CROW (Boston Underworld Book 1) (13 page)

I smash my lips together and nod to ease her worries, but like hell is that going to be the last word on this subject. Sasha starts fixing up her makeup, and I sit down beside her to watch since mine’s already done.

“I didn’t know if you’d be back,” she says.

“I’m tougher than I look.”

“I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into,” she replies in a bitter tone.

“What do you mean?”

“This whole world, it’s just… a whirlwind, you know. I never know if I’m comin’ or going half the time. These guys will protect you like one of their own, but they’ll also use you up if you let em’.”

“Well, maybe they should be worried about me using them up,” I tease.

Sasha laughs and shakes her head. “I highly doubt it, now that Lachlan’s put the word out. They wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole, honey. But don’t go thinking that means anything. He’ll still fuck whoever the hell he wants. It’s how things work in this world.”

I swallow the annoying lump in my throat as Sasha applies her lipstick.

“Did you date one of these guys, Sash?”

Again, she laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “I wouldn’t call it dating. He fucked me whenever it suited him until he ended up burning rubber outta’ town. He’s the one who dragged me into this world, and now I’m stuck here.”

“Jesus, Sasha… that’s awful. I’m sorry.”

She blinks back the glassiness in her eyes and fixes her mascara.

“It’s not so bad,” she says. “I probably shouldn’t be unloading all this crap on you, huh? Niall and his men have done right by me, so I can’t complain about any of that. I’m just having an off day and I don’t want to see you get hurt like I did.”

“So besides Donovan, you haven’t had any trouble with the rest of them?” I ask curiously. “I mean… what about the Russians? I’ve heard a whole bunch of stories about them.”

Sasha’s face pales a little at my question, and I know I’m onto something. But she clams up real quick and starts shoving all her makeup back into her bag.

“No problems,” she says quickly. “Just the usual stuff, you know. Women drama. I gotta’ go get warmed up.”

Before I have a chance to stop her, Lachlan makes an appearance. And I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m already annoyed with him. All of that stuff Ronan said in the car, and now Sasha too. He might as well have a giant target on his forehead for my arrows.

“Come here.” He gestures towards the door.

Would you get a load of this character? Come here, he says, like I’ll just do it.

I do.

He pins me up against the wall and boxes me in with his arms again. When I look up at him, he’s got that possessive look on his face. It’s making my chest feel weird, and I want it to stop.

“Did you need something?” I ask. “Or you just want to manhandle me some more?”

“What did I tell ye about that mouth?” he grunts.

“That it’s pretty and looks good in red lipstick?”

His lip twitches, despite his best efforts to hide it.

“I’ll have that drink with ye tonight,” he says.

“What drink?”

“You promised me a drink.”

Yeah, right. He’s probably squeezed me in right between Mandy and Cinnamon. Pfft.

“I did not. And besides, I’m busy tonight.”

His eyes harden and he leans a little closer. He smells good.

“Doing what?” he asks.

“That isn’t your concern.”

He takes a step back and scrubs a hand through his hair.

“I don’t play these games, Mack.”

“So?”

“That’s all,” he says. And then he walks down the hall.

Chapter Twelve

Lachlan

J
ust after eleven, Niall drops into the club. When he sits down across from me in my office, I already know the reason for his visit.

“Viktor called me.”

I scrub my hands over my face and nod. Should’ve seen this coming.

“Are we going to have a problem here, Lachlan?”

“No,” I tell him resolutely. “The girl is not a threat.”

“He isn’t convinced of that,” Niall says. “And neither am I. The sooner we can sort this out, the better for all of us.”

I’d like to tell him I agree. It’s the right thing to do. For all of us. Instead, I open my cabinet and pull out the ballistics report and hand it off to him.

“Confirmation for Viktor that the problem is on their end.”

Niall nods as his eyes scan over the report and then he stuffs it into his jacket.

“Who is this girl they want?”

“Some foster kid from the projects,” I tell him. “She knows to keep her mouth shut. I don’t reckon she’s clued in on anything like Ivan claims.”

“Ye’ll need to tread carefully here, Lachlan. I don’t need to remind ye the way things are right now.”

I glance across the desk at the man I’ve respected all these years. Always, I’ve trusted his judgement. I’ve done what he asked without question. And if he’d have told me a week ago that the girl needed to be offed, I haven’t a clue what I’d have said.

We aren’t in the business of killing women. Niall doesn’t like it. Would prefer to avoid it if he can. But this time, things are different. Our whole syndicate rests on the balance of this girl. To cross the Russians at this point would be a death sentence to all of us.

I’m stating the bleeding obvious here. Logic tells me I’ve no choice but to hand her over to them when the time comes. I can’t allow her to get in the way of my plans.

Niall sighs. He can read me better than anyone, and it only irritates me further. He needs to know I’m ready. That I’m loyal to the syndicate and nothing else. But my silence is reading like something else right now.

“This is on you, Lachlan. Regardless of how it came about, the responsibility lies on your shoulders now. Your fate is tied to hers. Ye follow me?”

“Aye. I follow ye.”

I don’t need a psychic to tell me I’m going to regret this.

“Ye’ll need to meet with Viktor’s daughters soon,” he continues. “You and Sean both.”

I unbutton my collar and loosen it from around my neck as I give him a stiff nod.

