Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114819 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 574(@200wpm)___ 459(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“The last thing we gotta discuss is Keyes. You heard from him?” His father glanced at Dev as he settled back in his seat.
“No, not really,” Dev said, his mind racing over how much he’d already let out.
“So that’s a yes,” his father answered.
“No. It’s not a goddamn yes,” Dev shot back, refusing to be backed into a corner. The firm set of his old man’s jaw was a warning, but Dev didn’t care in the least.
“We need to be on the lookout for Keyes. Don’t know what’s gonna happen now that Cummings is off the street.” What the fuck did that mean? Didn’t matter. It pissed him off regardless.
“Well, I fuckin’ know,” Dev barked. “He’s accepted that fuckin’ deal. We were too goddamn late.”
“And has anyone seen the deal?” Fox shot back as if Keyes were lying. What a stupid thing to ask. Of course no one’s seen anything. That deal was all Cash-induced. Nobody needed to go search for it either. “Do we in fact know there’s a deal? The whole thing’s fuckin’ shady.”
A dragon resided within Dev. Fire breathed across his soul and boiled the blood in his veins at the obvious implication. He got so mad, so fast that his vision blurred. That said a lot. Dev spent a good majority of the time pissed off.
“He wouldn’t lie to me or us if that’s what your suggestin’. We’re his brothers. When we didn’t live by that code for him, he still did with us. This club isn’t gonna jump to another false narrative, especially about Keyes turnin’ on us. This club losin’ Keyes is our fuckin’ loss, not his.” Dev’s fist slammed down on the table, rocking the hard wood and floor beneath.
“So you think. You’re the one that kept pointin’ out he’d been given a load of shit from the prospects and us.” Those words came from Mack which meant his old man was relaying their private conversations.
Dev jumped from his chair, leaning across the table toward Mack, his fists ready to do his talking for him. “Don’t fuckin’ question Keyes’s loyalty again. He gets tagged, you better take me too ’cause I’m comin’ after every one of you motherfuckers. Guaranteed.” Dev didn’t give idle threats. He made sure that showed on his face as his gaze bore the seriousness of the warning.
“Settle down,” Tank said as gently as his gravelly voice allowed. “Nothin’s happenin’ to Keyes. He was always right with the club.”
“Damn fuckin’ straight he was.” The tension-filled silence held. Dev had to physically rein himself in, rolling his neck and shoulder muscles, taking deep, even breaths before he took his seat.
“We’re takin’ the next two weeks off. Expect to hit it hard at the beginnin’ of the year. We should know then what’s what with the bitch DA,” Fox said to the chorus of groans. “Holiday BBQ’s set for the thirty-first. Get with Ace as to who’s doin’ what. Don’t make him come find you,” Fox said.
Dev’s gaze stayed glued to his father, thinking about his hands suffocating the life out of him for his accusations against Keyes and many other offenses.
Dev was on the government payroll now. Keyes was going to be just fine.
Chapter 11
“Your top-secret meeting place with Keyes is your mother’s house?” Cash asked, sounding either dumbfounded or astonished as Dev turned his cage on the street leading to Carly Fox’s home. Dev reached for the garage’s remote control, pressing the button as they pulled onto the drive leading to her back garage.
“They should already be here,” Dev said, ignoring the range of emotion that came through in Cash’s tone while keeping an eye out for any sign of unwanted surveillance. Well, no one other than the small team Cash had watching out for him.
“What does your mom know?” Cash asked incredulously.
Dev was better able to pinpoint that tone. He had to hand it to Cash. His mister hadn’t used the word dumbass at the beginning or end of the sentence like Dev might have.
He came to a stop inside the garage, pressing the remote control again to close the overhead door. He glanced at the Ferrari parked next to him. Alec Pierce’s expensive sports car that spoke of money. Lots of it. “She doesn’t know shit about the case because you said not to tell her anything.”
He knew that wasn’t what Cash meant so he answered flippantly. Only for the amusement of watching Cash begin to spin out of control.
“I meant about Keyes and Alec being here. Why does she think they’re here?” Cash asked. This time, the implied dumbass was laced in every word uttered.
Dev grinned, cutting the engine to his ride.
“Oh.” He let the word hang between them for a couple of long seconds. He pushed open his door then looked over at the agent. That line between his brow, now a hard crease, became more pronounced. “She knows I’m checkin’ on Keyes. We’re meetin’ in the guest house. She started the heater and knows not to tell anyone. We’re good.”