Tiny turns, looking at Roxxane. “That one ain’t right in the head.”
“Tell me about it.” She nods, leaning forward as Diesel starts to play with her hair. “Okay, guy would have been overseas, what else?”
She looks to me then, and I clear my throat. “Male, under forty, black hair. A hitter, would have needed ways to get arms as well, namely a sniper rifle. He would have been in the life.” I know he knows what I mean when his face clouds. “Not a local one, one you’ve never seen, expensive.”
He whistles. “Better make it three years if I’m crossing that bastard.”
“So you remember him?” she asks excitedly.
“Fuck yeah, dude was an asshole. Paid well though, wanted it in half the time.” Tiny nods.
“Do you know who employed him or do you have any details on him?” I inquire. This is the closest we have come to not only finding the man, but the people behind him.
Tiny debates for a second before looking at Roxxane. “I want the top shelf shit, bitch,” he demands, before turning to his computer and starting to type. “I run checks on everyone when they walk through that door whether they know it or not. You’re right, he’s German. A freelancer, no ties. Good, too, one of the best apart from that one up north and his crew.”
“Donald.” I nod.
“Yeah, that one. Someone was paying him a lot of fucking money, that’s for sure. They really wanted you dead. He went out once to accept a call. I have the recording.” He loaded it up, and we all lean in to listen.
A German accented voice comes through the speakers. “It will be done tonight, then I leave the city. I want double, you did not tell me the men you wanted killed were the men who run this town.”
It goes quiet for a moment.
“I don’t care about your squabble or reach for power. Double or I walk.” It cuts off.
“Squabble,” I murmur, it has to be the Triads. But without proof, I can’t go for them immediately. I need to find the hitter. “Thank you, Tiny.” I nod, standing. I hand over a wad of cash, and he whistles and looks at Roxxane.
“Your harem has deep pockets, you sure you’re alright, bitch?” he asks seriously, and we all stiffen. Now would be our chance, it would be a shame to kill him, but we will if we have to. I palm my gun and notice Garret sneaking up behind the man, but I shake my head, waiting to see what she will do.
She looks at us, noticing we’re waiting for her answer, ready to react. Her eyes narrow. “Nah, I’m fine. Like I said, just lying low. Take care, cock face.” She gets to her feet, and I can feel the surprise written across my face.
When she steps near me, she grabs my hand holding the gun, which is concealed. “I did that to save him, don’t go thinking otherwise.”
I almost snort at her defence.
She’s made her choice.
She’s ours.
She goes to walk past us, and I step closer to Tiny, whose eyes narrow. I glance back to see her walking away, then I nod at Kenzo who crosses behind the man, his gun drawn. I draw my own again and press it to his head. He might be huge, but I have taken down bigger and more powerful men than this. “You ever call her bitch or insult her again, and I pull this trigger, do you understand me?” I murmur, my voice low and deadly.
“Ryder,” Roxxane protests, but I ignore her as Garrett and Kenzo circle the man, their faces cold. They might not agree on what to do with her, but at the end of the day, she’s ours.
No one insults her.
I press the muzzle harder to his head, and his hands rise, his breathing becoming heavy. “Do we understand each other?”
“Yes, fuck yes!” he yells, as Garrett cracks his knuckles.
“Good, now you won’t tell anyone we were here, or I’ll send the crazy bastard and the big bastard back to speak to you. I don’t care if Roxxane trusts you, I don’t trust anyone,” I snarl.
“Got it, shit, okay, man,” Tiny protests.
Pulling my gun away, I tuck it back into my holster and nod at the others. “Good, let’s go.”
“I can’t believe you did that,” Roxxane hisses, smacking my arm. Peering down at her, I stop my lips from curling into a smile. She’s so brave.
“I’ll do worse to protect what’s mine, remember that, love,” I whisper, before pressing my hand to her back and leading her from the room.
“I was wrong, they’re all crazy,” I hear Tiny mutter, making me smirk.
Chapter Twenty
GARRETT
Taking the lead, we troop back downstairs, and I keep my hand on my gun just in case. Like always, I go through the door first, looking each way before scanning the rooftops and letting the others out.
Roxy tries to stomp away, but I circle my arm around her waist and toss her back to Ryder. Someone out there is trying to kill us, and they don’t care who gets caught in the crossfire. But I refuse to let it be her. I hear her arguing before a smack sounds and she yelps.
“You spank me again, buddy, and I’ll chop off your hand and give it to D.” I grin at that, even as I keep my eyes peeled, scanning everything as we walk. I don’t like it, it doesn’t feel right.
As we cross the road, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Clicking open my holster, I palm my gun. The others must notice, because they go quiet, and I feel them move in closer behind me, their own weapons undoubtedly drawn. Putting my back to the wall, I scan the surrounding area, and my eyes catch on a glint from the opposite alley just as they start shooting.
Grabbing Roxy, I slam her to the wall behind us and place my back to her front as I take aim and fire back. The others surround her, protecting her as they shoot. The shots are going wide, so these aren’t hitters, this is sloppy and desperate. One comes way too close, though, so blowing out a breath, I narrow my eyes and fire, watching the man go down with a scream. Two more sounds of bullets finding their homes drift to us, and the shooting stops.
Breathing evenly, I scan the area for any more hitters. Roxy is grabbing onto my back, but I ignore her as I keep watch. “Garr—” She yells before pulling my second gun from the base of my spine.
I turn just in time to see her take aim and fire at a man creeping up on my left, obviously hiding and waiting for us at our car. She hits him dead between the eyes, but she fires again and again. The bullets hit him in the chest as he jerks and goes down.
I look at her, my eyebrows raised. Her eyes are round, her breathing coming in short bursts, and her face is pale, but when she looks at me, she nods and hands back the gun. I shake my head. “Keep it for now.”