didn’t he?”
Mercy snarled beside me and snapped, “Answer the question.”
“Why, little lady?” he asked. “You want to add to your kill list so soon?”
“If he deserves it,” she retorted.
I could’ve asserted myself over Mercy, a simple touch to let her know to rein it in, but it wasn’t worth it. She was a fucking lioness and it turned me the fuck on.
Vaughn glanced at me, highly amused. “I can see why you like her, X.”
“Answer the question,” she snapped again and this time I clamped my hand on her thigh underneath the table.
“Lafayette is a trafficker, Mercy,” Vaughn declared, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table.
“Trafficker?” she asked, confused, but I understood completely.
“Women, Mercy,” I murmured. “He traffics women.”
She stiffened beside me, staring at me in horror. How could you explain it other than in those simple terms? There was no real way of comprehending the things these men did to innocent human beings for profit. The mental and physical damage they caused. It was the ultimate depravity.
Lafayette was going to have his photograph crossed out. If it wasn’t me, then it would be Mercy. I could see it written all over her face.
“The Necromancers are more than just a Motorcycle Club, aren’t they?” she whispered.
“Nothing is what it seems in the underworld,” Vaughn murmured, a faraway expression on his face.
“The club is just a front,” I said to her. “It’s the same for Royal Blood.”
Vaughn grunted, downing the last of his beer. “You’ll find everything you need in the cache. Blueprints, schematics, surveillance. It will be ready in time for your arrival.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You’ve tied this all up into a nice little package, haven’t you?”
“I have a vested interest in eliminating Sykes, X. Never forget that. There is no scenario where double-crossing you is profitable for me.” He glanced at Mercy, who shuffled nervously in her seat. “We both want the same thing,” he said to her. “Make the bastard suffer .”
“I intend to,” she replied, staring at him like they were sharing a secret pain.
Vaughn glanced at me and smirked. Fucking slimy asshole.
My black, twisted heart constricted in jealousy and I leaned over and pressed my lips against the shell of Mercy's ear, my gaze never leaving Vaughn’s. “Can you wait for me by the bar? This won’t take long.”
Mercy turned and I could see her mouth opening to complain, but I raised my hand and cupped her face, pressing my thumb over her lips.
“Five minutes,” I said and she nodded, understanding the command in my voice.
She glanced at Vaughn, nodding once before rising and leaving the table.
Vaughn smirked, watching her walk across the pub. “I can see she trusts you, X. Unfailingly, I might add.”
My lips curled into a sneer. “What we are is none of your concern, Vaughn.”
He shook his head, holding his hands up, palms out. “Understood. She’s your territory, so you can stop pissing, X.”
“This deal. What’s in it for you?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“Of course there’s something in it for me,” Vaughn said with a smirk. “There always is.”
“And you’re not going to tell me what that is?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What concern is it of yours as long as you get what you want?”
I grunted in reply, thoroughly fed up with his games. “Any word from Royal Blood?”
“They’re pulling out all the stops,” he replied. “Everyone is looking for you and your woman, so be careful where you show your faces. There’s a mighty fine price attached to your corpse.”
I narrowed my eyes. There was no doubt. I’d crossed a lot of people in a short amount of time. “How much?”
“A million.”
“Is that all?” I scoffed.
“Two if they can take you alive. It’s a fucking compliment, X.” He glanced across the empty pub to where Mercy was waiting. “I don’t know where you’re hiding,
Mercy snarled beside me and snapped, “Answer the question.”
“Why, little lady?” he asked. “You want to add to your kill list so soon?”
“If he deserves it,” she retorted.
I could’ve asserted myself over Mercy, a simple touch to let her know to rein it in, but it wasn’t worth it. She was a fucking lioness and it turned me the fuck on.
Vaughn glanced at me, highly amused. “I can see why you like her, X.”
“Answer the question,” she snapped again and this time I clamped my hand on her thigh underneath the table.
“Lafayette is a trafficker, Mercy,” Vaughn declared, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table.
“Trafficker?” she asked, confused, but I understood completely.
“Women, Mercy,” I murmured. “He traffics women.”
She stiffened beside me, staring at me in horror. How could you explain it other than in those simple terms? There was no real way of comprehending the things these men did to innocent human beings for profit. The mental and physical damage they caused. It was the ultimate depravity.
Lafayette was going to have his photograph crossed out. If it wasn’t me, then it would be Mercy. I could see it written all over her face.
“The Necromancers are more than just a Motorcycle Club, aren’t they?” she whispered.
“Nothing is what it seems in the underworld,” Vaughn murmured, a faraway expression on his face.
“The club is just a front,” I said to her. “It’s the same for Royal Blood.”
Vaughn grunted, downing the last of his beer. “You’ll find everything you need in the cache. Blueprints, schematics, surveillance. It will be ready in time for your arrival.”
I cocked my head to the side. “You’ve tied this all up into a nice little package, haven’t you?”
“I have a vested interest in eliminating Sykes, X. Never forget that. There is no scenario where double-crossing you is profitable for me.” He glanced at Mercy, who shuffled nervously in her seat. “We both want the same thing,” he said to her. “Make the bastard suffer .”
“I intend to,” she replied, staring at him like they were sharing a secret pain.
Vaughn glanced at me and smirked. Fucking slimy asshole.
My black, twisted heart constricted in jealousy and I leaned over and pressed my lips against the shell of Mercy's ear, my gaze never leaving Vaughn’s. “Can you wait for me by the bar? This won’t take long.”
Mercy turned and I could see her mouth opening to complain, but I raised my hand and cupped her face, pressing my thumb over her lips.
“Five minutes,” I said and she nodded, understanding the command in my voice.
She glanced at Vaughn, nodding once before rising and leaving the table.
Vaughn smirked, watching her walk across the pub. “I can see she trusts you, X. Unfailingly, I might add.”
My lips curled into a sneer. “What we are is none of your concern, Vaughn.”
He shook his head, holding his hands up, palms out. “Understood. She’s your territory, so you can stop pissing, X.”
“This deal. What’s in it for you?” I asked, leaning back in my chair.
“Of course there’s something in it for me,” Vaughn said with a smirk. “There always is.”
“And you’re not going to tell me what that is?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What concern is it of yours as long as you get what you want?”
I grunted in reply, thoroughly fed up with his games. “Any word from Royal Blood?”
“They’re pulling out all the stops,” he replied. “Everyone is looking for you and your woman, so be careful where you show your faces. There’s a mighty fine price attached to your corpse.”
I narrowed my eyes. There was no doubt. I’d crossed a lot of people in a short amount of time. “How much?”
“A million.”
“Is that all?” I scoffed.
“Two if they can take you alive. It’s a fucking compliment, X.” He glanced across the empty pub to where Mercy was waiting. “I don’t know where you’re hiding,
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