HIS Choice: An H.I.S. Novel (H.I.S. series Book 2) (8 page)

He fought the urge to punch Hank in the face. “No, asshole, I didn’t fuck her.” Necessary lie. “I was there to send her a message and that’s all.” The sex had been a bonus. He wanted to be inside her again. He had to stop this line
of thinking.

“I’d have taken the time to fuck her is all I’m sayin’, no matter how she looked uncovered.” He rose. “I’m outta here. See
ya later.”

AJ followed him to the door, shut and locked it. There was no reason for a meeting at the warehouse. Something was up and it had trouble written all
over it.

For once he wished he would break down and ask his brothers for help. The hole he’d dug himself into was his
to manage.

He rubbed his hand over the two-day stubble on his face, fighting the exhaustion attempting to overtake his body. Pouring himself another cup of coffee, his mind spun. Why did they need
this meeting?

He walked in the living room, settled back on the worn, green sofa and turned the TV on the
news station.

His thoughts returned to Megan. He couldn’t let Hank near her. The man wouldn’t hesitate to hurt Trent and then beat or rape her. AJ would not allow that
to happen.

But how could he protect her? When he heard of danger headed her way he could warn Trent. AJ had to stay in the know because she would cause
more trouble.

The news alert captured his attention. Denzel Wilkins had been captured. AJ jerked forward on the couch, spilling his coffee on the already stained rug. His
heart pounded.

Fuck!

Anticipation curled through Megan. This was the major break she had been hunting. If Raven’s information was accurate, she’d have the opportunity to see one of the big bosses. He didn’t know, or wouldn’t tell her, which boss it would be or what the meeting would be about. His information had always been solid so she
trusted him.

Butterflies were active in her stomach, bouncing from wall to wall. She wished Victoria had been here to go with her. Then they could see if this boss crossed over to her part of
the story.

Megan chewed her bottom lip. Would Trent argue with her about going? There was no doubt in her mind that he would. She might have to remind him that he worked for her. This was her lead and her chance. She’d publish the boss’s photo and be one step closer to destroying the man who had ruined her family’
s lives.

Her stomach clenched, fighting to stop her pumped up adrenaline. Trent wouldn’t want her to go. She’d wait to tell Trent until she
was leaving.

Detectives Cooper and Phillips would expect her to call them with this information. Of course, exposing a boss in a drug ring before informing the police would piss them off even more than they already were. They’d probably work to get a new law passed so they could throw her
in jail.

Where are you, Kristen?
She had to
leave soon.

“I have watched you constantly looking to Kristen’s office. Something’s up, isn’t it?”
Janet asked.

That brought Kyle and Kelly to
her desk.

“Megan. What’s going on?” Kelly asked. “And don’t say nothing. You’ve got something going on. You’re packed up and ready
to leave.”

“Shh. I don’t want Merissa to come over.” Megan worried she’d run to a manager to keep her from leaving. She couldn’t
have that.

She wanted to tell Kristen first but couldn’t hold back. “I have a lead on a meeting where a Magic Shop boss will be present. I can’t wait to hear what will be said.” Megan’s
smile grew.

“This could be a big break in your story,”
Janet said.

Giddiness bounced through Megan’s veins. “I know. Isn’t it great? I might expose one of their bosses. I hope it’s the one I’ve been looking for. I need his name and what he does for
the organization.”

“Tell us more about this meeting,” Kelly urged. “Is it safe for you
to watch?”

She relayed what she knew except for the location. She skirted around it in case one of them decided to send the police. There were suggestions from her friends plus a reminder that her bodyguard went
with her.

Finding a place to hide where she and Trent could remain hidden, but hear the meeting would be the key. That might
be difficult.

Thankfully, it wasn’t snowing. She wasn’t sure if they’d have to hide outside, or if they could find a spot inside the scrap metal warehouse. It was so cliché for them to meet at a warehouse. Maybe there would be boxes or barrels to hide behind like
in movies.

There would be somewhere for them to safely hide. She had to
think positive.

* * * * *

She hadn’t had to argue with Trent. He’d been behind closed doors with the building security manager. Waiting for him hadn’t been
an option.

Trent would be upset, especially once he heard what she intended to do. She’d deal with it when she returned. She knew how to keep herself hidden. She’d done it many times before for
a story.

