27

Micah

The Hendricks was known for two things: the place to get any fix you needed and prostitution. It paraded as a strip club, but had been raided and shut down several times over the years. New “ownership” would take over, and it always seemed to go undetected for a while until the DA got wind of it, and then it happened all over again.

“You sure this is where Canyon is hiding out?” I asked Levi Shephard as we stepped down into the underground entrance to the club behind Gage Presley and another one of the family members, Huck Kingston.

Liam had called and said Blaise was ready for this to be finished and was sending his top three men. Once we were inside, The Judgment members that we’d brought along would surround the parking lot. However, I was the only one going inside with the Mafia. That had been Liam’s call.

“I put a tracker on him three days ago. I’m positive,” he replied.

Of course he had. These men were on another playing level when it came to shit like this. Where we would barge in with our guns and demand shit, they would have things already set in place to ensure it went their way. It was smart, but rarely did we deal with this kind of thing. They were experts at getting what was owed to them.

“Blaise know the sick fucker in charge has underage girls here he’s pimping out?” Gage asked.

“Yes, I gave him all the info I could pull off their private servers,” Levi replied.

“Then, if I slice his neck open, he’ll understand,” Gage said.

The massive man built like a damn brick wall, Huck Kingston, turned his head to look back at Gage. “You’re not slicing anyone today. We came to get the fucking money. If Boss wants us to stop the underage shit, then we set that up and come handle it.”

“If my blade slips,” Gage drawled.

Huck shot him a warning look before turning back to the door.

“Nine, five, three, F-R-S, seven, pound,” Levi told Huck.

He pressed the code into the keypad at the door. I didn’t question how the fuck they knew it. They seemed to know everything.

The door clicked, and Huck pushed it open.

We all filed in with Levi being the last one inside. We had come in through some back entrance, seeing as there would have been no way they’d let us in the main door without bloodshed. The room we were in looked like a cellar.

“Through there,” Levi instructed. “Huck, you go first. I don’t trust Gage not to kill some fucker.”

Huck moved in front of Gage, who smirked as if he found it amusing. I wasn’t sure anyone could keep that psycho from killing if he wanted to, but I didn’t know them all that well. Maybe they knew how to handle him.

The beat of the music was faint, but the farther we walked down the dark hallway, the closer it seemed. I knew that the plan was that we were all going to go in as undetected as possible, find Canyon and surround him.

Motherfucking pink roses had been outside Tink’s door this morning. I’d found them and dropped them off outside Mrs. Mildred’s door on my way to get Tink’s caramel doughnuts before taking her to work.

Admitting that I was more pissed about him still going after Dolly, like he had a chance, than the fucker owing the club a hundred grand was something I tried not to focus on. The past three days and nights with Dolly had been perfect. I couldn’t remember a time I had ever been this fucking happy.

Pepper wasn’t speaking to me after I had the lock changed on Tink’s apartment and refused to let her inside. But she’d get over it. We’d get it worked out soon. I had just wanted some time with Tink before I dealt with my sister. Explaining to her this was different for me was going to be difficult, considering I didn’t have a real understanding of it yet either.

I just knew I missed Tink when she wasn’t with me. I thought about her all damn day, and I wasn’t even freaking out about it.

“Up those stairs, to the left,” Levi instructed behind me.

“How do you know your way around this place?” I asked, amazed.

“He’s lethal when it comes to finding out shit. Give him an hour, and he will have every secret you’ve ever had printed out and in a file,” Gage said, then chuckled.

The music was louder now, pumping heavy behind the door. Huck opened it and moved slowly into the main area of the club while we filed in behind him. He glanced back at Gage and nodded once. Gage grinned and walked toward the bar as if he owned the place. No fear. His hand wasn’t even on the gun tucked away at his side.

“There,” Levi said, pointing to the booths to the right of the bar. “He’s alone.”

Huck walked off in the opposite direction, and Levi looked at me.

“Let’s go get the money,” he said, then started toward Canyon.

I’d never been in this place, but from the money I knew these fuckers made with their illegal shit, they could afford to keep the place clean. It looked like it hadn’t been updated in twenty years. I fell into step beside Levi, who was acting as if we’d come to get a beer and watch the stripper onstage.

