Her elbows hit the table, and she leaned forward. “Rolo, you’ve been awfully quiet.” She rose to her feet, her chair scraping against the floor. “And you’ve got that look.”
Vinny jumped up, following Sasha to Rolo’s side. She placed her hands on Rolo’s jittery shoulders, squeezing hard. Rolo reached for her wrist and Vinny seized his hand, pinning it to the table.
“Get off!” Rolo yelled. He tried to stand, but Sasha moved her grip to the back of his neck, holding him down. His shirt hiked up and she caught sight of a black wire.
“You motherfucker.” Sasha dug her nails into Rolo’s skin as she slammed his head against the table.
Blood splattered the second Rolo’s face struck solid wood. He dropped to his knees, holding his nose, and everyone rose to their feet. Large men crept toward Rolo, swarming like the sharks they were, and Sasha stepped away to avoid the frenzy.
“Don’t do it, man,” Rolo said, crawling backward on the floor. “The fuzz is right outside.”
Ellen ran to the window, peeking out, and Vinny kicked Rolo in the gut.
Otis pushed Vinny aside, kneeling down to clutch Rolo’s throat. “I’m gonna ass rape you with a broom stick every day we’re in the pen,” he said in a growl.
Sasha pushed back a snicker and pulled a knife from the sheath on her belt.
“I don’t see anyone out there.” Ellen breezed across the room, opening a tall cabinet. She handed an assault rifle to Chewy then tossed one to Kev. “You, go check the perimeter.”
Kev scampered from the room, and Sasha cut the shirt from Rolo’s chest. She ripped a thin cable from his skin and then kicked him over. The cord led to a recorder, taped to Rolo’s back, and Sasha pulled it off.
“It’s not live. No one’s listening.” She handed the device to her mother and sheathed her blade.
A sinister laugh bellowed from Chewy’s mouth. He sounded like an evil Santa. Vinny cracked his knuckles. It was about to get messy, hours-of-scrubbing-the-floor messy.
“He’s your friend, Sasha. You vouched for him,” her mother said, holding a dangerous glare.
Sasha glanced over her shoulder at Rolo. The compassion she felt for the man cowering in the corner enflamed her already blazing rage to a near-blinding status. This room was no place for the weak. She grabbed a handgun from the holster on her mother’s belt and tucked it into her waistband.
“I’m taking him to the cellar,” Sasha whispered into her mother’s ear. “You need to get this place swept before we talk any more business.”
When her mother’s hand grazed her cheek, she fought to keep from flinching.
“That sounded just like your father. Go on.”
Sasha backed away, turning to eye the seething men cornering the scrawny punk on the floor. “Guys, it’s obvious Rolo doesn’t want to be employed at Ashby Trucking any longer, so I’m gonna drop him off at his buddy’s house.” She strolled past furious faces and grabbed Rolo by his ripped shirt, yanking the sorry sack to his feet.
“I’ll go with you,” Vinny said, latching onto Rolo’s other arm.
Chapter Two
Sasha climbed into her pickup truck. Rolo crammed against her side as Vinny slid onto the passenger seat, and she inched away. Rolo’s body oozed treachery, and Sasha didn’t want any of it rubbing off on her. She turned the key, the engine’s roar rattling all the dashboard’s loose bolts.
“You were staring at me,” Sasha said, looking beyond Rolo to Vinny, “the whole meeting.”
“I, ah…” Vinny shifted in his limited space, glancing out the window. “I worry about you.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Are you gonna kill me, man?” Rolo sniveled. “‘Cause you don’t have to kill me, man. I got family in Canada. I can disappear. You’ll never see me again.”
Vinny leaned forward, looking across the cab. “I saw Candy creeping up your stairs first thing this morning, and I know you were out with her all last night. If Ellen catches you again—”
Kev popped from the bushes, running right in front of the truck, and Sasha slammed on the brakes. “Dude’s a fucking spaz.” She rolled down her window, resisting the urge to slap Kev on the forehead.
“I don’t see shit,” Kev said, hoisting his rifle on his shoulder. “This little prick’s a liar.”
“My mom needs you in the clubhouse. Might have a bug infestation.”
“Might have,” Kev grumbled, strolling away.
The truck rolled forward again, and her eyes coasted to Vinny. “I was out with Candy getting those pictures.”
“Sasha, please,” Rolo said with a whiny edge to his tone. “We’ve known each other since we were six.”
“That’s how I know you don’t have any family in Canada. You did this to yourself. Go ahead, sit here and pretend you don’t know what’s up. I dare you.” She drove up the hill behind her mother’s house and into the woods.
Rolo rocked in his seat, clutching the ends of his ripped shirt. “Fuck, man. Fuck.”
“Dude.” Sasha parked in a small clearing and killed the engine. “If you piss yourself in my truck—”
“You’ll what? Kill me more?”
A loud breath flowed from her throat. The guilt of this decision was starting to fade, which bothered her more than killing the man. She opened her door, and Vinny jumped from the truck. His large body blocked the passenger side. She leaned against the driver’s door.
“Tell you what,” she said, pulling the gun from her waistband. “I’ll give you one chance to save your ass, since we’re old friends. Tell me if you planted any bugs and I’ll let you sneak off.”
“You swear to fuckin’ God, man?”
“Yeah.”
Rolo looked between Sasha and Vinny, blood still dripping from his nose. “I was gonna put one in the meeting room today.” He shoved his hand in his pocket, and Sasha raised the gun.
“It’s cool.” Slowly, Rolo pulled a small device from his torn jeans and handed it over.
“Why’d you turn on us?” Vinny barked, landing a solid punch on Rolo’s chin. “We’re the only real family you’ve ever had, you piece of shit.”
“Man…” Rolo stared at his fidgety hands, his foot rapping the metal floor. “I don’t have people lookin’ out for me like you two. I gotta have my own back.”
The twitch of Rolo’s eyes, the way he kept rubbing his nose…Sasha had seen this act far too many times.
“You’re all coked out,” she said, her words laced with disgust.
Rolo’s bloodshot eyes flew to Sasha, brimming with guilt, and she cocked back the gun’s hammer. “Get out,” she yelled, his body jumping in place.
“Aw, hell. You swore, Sasha.”
Rolo inched closer, and she grabbed his arm, yanking him to the ground.
“I am letting you go, brother.” Sasha gave Rolo a hard kick to the chest, then another to the gut when he rolled onto his side. There was nothing worse than a soft soul. If she could control her drug use, she expected everyone else to as well. “You’re so far gone, you sold us out to Satan’s Crew for blow. Idiot, you’re already dead.”