She left without seeing Kristen. Her boss would overcome her anger when Megan presented the story, she hoped. She’d pushed boundaries, but never disobeyed
her before.

Checking her directions again, she spotted the exit off the highway. The roads had been salted, but her muscles tensed. Black ice
terrified her.

She found a used car dealership within walking distance that happened to be closed today. It would be the perfect place to hide the car. The walk would be about a quarter of a mile through four inches
of snow.

After parking, she noticed a potentially major problem. Snow covered the cars in the lot. She couldn’t stop to do anything about it or she wouldn’t arrive in time to hide. Megan hoped no one
would notice.

As she’d expected, the road to the warehouse had not been recently plowed. Like most businesses, they
were closed.

She arrived an hour early, knowing she’d need to take the longer route so her footprints wouldn’t be visible. Her expected trek took her behind both warehouses, but appeared the safest way to arrive without announcing
her presence.

Dressed in thick wool slacks, a pink angora sweater, a white, down coat, white beanie hat and brown gloves, she wrapped her brown scarf tighter around her neck and stepped out into the cold. Her winter boots sank in
the snow.

Shoving her hands in her jacket pockets, she dropped her head and walked swiftly across the lot then turned behind the lumber warehouse and followed the old railroad tracks. Then she found herself in front of the scrap metal warehouse. It was surprisingly well maintained. Decay and graffiti didn’t adorn the white
stone building.

She tried the front door. Locked. She walked to the first bay, but couldn’t budge the blue garage looking door. She stood with her hands on her hips and figured she’d have the same problem with the other five. The Employee Entrance door was
also locked.

The meeting had to occur outside unless they had a key to the building, or broke in. She hoped it would be outside as she looked back and saw
her footprints.

That awarded her with numerous places to hide. Piles of metal beams and scrap metals stood in three
large stacks.

She craved hiding behind the pile nearest to the middle of the warehouse but knew her tracks would lead them to her. That, she didn’
t want.

Instead, she settled on the pile closest to where she’d approached the building. Less imprints in the snow. Unless they checked behind the piles, she’d be safe. Cold,
but safe.

When she heard the first vehicle approaching, she settled into a comfortable crouched position. It always sucked to be the first to arrive at
a party.

She peeked around the pile. A black SUV stopped at the other end of the warehouse. If they met near his SUV, she wouldn’t be able to hear
their conversation.

Dang it!
She should’ve chanced the middle
hiding place.

It was only a short wait before another black SUV arrived. Was this the company car of bad guys? She hoped the driver would park closer to her. He didn’t.

A heater would be nice. Her fingers and toes were cold. She should’ve worn two pair of gloves and two pair of socks. Biloxi weather would
be appreciated.

She wondered how many would attend the meeting. She might get lucky and catch more than one boss. Megan smiled, fighting the stiff, cold muscles in her face. This would be
worth it.

She willed them to step out of their SUVs so she could get clear photos of them. Their tinted windows prevented her from seeing them. Typical.

Full of anxiety, her hands shook and her heartbeat pounded so loudly she heard it in her ears, but in an exciting sort
of way.

If she hadn’t had to park so far away, she’d follow the boss when he departed. It wouldn’t be wise. Opening an apiary without a beekeeping suit would be safer than following and confronting him for an interview. Trent would definitely kill her for that stunt. No, this had to be enough. A third black SUV arrived and parked between the other two vehicles. In an almost synchronized manner, the men stepped out into the cold. They stopped too far away for her
to hear.

Again she wished she’d moved to the middle. She couldn’t risk it now. They’d see her. At least she’d get decent photos. Zoom was a
wonderful invention.

She looked down to remove her right glove and unlocked the screen on her phone. She needed to buy gloves that allowed her to use the smart phone screen with them on
her hands.

When she looked back up, she almost cried aloud.
No!
Two of the men had turned their backs to her before she could snap a photo
of them.

They met in front of the middle vehicle. The guy facing her was the suspected boss she’d been looking for, the one in the photo. Finally.

She automatically
snapped shots.

Long ago, she and Kevin created a game to help distinguish people they observed whose names were unknown. They made up funny nicknames instead of calling them man one, two
and three.