The closer we got to Canyon, who was leaning back in his booth, staring down at his phone, the more agitated I got. He’d kissed and touched Tink. She’d liked him. Had she thought she was in love with him? The thought made my stomach turn. I hated the sight of the fucker, but the idea of him having any hold on Tink caused rage to build with each step closer to him I took.

We were almost to him when his head snapped up, and his eyes locked on us. He reached for his gun, and I watched his entire body tense up.

Levi shook his head at him. “I wouldn’t do that,” he warned.

Canyon’s eyes shot from me and back to Levi, and then they scanned the room. I could tell the moment he spotted Gage. There was a slight pale color that came over his complexion. I enjoyed it immensely.

Levi slid in the booth across from him, and I sat down beside him.

“I got shit to do, Acree,” Levi told him. “And seeing as one warning wasn’t enough for you, the boss has sent us out to make sure this is the last time. Now, you can take your hand off the gun and put both your hands up on the table so we can see them, or Gage can take you out from his spot at the bar.”

Canyon stared at Levi before slowly moving his hands back onto the table. “I don’t have the money yet.”

“Bullshit,” Levi replied with a grin that was more evil than amused. “The Crowns have the money. Now, you can pay the Judgment back, or I can hand you over to Gage. He brought his knife, and he’s a little more than pissed off about the underage girls being used here. I’d steer clear of him if I were you.”

Canyon shook his head. “I don’t have shit to do with what they do here.”

“Didn’t say you did. Won’t matter to Gage either. He just likes to slice folks up. He’s a sick fucker like that.”

Canyon looked at me. “It’s not that easy. I can’t just take a hundred grand from the club,” he said. “You know shit doesn’t work that way.”

“Then, it sounds like they’ll be needing a new VP soon,” I replied. “At least then, the fucking flowers will stop.”

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me.

“When I left Dolly’s apartment this morning, I made sure to drop them off at the neighbor’s,” I said, grinning. Relishing the fact that he knew I’d been there with her. She wasn’t his. She was never gonna be his.

“This ain’t about Dolly. Leave her out of this,” he said as his hands fisted on the table.

“I won’t be leaving her or her bed anytime soon,” I informed him.

Canyon’s face turned red, and he started to stand up, but Levi cleared his throat.

“Sudden moves aren’t smart,” he warned him.

Canyon’s eyes shot back over to Gage, and he swallowed hard, lowering himself back into the booth.

“As entertaining as this drama unfolding is, I have better things to do. Where is the money, Acree? You were told ten days, and you got eleven.”

“I said, I don’t have it,” he snarled at Levi.

“That’s not good,” he replied, then nodded at me to get up.

I stood, and Levi moved out of the seat. Canyon was watching us carefully as one of his hands slid back under the table. I started to say something, but Levi looked back at him.

“I’ll tell him to start with your dick,” he informed Canyon, then began walking away.

I stood there, unsure what the fuck was going on, when Gage began walking over in our direction.

“I can get it. Just let me go handle some things.” The fear in Canyon’s voice made it tremble as he moved to get up.

“Too late,” Gage replied with a villainous curl to his lips.

“Wait. I’m sorry. He threw me off, talking about fucking Dolly. I’ll go get it.”

Gage didn’t look at me, but kept his eyes on Canyon. “Well then, you can think about how he’s fucking her while I show you how pretty my blade is.”

“Let’s go,” Levi called after me.

I turned back to see him waiting on me near the main entrance.

Heading in his direction, I heard Canyon whimper. Was he slicing him up in here? In front of witnesses? I decided not to look back.

“What happens next?” I asked Levi as we walked outside past the bouncers, who seemed to give Levi a wide berth, as if they knew exactly who he was.

“Gage and Huck will take him out the back. Make sure he hands over the money and stays the fuck away from your sister’s best friend…which is what I was told she was.” His gaze looked amused as he said the last part. “Will we be needing to save you from your sister, too, Abe, or can you handle that on your own?”

I let out a sigh, then laughed. “I’ll let you know.”