Precarious

His eyes widen and he smirks.

Yeah, you bastard. I have sass.

“You know those boys, then?”

“Of course I know them. I worked with them.”

He narrows his eyes now, staring at me. “You know Howard?”

“Who the fuck is Howard?”

“She ain’t in on it, boss,” Krypt says. “I can tell you that right now.”

“In on what?” I demand, trying to jerk my arm free from Krypt’s grasp.

Maddox ignores me and keeps talking. “We need to take them two fuckers out. They’ll spill too much information.”

“What?” I cry, thinking of Tristan. I saw some dodgy things going on, but that doesn’t mean I want him killed.

Maddox storms forward, taking my arm in his. “Listen here, girl, and listen fuckin’ good. Your boys are fuckin’ bigger criminals than half the fuckin’ bastards there.”

“Maybe so, but it’s not your right to hurt him. Regardless, he’s my friend.”

“He is workin’ for a criminal; a fuckin’ deadly one. If he’s your friend, it’s all a damned act.”

“You’re a liar,” I cry, losing my patience.

I spin around and I twist my wrist so hard Krypt is forced to let it go. He steps towards me, but I divert him quickly with a swift punch to his stomach. He oomphs, and takes two steps back. Maddox grabs my arm and I spin around, lifting my knee and driving it right into his balls. With a bellow, he lets me go.

I take a step back, glaring at all of them. “I don’t care who you are, or what fuckin’ club you come from. Some of those men are my friends, and you have taken me from my life. I deserve to understand.”

Maddox is panting, and shooting daggers in my direction. Krypt almost looks . . . impressed.

“Don’t even start on me about your balls. It won’t hurt you not to reproduce, you jackass,” I bark at Maddox.

He straightens and walks towards me, his eyes flaring with rage. He lunges at me, wrapping a hand around my arm and jerking me so close I can smell his breath. “I’ve warned you enough times. Now I’m fuckin’ pissed off.”

“So do something about it,” I spit back at him. “Kill me. You’re going to anyway, aren’t you?”

“Damn fuckin’ right I am.”

“Consider this,” I growl. “You kill me, you’re giving up the chance at some seriously good information. I know Tristan and I know Luke. I saw what went on behind the walls at that prison. So go ahead and shoot me; I fuckin’ dare you.”

Now he looks impressed.

“I thought you were a fuckin’ pansy,” he grunts, letting me go, and shoving me back. “You give me information, I let you live. You kick me in the balls again, I’ll put a bullet right in your cunt, for revenge purposes.”

I snort. “Fine. It’s a deal.”

“Fuck me,” Krypt mutters from behind me.

“Seems you might have found a decent one, for once.” Maddox smirks in the general direction that Krypt is standing.

I know there’s something going down here, something even bigger than me. I need to know what that is. I need to understand because I’m curious. But I also need to keep myself safe.

“Krypt, tell her everything she needs to know on the way. We’ll be around in the next few days; she can give us information then,” Maddox says, turning away from me.

“Where are we going?” I ask Krypt.

He points towards the mountains. “Up there.”

“Up?” I mutter.

“Up.”

“On a . . . bike?”

He chuckles. “No babe, on the transport God gave us.”

My eyes widen. “You want me to climb a fucking mountain?”

He grins at me. “It’s a day’s journey, if that, and yeah, I want you to climb a fuckin’ mountain.”

I point to my ribs. “Mountain plus climbing equals a world of pain.”

“You’ll be fine. It isn’t steep.”

“It’s a mountain!”

He snorts. “Quit your whinin’. If the cops check out here and you’re found, we’ll all go to shit.”

“That’ll serve you right for kidnapping me, and shooting up a car full of guards.”

He ignores me and reaches down to sling a bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“I don’t have hiking shoes.”

He snorts a laugh. “Fuck, you’re a weird chick.”

He drops his pack from his shoulder and pulls out a pair of sneakers. He hands them to me, and I put them on without argument. They’re a size to big, but I’d rather take them then go without. He tosses a thick jacket at me. It’s thick and warm. I push my arms through the sleeves and then we’re off.

I follow him as he walks out of the yard, all leather jacket and fine ass. Damn his fine ass. Damn it. He moves like a tiger, sleek and powerful.

I hate that I’m going to be stuck with him in the mountains for a few days alone. It freaks me out. He’s the kind of man that is hard to turn away from—let alone be stuck in a cabin alone with.

Fuck.

We head out to a path that leads into the thick trees. It’s clear to me these guys have thought this out. They’ve picked a location for their cabin/clubhouse that is without a doubt in a tricky area. It’s not in a public place, it’s out and it’s hidden. For police to get down here without being noticed, they’d have to come on foot. You’d be able to hear anything with that gravelly dirt road.