Page 21 of He's All In

“What the fuck?”

“I thought it would knock him out,” she huffs with a pout.

“Get up, we don't have time for this,” Stoker tells Grant, who groggily gets to his feet. Blood is dripping from his eyebrow as he takes a few wobbly steps and tries to grab the woman who hit him.

She doesn’t get away from him quick enough and Grant manages to grab her long braid. He yanks her back, and her oversized tote that might weigh more than she does falls to the ground. My plastic bag of money slips out of it, and I think back to running into her. Did she steal it from me? It all happened so fast, but she could have easily reached in and grabbed it when I was busy apologizing.

“You little bitch.” Grant holds her closer, and she lets out a whimper. “You’re going to pay for that.”

“Later,” Stoker barks. “Everyone in the fucking car. The boss is waiting.”

Marco and I get in, and Grant shoves the woman in with us.

“You stole my money,” I say to her under my breath as she rebraids her hair.

Her eyes widen, and it reminds me of a doe in headlights. Her expression is innocent, and if I hadn’t seen the bag myself, I might think she was.

Who the hell is she?

Chapter Fourteen

LUKE

“You think bringing me to a restaurant full of people will stop me from killing you?” Vince looks at me with his cold eyes as I sit across from him. He’s got Jackson seated on his right, and Maxim is sitting directly across from him.

Looking to the back of the room, I see a few more of his men stationed next to the exit, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a couple more out front now that we’ve walked inside.

“I don’t think it will stop you,” I say evenly. “But I think it would be quite a mess to clean up.” I nod over to the building across the street. “Especially since it’s Tuesday.”

As we sit here, the courthouse on the other side of the street opens up, and there are people forming a line. It’s the busiest day of the week because Tuesdays are when people come to pay their parking tickets. As much as Vince Sledge thinks he owns this city, there are way too many eyes for him to make a move. He has dirty cops and junkies in his back pocket. He’s got guns for hire on his side. What he doesn’t have are hundreds of average people who got parking tickets all over the city. These aren’t people from his neighborhood, and I watch as the realization dawns on him.

His face slackens and then hardens again as he turns his glare on me. “Get to the fucking point then.”

Right now, I need him to admit to his crimes. I need hard evidence that links him to the drugs he’s running, the money he's laundered, and the people he’s trafficked. If I can’t get him recorded incriminating himself, then this entire meeting and me showing my hand was pointless.

“I think there’s still a way for us to make a deal.”

He huffs a laugh and shakes his head. “You had your chance.”

“I proved that I can crack into your financials,” I tell him, and he hesitates. “I saw the books and what Paul did for you.”

“So?”

“So maybe if I keep quiet about that, you leave Kelly and Marco alone.”

“Not a chance.” He’s arrogant in thinking that he’s untouchable.

“Why? I could just as easily launder your money like Paul did. Or was it the property acquisition you were more interested in?” Paul forged documents in his dad’s name so he could buy property with Vince’s money. Then he would sell the properties and put the money into offshore accounts. “I have the capital to keep that line of business going for you. I just need you to tell me what you want.”

Vince is quiet for a long moment before he looks over at Maxim. “And what’s he here for?”

“My cheerful disposition,” Maxim answers coldly, and I want to laugh.

“Maxim is an investor too.” It’s not technically a lie. He did invest in my security company back in the day.

“Why should I trust you? You’ve already double-crossed me and taken my kids.” Vince turns his glare back on me.

“Because you of all people should know that there’s no honor among thieves.” If I’m not mistaken, I see the corner of his mouth twitch. “And I needed to see how connected you were. Holding Kelly and Marco as collateral keeps you honest.”