Matthew laughs before he reaches for his glass and swallows the contents.
“Please sit. You may keep your weapons because I can assure you that this is not a war.” Vikings sits with Mason while Grinder and I stand behind them. I keep close enough that I can easily hear what’s being said.
“What is this about?” Viking asks. I can tell that he’s on edge.
“I have some issues with my suppliers running through your area. It seems they are having to take the long way around as you aren’t letting them come through your turf.”
The way he says the word turf sets me edge. Of course it’s our territory. No one crosses it without our permission.
“And why is this our problem?” Mason chimes in. I chuckle under my breath and glance over to see Grinder doing the same.
“I need my guns moved in a timelier manner,” Matthew adds.
“Then hire better runners,” Viking says as he shoves out of his chair.
“That’s what you’re here for.”
Viking sits back down reluctantly. I know he’s tired of this shit already and I can’t say that I can blame him. Matthew needs to hurry and get to the point of this meeting. We all know that the sight of a group of bikes lined up at a cartel boss’s house is going to throw up red flags to any agency that might be watching him or us.
“You wanna hurry it up and spit it out Ortega? We do have shit to handle, yeah?”
This is why I like Viking, he’s to the point and doesn’t apologize for a thing. It makes him a strong leader.
“I want you and your men to run my guns from New York to Florida. Having to add a middle man at this point won’t hold any value for me. I need those guns moving. Is that something you’d agree to?”
Viking glances at Mason then looks over his shoulder to us. I shrug, because frankly guns I can handle. I ran them back in Cali all the time.
“What exactly are we gettin’ out of it?” Viking asks.
“A few things actually. You will have my protection from anyone looking to harm you or yours in any way.”
“We don’t need that. What else you got?” I snicker again.
“You will be nicely compensated for your job as well as receive a percentage of the guns. Do with them what you will. Does that sound more appealing to you?”
Viking clears his throat and gets down to business as I eye the little piece of ass that’s wandering around. She’s young. She’s probably not even twenty yet. She has long blonde hair like Kyza.
“You would do well to keep your eyes off of my child,” Matthew snaps. I look away from her to grin at him and ask, “You mean to tell me you have a wife?”
“No.”
“Just a kid huh?”
I know that his wife died a few years ago. I just like pushing this asshole’s buttons.
“Is this any of your concern?” Viking clears his throat and I’m not sure if it’s for me or Ortega.
“Not really, I was just curious.”
I turn around and keep an eye on the other assholes he has stationed around here as Viking finishes up with this meeting. Overall I’m a little sad that I didn’t get to shoot anyone in the face today.
Eight
Kyza
The darkness makes my skin crawl. A chill races down my spine as I sit out front of the clinic to smoke a cigarette.
“Smokin’ is bad for you doc,” I hear his deep drawl say. I jump and look up at Monster to see him standing under the street light eyeing me.
“I’m not a doctor.”
He shrugs and says, “You could be although your bedside manner could use some work.”
I shake my head and look away not wanting to see him. After that day in his room I’ve kept my distance. I don’t need any more drama in my life. I’ve created just enough drama of my own to deal with until the day I die.
“Paul left already,” I tell him without looking at him.
“I know.”
“Then what do you want?” I ask finally looking back over as he starts walking closer to me.
The air thickens and that zap of electricity crackles through the air between us. Cats are fighting in the alley next to us and a few people are wandering the streets, but aside from that, it’s just us.
“I wanted to tell you that I was sorry for how I acted the other day. I shouldn’t have done that.” I can see by the look in his eye that he means it.
“Which part?”
That question has been nagging at me. I’ve asked myself a million times why he kissed me the way he did. I still haven’t come up with an answer and God how I want one, almost need one.
“What do you mean?”
“Which part are you sorry for?”
“Yellin’ at you. Tryin’ to force you to answer questions you don’t have answers for.”
He looks away as if he’s ashamed and that tugs at my heart. I pull out my cigarettes and hold the pack out to him offering him one. When he looks back over to me he smirks and takes one. I watch as he lights it up and takes a long drag.
“This mean I’m forgiven?” he asks as he moves to lean against the building.
“Nothing to forgive. You reacted to something that’s bothering you. That’s normal.”
“Thanks doc.”
I look up at him and find him smiling down at me. It makes my heart leap and start to beat a little faster. Whatever he’s looking for, he isn’t going to find in me. I’ve thought about telling him that, but what’s the point?
“Can I ask you somethin’?”
I nod.
“You said that you saw the same darkness in me that you see in yourself. What did you mean by that?”
Nope. Not happening. Not a chance in hell will I tell him anything like that.
“Nothing. I didn’t mean a thing by it.”
I toss my cigarette to the ground and stand from the window ledge, brushing my jeans off. As I turn to walk back toward the building I can feel him behind me.
“What are you scared of?”
His question grabs my heart and holds tightly to it.
“Nothing.”
“Liar. You’re afraid of somethin’. What is it?”
“The past.”
He walks even closer and his warmth surrounds me as his hands move around to my waist. He pulls me back into him. God does it feel right. I don’t know how or why, but just feeling him near me calms everything.
“The past is exactly where it should be Kyza. We can’t live in the moment when we’re that scared of the past,” he says before he presses a kiss to the top of my head and releases me.
I hear his boots as he walks away and turn to watch him.
“What scares you?”
Monster stops walking and looks over his shoulder to say, “The future.”
Before I can say anything more he walks away. I watch his shadow as it completely disappears down the road. My chest tightens as I wonder if my mystery man is going to appear.
I head inside and stock things like I always do before I take a shower and head to my room. I run my fingers over the table as the memories of the way he took me take hold again. It’s the same feeling I get with Monster, the heated air and that electric current.