I’ve had her every day this week. We are like teenagers again, going at each other every chance we get, making excuses just to touch each other. I missed this level of intimacy that I’ve only had with her. Lyric is the only woman to ever have made me want her to the point where I wonder if it's unhealthy, then decide I don’t care.
To me, this is more than just physical too. It's the way we talk about our days, our dreams. It's how we can discuss thethings that worry us. Lyric has opened up this week to me about the insecurities she has and the bad parts about her first year in college. While we can’t do anything about the past, it feels good for me to be able to apologize and continue to show her how I’ve changed. How I won’t mess this up again. I let her get angry at me and give her space when she needs it.
Lyric is the air I breathe, the star in the sky that leads me home. I will not fuck this up with her again. Just having her in my arms last night, knowing I was coming in today to meet with the club, kept me calm. I wasn’t worried anymore, just determined to find a way to prove to her that she can trust me. To show her that we belong together forever.
“Through our compilation of taps, and the surveillance that we were able to get on his family in Alabama, we narrowed down the three most likely locations of Deveroix right now,” I explain to them, and throw out the pictures of the locations on the table. “Turns out his uncle owns a seedy little joint about twenty minutes north of here. That place sees more action on a Tuesday than Squirrel does in a year.”
“Fuck you, man,” Zane huffs while the table laughs with me.
“No shame in your game, Squirrel,” Prez jokes. “It's okay that you’re waiting for that special one.”
There’s hooting and hollering, and Zane gives middle fingers to the whole table. “Assholes, all of you.”
“Anyway.” I hold up the next picture, directing their attention back to me. “There is also a relative on his mother’s side, who lives on the southern border of the state. And last, is this shipyard next to the river that his father’s friend owns.”
“Well, that’s the fucking place obviously,” Dodger speaks up.
“I would second that.” Jester shrugs.
“What are you thinking, Karma?” Prez says, and I glance up to find him watching me, speculating. I didn’t make it through the military or become the best asset to this club by thinkingabout what is the most obvious. In this case, I need to think about Deveroix. Think like him.
“It's too obvious. It's not comfortable. No running water, no electricity. That would be a spot one of us would pick for business. This man was born with entitlement and a golden spoon in his mouth. He’s been coddled and taught to believe he can do whatever he wants.”
“So the motel then,” Bullet says with a frown on his face. “He likes to control and belittle women. No better place than a motel where he can get his fix and get away with it.”
I shake my head again. This is where I’m the most torn too, until I think about appearances. “He’s unraveling and he’s trying to show his brother and his father that taking a bet on him won’t be bad for them. It's all about appearances. Plus, he needs family, even if it's distant, to rope into an alibi when he decides to make his move.”
“The family member’s house? That's like two, almost two and a half hours from here.” Zane shakes his head.
“He’s determined,” Prez reminds us. “In his mind he’s already losing time. A few hours on the road here or there but coming from a respectable place doesn’t make him out to be a stalker.”
“I’m going to leave tomorrow to start surveillance on the house. Squirrel and Dodger, I will have you on security at my house. You don’t need to be in my house.” I eye them both and Dodger just smirks. “But you will be in charge of mediating the cameras. If so much as a deer crosses into my yard, I want to be notified. Bullet and Rook will do some introductions at the motel, just to get some feelers out there. Anyone else who is able, continue doing surveillance in town.” I give them all the last of the details.
Soon after, Prez calls for an end to the meeting and we all leave, collecting our phones on the way out.
“Grab a beer quick?” Zane asks me and with the nervous way he rubs the back of his neck, I’m worried. I nod my head and follow him over to the bar.
Ari’s head snaps up when she sees us, and I realize it’s been a few weeks since I went off on her about Lyric. She bites the inside of her cheek and slides two beers our way.
“Thanks, Ari,” I tell her. Zane stays silent, and I see the cool look they share between each other.
“Actually, Karma, can I talk to you quick?” Ari asks me, even though her eyes are on Zane.
I glance at my best friend, trying to read what I’m missing before looking back to her. “Sure.”
She leads me behind the bar, closer to the back entrance. A few people pass by and say hello to both of us, but she waits until we’re alone.
“I wanted to apologize.” Ari blows out a breath. “I didn’t know Doc was the girl, I mean the girl that you’ve always been in love with. My issue with Doc is on me, because she makes me remember what happened with my sister. I shouldn’t have been rude to her though. I just saw her with you and…and Squirrel and I acted without thinking. I’m sorry.”
“Apology accepted.” I shrug my shoulders. “We’re good, Ari. I do consider you a friend and a younger sister. But when it comes to Lyric, I’ll choose her over anyone. She is always my number one; she always has been. I’d even choose her over Zane, if that tells you anything.”