The boss was the largest of the men. His shoulders were the broadest she’d ever seen. He stood taller than the others, maybe six four with a blond buzz cut. From her photo, she had been able to tell his nose had been broken more than once. She easily dubbed him ‘
Ape Man’.

For the other two, she decided on ‘Sherlock’ and ‘Watson’. For no other reason than those names popped into
her mind.

Even through the frustration of not being able to hear, she remembered to turn on the recorder option on her phone. What were
they saying?

* * * * *

AJ needed his best bullshitting skills working for him today. He would not take the blame for Denzel’s capture. He had nothing to do with it. The
stupid fucker.

He and Hank nodded at each other then turned to face Damian. They were forced to stand with their backs to where he had seen footprints off in the distance. AJ ensured his Beretta would be easily accessible. He didn’t need someone sneaking up
behind him.

Fuck. He was an idiot for not asking for help. Even though his brothers didn’t approve of the life he’d chosen, they still would’ve been there for him had
he asked.

“Boys.” Damian nodded at each
of them.

“Damian,”
AJ replied.

“Hey, boss,”
Hank said.

“How are things with each
of you?”

Not a good start. The man spoke very little and did not do
small talk.

“We haven’t had anyone to beat up lately. Not since Keyshawn. My knuckles are getting soft.” Hank
cracked them.

The chief enforcer turned to AJ. “Did you take care of our
little problem?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “I gave her the message.” He hoped she would give up on exposing the Magician. He didn’t want her to
get punished.

He’d just met her, but felt protective of her along with an unfamiliar emotion that confused him. This couldn’t be happening now. The timing couldn’t
be shittier.

“She’s a pain in our ass, just like her brother had been. If he hadn’t overheard what he had, we wouldn’t have had to kill him. Of course, if she gets too close, she might have an
unfortunate accident.”

His heartbeat skipped. When had this been decided? He had to convince her to quit digging. Had to push Trent to stop her. No matter what she thought of him, AJ didn’t want to see her dead. He didn’t want
that job.

“I guess you heard that Denzel
was caught.”

“What? Denzel caught?” Hank asked, true surprise registered on his face. The man had no clue of
current events.

Damian raised his eyebrows at
the man.

“I heard it on the news. What happened?” Strung tight as a bow, AJ kept his voice calm and steady. His boss hadn’t shown his
hand yet.

“Marshals showed up at the safe house. You boys wouldn’t know anything about that,
would you?”

And there is was. Fuck.

“I know nothin’ about it. I didn’t know he got caught. I wouldn’t talk to no marshal.
Honest boss.”

“Did he do something stupid?” AJ asked. It was possible Denzel broke the rules and went out in public early or someone could’ve ratted him out. No matter how it happened, someone would pay
the price.

“No. We have
another theory.”

“What?” Hank
stupidly asked.

He wanted to slap the man on the back of his head to knock some sense into him. The idiot hadn’t figured out how precarious their situation had become. They were about to take the blame for someone’s
traitorous behavior.

“You two boys are the only change we made when we busted him out. We’ve never had someone caught while under
our protection.”

“We drove in Chicago like we were told. We didn’t drive him here, and we don’t know where the safe house is.” AJ knew, but he didn’t think this would be the right moment to provide Damian with
that information.

“Yeah, we just drove, boss.” The enforcer visibly trembled. It must’ve finally occurred to Hank what
was happening.

“It’s just curious that we make this one small change and have a major problem. Having a client caught before being on his own is bad for business, especially when the client is
Denzel Wilkins.”

“Damian, I don’t know what you want to hear from us, but we don’t know anything about his being captured.” AJ knew it no longer mattered what they said. Damian wouldn’t believe them. The chances of getting out of here alive dwindled. If his boss didn’t kill him, his brothers would for doing
this alone.

“There’s no other explanation. It’s because of you two that our latest client was caught.” Damian shouted loud enough to be heard in the
next county.

“No, boss. We had nothin’ to do with it. Honest.” Hank’s
voice trembled.

From behind his sunglasses, AJ closely observed the chief enforcer, sizing him up. He could take him even though the man had taller, wider shoulders, larger muscles and fifty pounds on him. It’d be like scrapping with his brothers. Only this would be to
the death.