Page 83 of Bullet
“I’m out of here,” I said. “Stay away from Steele. Call me if you need anything.”
“Can’t. I don’t have a phone, and Steele is bringing dinner for me and Lili, and I’m starving.”
“Fuck. You need a phone. Someone is always here. Levi and Romeo are around most of the time. And I’d rather have you go to Steele than not be able to reach me.” I brought my face close to hers. “No sharing food.”
“No promises.” She smirked. “Lili might like a bite of my Kung Pao chicken.” She rested her hand on my arm. “Will you be late?”
I nodded.
“Wake me up when you come home. I want to know everything.”
“If I have you in bed, I won’t want a conversation.” I crushed her to me.
“Fuck me first, then talk.”
***
Vega, Kodiak, and I rode toward the downtown district to canvas the area around Barras’s penthouse apartment. Vega was tasked with getting video footage from a camera mounted on his handlebars. He rode through the porte cochere, making sure his camera captured inside the building.
A blonde in a convertible BMW smiled at Kodiak as we rode past. He gave me a nod, flipped aU-turn, pulled up behind her, and followed her into the parking garage. I circled the block, visually marking escape routes, interception points, and possible ambush locations if I couldn’t get to Barras inside his business or residence.
Unlike the Crawlers buried behind my property, Barras wasn’t going to disappear. His death was going to make news.
Down the block from the parking garage, I pulled along the curb between two vehicles to give me some cover. I killed the engine and dropped the kickstand. Vega stopped alongside me as I lit a cigarette.
“What the fuck is Kodiak doing?” Vega tugged off his gloves.
“A blonde apparently.” I exhaled smoke and squinted into the distance. Another car drove up to the garage, and one exited. “Traffic is heavy.” People were getting off work.
“Surveillance on the garage, security, and a leasing office on the first floor. Even if we get inside, there won’t be a way we aren’t seen. The guy’s protected.”
I agreed with Vega’s assessment. “Patience, brother. Nothing about this has to be rushed. No timeline. Stormy is safe at the MC.”
“You’re not looking to cut her loose?”
I wasn’t, but that drilled down the truth. Barras was a threat to Stormy, but as long as he was breathing, I’d have time to convince her she was mine. Four months of dreaming about her was enough proof to know I was holding on even if she wanted to let go.
Maybe I needed a few more reasons to make her stay.
Two cigarettes and forty-five minutes later, we’d waited long enough for Kodiak. Firing up the engine, the rumble from the pipes echoed off the tall buildings. Fuck, but I loved that sound.
Before we headed back to the MC, we drove past the headquarters for BrioFagan. Not that I expected to see Barras casing the place. Next, we stopped by Indulgence. We rode down the alley to the rear of the building.
“Security lighting is out,” I said as I dismounted the bike. My boots crunched on gravel and glass on the ground.
Vega removed his sunglasses and peered at the corner of the building. “Hard to tell if it was intentional.” The bulb had been shattered.
I inspected the door, and it didn’t appear as if the lock had been tampered with. I pulled the key from my pocket, and Vega pulled his gun.
Once inside, I flipped on the light and made my way to the office in the back. Nothing seemed out of place.
“In here,” Vega called from across the hall.
I turned and followed his voice. “Shit.”
Blankets were spread out in the corner of the room. A couple pillows, a couple unopened bottles of water, and a box of animal crackers were on the floor.
“You got a squatter.”