“Of course.”

Niall is appraising me, an obvious question in his eyes. Am I going to lose the plot? Go soft on him over this girl? Is Sean a better choice than me for the position?

It’s this last question that reaffirms my dedication. I cannot allow a woman to stuff up my plans for the syndicate. The one thing I’ve been working towards all these years. And my final promise to Carrick. I told him I’d do him proud, and I will see this through, no matter the cost.

Rory knocks and opens the door. Niall and I both turn our attention towards him.

“What is it?” Niall asks.

“The Italians started some beef with one of our guys down at Micko’s. They think it was us who hit one of their shipments last night.”

“Fucking Italians,” Niall and I both mutter at the same time.

Rory throws his hands up and shrugs. “If it isn’t them it’s the goddamn Armenians breathing down our throats. This has their brand of sloppiness written all over it.”

“We can expect more where that came from,” I chime in. “Looks like things are drying up for them in Cali, they’re all heading back East.”

“Aye, well,” Niall says, “times are changing. There’s bound to be a war on the horizon.”

He glances at his watch and then back to me. What he’s thinking has already crossed my mind. There’s loads of cash sitting in the basement right now, waiting for the Russians.

“We’ve got the drop tonight.”

He nods and then goes about instructing Rory. “Send half the crew to deal with the Italians. Tell them to be quick about it.”

I’m not too keen on this plan. Leaving the club without a load of protection on tonight of all nights isn’t wise, but Niall sees it as a necessary measure. Allowing anyone to infringe on our territory or fuck with our lads makes us look weak, and the consequences of such behavior must be swift and harsh. That’s what the syndicate is all about.

Niall stands up and adjusts his coat.

“I have a recital to get to.”

“Give the girls my best wishes,” I tell him.

He nods and slips out the door.

Chapter Thirteen

Mackenzie

L
achlan told me when I started here that I was supposed to be the appetizer. So when I find out they’ve switched my set to follow Mandy’s, I get a little annoyed. She’s going to be up on stage taking her clothes off and then I’m supposed to follow it up with just a teaser?

It’s ridiculous, and I have no doubt Lachlan is punishing me for my little performance earlier. Still, I don’t let on to it as I step onto the stage prepared to knock em’ dead. He can make it as difficult as he wants. I always did love a challenge.

Tonight I’m wearing an artfully shredded spandex mini dress that just barely covers my nipples and lady parts. I’ve chosen Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Deadman and Buckcherry’s Crazy Bitch for my set. Fitting to my mood.

I start off with a bang. My moves are on point, and the men are wagging their tongues. Lachlan’s in the pit, watching me with an expression that doesn’t give anything away. But the tapping of his fingers on his thigh and the way he glances at the men around him tells me enough. Halfway through my performance, Mandy sidles up to him, sipping playfully from her drink.

His attention moves to her and something inside of me goes a little haywire as I watch her swivel her hips in time to the music. She’s trying to give him his own private show during my fricken’ performance. Gah. The nerve of this woman. And yet I have to wonder why it even bothers me.

It shouldn’t. I never planned to get close to Lachlan. But things are complicated and confusing as hell and the only thing I know right now is that I hate seeing him with her. I tell myself it’s smart to stay under his protection. I tell myself that I still haven’t ruled him out as a source of information. And when the music ends and I’m marching down to his table, I tell myself these are the reasons why.

He arches a brow at me and leans back in his chair while Mandy practically snarls at me.

“I’m ready for that drink now,” I tell him.

“Ah, is that so, sweetheart?” he asks. “I’m fairly certain that earlier…”

I don’t let him finish. I move between his legs and sit right down on his lap, shooting Mandy a satisfactory glance as I’ve staked my territory.

“Or we could just have it right here. Whatever you want, Lach.”

Mandy stalks off to find another victim for the night and he laughs, but his humor doesn’t last long. He traces a fingertip down my cheek and right below the swell of my lips, which his eyes are laser focused on.

“I don’t fancy being teased, butterfly.”

“No teasing,” I say. “I want to have a drink with you. Like I promised.”

“My choice then?” he asks.

I nod.

He grabs me around the waist and grinds my hips down onto his obvious erection before leaning forward to whisper in my ear.

“This what you want, Mack?” he nips my earlobe. “Because I make no promises of being a gentleman once I get you alone.”

Shit. Now I’ve gone and done it. I told myself I’d never let any of them touch me. What I’m supposed to be doing right now is walking around the VIP room and flirting my way through the Russians. That’s what I came here for.

But I can’t stop myself from looking at Lachlan. Wondering what it is he sees in me. Wondering why he’s decided to ease up on his attitude towards me. Is it possible that I actually want him to want me?

No. Definitely not.

If I’m being logical, I have to reason that there’s every chance he could be involved. He runs this club. He’d know more than anyone in it. That’s why I need to stick close to him.

I think.

I bite my lip and nod, and a moment later, he’s hauling me down the hall to his office. He lifts me by the waist and sets me on top of his desk.

“Don’t move.”

I smile as he disappears down the hall like his pants are on fire. And of course, I disobey him by jumping down and rifling through his desk drawers while I have the chance. I highly doubt there’s going to be anything in here with Talia’s name on it, but it can’t hurt to check.