High Voltage (Ramsey Security #3)

Dino looks at me in an odd way, and I feel small under his gaze.

“I get it now,” he whispers. “You want to know if I’m all twisted up over you like you’re twisted up over me. Well, I am, and I’ve been twisted up since you punched me. It’s a good twisted up, though. It feels warm and inviting like something I’ve always wanted.”

I flick the tip of his nose. “Was that really so difficult? I simply need everything spelled out for me.”

“Women,” he snorts, trying not to laugh.

Smiling at him, I rest my head against his shoulder. “I am twisted up over you. When you offered to go with me to see my mom, I could picture it. I imagined feeling brave because you’d be there.”

“Just feel it then. I know being a smart bitch has made you a badass all these years. Sometimes you just need to feel. I learned that myself, and it’s why I left my old life. Now I’m feeling this feeling with you, and it feels great.”

“You’re getting a little too emotional for my tastes.”

Dino laughs, but his expression is as soft and warm as his fingers on my arm.

Falling silent, I close my eyes and listen to Dino’s steady heartbeat. He flips through channels, finally settling on a rerun of a sitcom whose name I can’t remember.

While I doze off, I imagine us visiting my mother. I see her green house and the front porch, complete with hanging plants. Dino is at my side when I open the front gate and walk into the yard where I played with my old shepherd mutt, Baby. Before I see my mother’s face again, I’m asleep.

My nap doesn’t last long. I hear my cell ringing but decide to ignore it. Dino’s phone rings next, and he answers. After a minute, he turns on the speaker function, and I hear Rafael’s voice.

“Black did a drive-by at Hayes’s house and office. As you can imagine Hayes is pissed and calling for war.”

“That’s sad,” I mumble, still half asleep. “What do you want us to do?”

“Cooper is sending a few of his guys to White Horse to deal with Hayes. They’ll also meet with reps from the Serrated Brotherhood. The Rutgers in Hickory Creek got wind of what happened with that bartender. They claim Black sent people into their territory to grab her. I don’t know if that’s true, but they’re talking about ending Black and taking the spoils of war.”

I peek at Dino. He focuses on my lips, caressing them with his thumb. Even now, he doesn’t give a shit about this assignment.

“What’s the plan then?” I ask, sitting up and focusing since Dino won’t.

“Provide backup for Cooper’s guys. You’re representing me, and I’m representing Memphis’s interests at this point.”

“What does Memphis want to happen?”

“They’d like Black removed, and the status quo returned. They’re also okay with Black disappearing and someone else taking over Common Bend. Hayes and the club out of Hickory Creek both make nice with Memphis. The only one who really cares about it remaining Cooper’s territory is Cooper.”

“And you, right?”

“I would be happiest if he gets Common Bend back, but fighting with Hayes and the Serrated Brotherhood isn’t in his best interest. He’ll do it if he’s pushed.”

“A man can’t lose face,” Dino adds. “When will his guys arrive?”

“Later today. Hayes claims he sent a message to Black already. I can only imagine what that looks like and what will happen next. If the sheriff is against the wall, things will get messy.”

“We could just get rid of him now.”

“Killing him in a big display has never been the end game, and killing him quietly can’t happen if he’s hiding.”

Despite the worry in his words, Rafael sounds rather calm. I know he’s a pro, but his wife is tied to the Reapers Motorcycle Club. I suspect being stuck between Memphis and Ellsberg isn’t where Rafael hoped to be when he sent us on this job.

“I think we can smoke him out,” I offer. “We can go into town in disguise and find out where he’s holed up. Deal with him however necessary and end this thing before Hayes or the other club can start more trouble.”

Rafael doesn’t respond immediately. He’s working all the angles in his head. As he figures out what our next move should be, I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom.

By the time I clean up and return, Dino’s watching TV.

“What did he say?”

“He suggested we see Hayes and find out how he hit back at Black. Then he suggested we meet with Cooper’s guys. Then he said if we had the time, he’d really love for us to kill Black and bring about world peace.”

I study him while he stares at the TV. Dino has the moves of a skilled killer, but he lacks the focus of a man on a mission.