Page 93 of Kings Have No Mercy
“Not yet,” I whisper. “I’m not… ready…”
He pauses, his deep green eyes boring into me, his rough palm stroking the curve of my cheek. He slowly nods and then takes a step backward. That single step turns into several more as he walks toward the door.
“I’ll be gone a couple hours. Wait up.”
The second the door opens, the tinkling sound of the rain fills my ears. I rush to shut the door and slide the latch into place after him. I go to the window and peek through the part in the curtains, watching him make his way to his bike. He mounts it, and within seconds, rides off with a deafening roar from the engine.
My fingers touch my lips, imagining what it would’ve felt like to kiss him. If I’d just given in, even without talking more about what happened and where we stand. The instant desire that thrums through me makes me realize it was a blessing in disguise that I denied him.
A kiss would’ve led to more. It would’ve thrown him off his game. It’s for the best he gets whatever business he has with the Hellrazors out of the way first.
Then… then maybe…
That thought hovers at the forefront of my mind when there’s a sharp knock on my door. I let the curtain flutter closed and drift toward the peephole. Tension returns to the bones in my body as I move stiffly and press my eye against the hole to see who it is.
A second later, it’s fading away. Though I’m no less surprised by the appearance of my second visitor.
I unlatch the door and draw it open. “Velma,” I say. “What are you doing here? Did you come with the rest of the crew for the mission?”
“Actually, I came to see you, girly. Thought I’d keep you company.” She invites herself inside my room.
Still as shocked to see her as I was to see Mason, I trail after her. She makes it to the flimsy table and pair of chairs that are between the queen-sized bed and the bathroom wall. Withdrawing a cigarette and lighting up, she plops down.
“Have a seat.”
“Usually the host asks the guest to sit,” I say.
She smirks, her cigarette between her lips. “I’d say it’s the one calling the shots that gets to decide that. I said, have a seat.”
I put both hands to my hips. “Well, now I’m saying I’ll show you the door. I’m not in the mood for bitchiness, Velma.”
“Like I give a damn,” she snorts, blowing smoke. The moment I move to go to the door, she’s croaking out a thick, throaty laugh only a regular smoker’s capable of. “You go ahead and open that door, girly. You’re not gonna like what you find on the other side.”
“What are you—”
“I told your stubborn ass to have a seat. I’m not gonna tell you again,” she snaps, eyes cold and clouds of smoke swirling around her. “I’m not playing around. You’ll soon learn your little games have been child’s play. You want a real undercover story? I’m about to school you like there’s no tomorrow.”
27
MASON
“Alright,boys, are we ready to fuck shit up tonight?” Ozzie asks with a gleam in his eyes. He grins wide as he cocks the hammer on the pistol in his hand and then gestures to the arsenal of weapons strapped to the holster across his chest. “I’ve got something to cover all violent appetites. Grenades? Check. Brass knuckles? Damn right. Ice pick? I got you.”
Moses, who’s one of twenty on tonight’s mission, shakes his head. “Do I even wanna know where you gotgrenadesfrom?”
Ozzie shrugs. “I know a guy who knows a guy. Don’t ask questions.”
“Everybody get your shit straight!” I yell, shouldering my way through the group. I’m soaked through from my pitstop to the Traveler’s Lodge to see Sydney, but wet clothes aren’t gonna stop me from what we’ve gotta do. “Make sure your hardware’s locked, loaded, and ready. No mercy.”
Tonight is the night we make the Hellrazors regret ever fucking with us.
We’ve got a foolproof plan that’s gonna show once and for all who the dominant MC is.
After weeks of trying to sabotage the Hellrazor’s drug and weapon supply, we’ve tracked down their dealer.
Edgar Olivares is a small-time distributor that often deals with any gangs and criminal entities in the local area. He operates alongside a team of no more than six men, discreet and unknown enough that he often flies under the radar. In their war against drugs, the authorities aren’t even aware he and his distribution business exists.
Olivares buys from the cartels wholesale and then uses his local connections to sell his stock to motorcycle clubs, street gangs, and other criminals alike. At one point in time, the Steel Kings had an arrangement with a distributor like Olivares. Years ago, when we were still active in Texas’s drug trade.