I cleared my throat and asked, "Excuse me. Can I help you with something?"
He quickly turned and looked in my direction, and as soon as I saw his face, I recognized him. I studied him for a moment, taking in his size and what weapons he was carrying, and I was surprised to see that he seemed different than I remembered. When I was a kid, I did my best to steer clear of my father's goons, especially Berny. He was tall and slender with a deep, jagged scar that ran across the left side of his face, and he had long, greasy hair that he always kept braided down his back. I was often intimidated by him in the past, but now, he didn't seem nearly as threatening. As I took a step towards him, Berny gave me a wicked grin.
With a sinister smile, he snickered. "Long time no see, Alejandra."
There was no question as to why he was there. He'd come to take me back to my father, and knowing him the way I did, I knew he would use any means necessary to make me go with him. I thought about everything Marcus had taught me as I quickly surveyed the area, doing my best to prepare myself for what was next, because there was no way I was going anywhere without one hell of a fight. I let out a deep breath as I stared him right in the eye and said, "What are you doing here?"
"Your father wants you to come home. He misses you," he answered sarcastically.
"My father doesn't miss me, and you know it."
"Doesn't really matter if he does or doesn't. I'm here to bring you home and that's what I'm going to do."
"Berny, please don't do this. I can't go back there. Not after everything that has happened," I pleaded. "Just let me walk out that door and you can pretend you never saw me."
"That's not going to happen, Ale. If I go back without you, it's my head and you know it."
"I'm not leaving here with you!" I barked.
"Now, isn't that precious. Little Alejandra wants to act all big and tough."
I cocked my head and gave him a coy smile as I sassed, "What makes you think it's an act?"
Shadow
I had to admit, when Jasper started talking about his new partner-his money and connections, I got an uneasy feeling in my gut. Not because I didn't think the club could handle it, because there was no doubt that we could.
We'd already proven that we had the kind of grit to withstand almost anything, but from the little bit that Jasper had just revealed, we were about to have one hell of a fight on our hands. Unfortunately for Jasper and his new compadre, Satan's Fury had never been scared off from a fight, and this time would be no different. We'd give them the war they were asking for and more. I clamped my hand around Jasper's neck and dug my fingers into his throat as I growled, "Don't waste your breath on the bullshit, asshole. Give me his name."
"I'll tell you everything you need to know, but I need to talk to Gus first."
Angered that he would even consider asking, I slammed my fist into his gut, causing him to gasp for air. Once he was able to collect himself, I reached for his head, grabbing a handful of hair as I forced him to look at me. "Maybe you haven't noticed, but you're in no position to make demands."
"No disrespect, but he needs to hear this from me. He needs to know first-hand how to deal with this guy, or this thing is gonna end up coming back on me."
"So, what's it to you? I've already told you … your road ends here."
"I know. And I get that, but it's already clear you aren't listening to me. This guy is like nothing you've encountered before, and he'll find a way to haunt me long after I'm six feet under. I can't let that happen."
"And why would I give a fuck about that?"
"Please," he begged. "Just give me some time with him, and I swear I'll make it worth y'alls while. I'll tell him everything he needs to know to get to this guy. I give you my word."
"Your word don't mean shit to me, but what-the-fuck-ever. I'll leave it up to Gus to decide if he wants to come down here and talk to you." I reached in my pocket and grabbed my phone as I said, "But I'll tell you this. If you waste his time, my offer of a quick death is off the table."
"Understood."
I sent Gus a text, giving him the rundown on Jasper's request, and to my surprise, he agreed to hear him out. After I read his message, I put my phone back in my pocket, and as I waited for Gus's arrival, I glanced over at Jasper. It was hard to believe that such a tall, lanky piece of shit would have the balls to even consider going against Fury, and then it hit me: There had to be one hell of a reason why Jasper would take such a huge fucking risk, and it had to be something big-something other than just a handful of cash. Before I had a chance to ask him, Gus stepped into the room and motioned out into the hallway. With a concerned look in his eye, he asked, "What's going on?"
"He's ready to talk, but he's got it in his head that you need to hear what he has to say."
"I'll hear him out, but I gotta tell ya, brother, we're running out of time here. We've got the run at the end of the week." Running his hand through his salt and pepper hair, he continued, "And if that's not enough, Cotton is expecting this shipment to be the biggest one yet. My gut tells me we need to postpone, but the other chapters aren't gonna like it."
Cotton, the president of the Satan's Fury Washington chapter, was the man who worked hand in hand with Gus to implement our pipeline across the country. His club, along with four other of our fellow chapters, had become an integral part of our club's gun distribution ring, and over the past year, it had become more profitable than any of us could've imagined. There was no way Gus would put that in jeopardy, so I wasn't surprised when he mentioned postponing the next pickup. Knowing he was concerned, I tried to assure him by saying, "I learned a long time ago not to question your instincts, Prez. I'm sure Cotton and the others have done the same."
"Let's hope you're right." As he started inside the room, he turned to me and said, "Riggs was asking for you. I think he's got something you need to see."
"You sure you don't want me to stick around?"
"I've got this. I'll let you all know what I find out, and tell Riggs not to go far. Depending on what Jasper says, we may need him."
"You got it."
Once the door closed behind him, I headed out to find Riggs. Thankfully, I didn't have to go far. When I got to his room, he was sitting at his desk, staring at his laptop screen. He didn't budge when I strolled over to him. "Gus said you have something to show me."
"Yeah, but I don't think you're gonna like it."
"What the fuck are you talking about?"
Noting my obvious frustration, Riggs motioned his hand towards his computer screen. It took me a second to realize that it was the video feed from the bookstore, but from what I could tell, the place seemed empty. "A couple of hours ago, your friend had a visitor."
"What kind of a visitor?"
"A guy I've never seen around here before, but it was clear she knew him."
"And?"
"Something about their conversation must've freaked her out, because as soon as he left, she closed the store early and headed upstairs." He paused for a moment, then continued, "I've sent a link to her security feed to your messages. You can use it to monitor what's going on from there."
"Thanks, brother."
"Oh, and I was supposed to give you this." He took a slip of paper from his desk and offered it to me. "Alex wanted you to have it."
I opened the paper and quickly noticed that it was a check from Alex for three hundred dollars. "What's this for?"
"She wanted to pay for the install we did. The boys told her it wasn't necessary, but she demanded that you have it. I figured you would want to handle that."
"Yeah, I'll take care of it," I told him as I ripped up the check.
"Figured you would." He gave me a concerned look as he asked, "Making any leeway with Jasper?"
"He's talking with Gus now. I've got a feeling we're not gonna like what he has to say."
"Yeah, I've got the same fucking feeling, brother, but we'll find our way through it."
"No doubt." As I started for the door, I said, "Thanks again for the help."
"Anytime." I'd only taken a few steps when Riggs shouted, "Hey, Shadow. Hold up!"
I stepped back in the room and asked, "Yeah?"
"Something's up with your girl." He pointed to the screen, and I spotted Alex rushing down her stairs with a large duffle bag strapped across her shoulder. Before I had a chance to register what was going on, the screen flipped to the bookstore, and my blood ran cold when I noticed a strange man standing at her front desk. "You ever see him before?"
I leaned closer to get a better look. "Never."
"Seems strange to get another visit like this so soon. You think something's up with her?"