Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67757 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 339(@200wpm)___ 271(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Bacon, eggs, and toast sound perfect, sweetheart. Thank you.”
She blushes and rushes off to do my bidding.
“He’s got one woman in his bed, and already he’s lining up the next.” I know Shades is joking, but his words rub me the wrong way. “Oh, to be young again,” he says with a teasing grin.
“Someone better clue Letty in on the fact that she’s shacking up with a decrepit old coot.”
He frowns and flips me off. “Fucker.”
I laugh and steal a strip of bacon from his plate. “Younger and faster. Fucker.” A few of the other brothers laugh before the tables grow quiet as we focus on breakfast.
My plate arrives, and I tackle it like a starving man and ask for more while I wait. This impromptu meeting is no accident. Ace wants to tell us something, and since we’re all here, he’s biding his time.
“Stiles is on her way,” he finally says, breaking the comfortable silence.
Loud groans go up around the room, but none louder than Dix and Banger.
“What the fuck, man?” Dix drops his fork loudly onto his plate. “Way to ruin my fucking appetite.”
I smile. She’s a fed, but as far as law enforcement goes, she ain’t that bad.
“Is she coming for a reason?”
Ace nods. “Dealing with LTC puts the MC on a different level. We now have to worry about international threats, probably even once LTC is no more. We can’t rely solely on connections like Doherty moving forward, and I think Stiles is a useful tool.”
I nod, accepting his argument because it’s logical, and Ace is a damn good leader. “Okay. What do you need us to do?”
Ace slides a glare, first to Dix and then to Banger. “Just try not to piss her off, yeah?”
Dix holds his hands up, a lopsided grin spreading across his face. “I will do my best.”
Ace nods, shoving the final piece of sausage and toast into his mouth, chewing it hard and fast.
“You might need to add a few details,” Ace says to me. “Keep it short, and don’t volunteer anything extra.”
“Got it.” I finish my breakfast, and it seems that Agent Stiles clocked her arrival for just the right time.
She arrives looking the same as ever in black slacks and a white shirt. The only difference is she’s wearing a short sleeve blouse out of respect for the heat wave sweeping through California.
“Boys.” She flashes a professional smile before her gaze swings to Ace. “I was surprised to get your call.”
He lets out a short laugh. “Probably almost as surprised as I was to make that call.” He motions for her to sit, and in the spirit of not pissing her off, we all take seats behind Ace so she doesn’t feel threatened. “I have some intel for you, and you’re probably not gonna like it, but I’ll tell you what I can.”
Stiles folds her arms and arches a brow. “Meaning you’ll keep some details for yourself?”
Ace nods. “Of course. You familiar with a man named Birmingham in the ATF?”
Her brown eyes go wide, and her blonde ponytail bounces with every nod. “I may have heard of him, but we don’t travel in the same circles.” Her gaze bounces around the room from Shades to Banger to Dix and then to me. “Why do you ask?”
“We’ve come across some information, and I think you might find it useful.”
She laughs. “Which means you also might find it useful?”
Ace shrugs and then tells her what Aria and I dug up on Jack Birmingham.
“He’s a crooked agent working for Arturo Rojas. We have evidence he’s been falsifying travel and shipping documents for years to ensure LTC shipments get where they need to be.”
“How do you know all of this?” she asks.
Ace shrugs again like this is a normal Saturday morning conversation.
“Let’s just say we uncovered it for personal reasons. But,” he sighs and slides a photo across the table. “That’s him helping Emiliano Rojas kidnap his sister and haul her back to Colombia.”
Stiles’ expression goes wide, and she grabs the photo, staring at it closely. I see the moment realization dawns and anger takes over her girl-next-door features.
”What the hell?”
Ace nods, his lips in a straight line. “He also tried to kill Aria Morgan.”
Nothing registers on her face for a long minute, and I’m watching carefully to see if she’s crooked too.
“Geoffrey Morgan’s daughter. Why?”
Wild Man leans forward, skepticism on his face and in his words.
“You tell us. What do you know about him?”
“Not much. He works for the ATF, but why would he try to kill Morgan’s daughter? Is there something else I should know?”
“Nah,” Wild Man sits back with a charming smile. “I wanted to see if we could trust you.” The lie falls from his lips easily, and I wonder if he saw the same truth I did.
“Thanks for this.” Stiles places a hand over the photo, but surprise flashes when Ace hands her a folder.