Axle's Brand (Death Chasers MC 3)

Then I return my gaze to a seething Troy as he says, “You never saw me as a brother, or I wouldn’t have been kept out of all the meetings. All the secrets. I wasn’t even allowed to know where you were these past few months.”

I snort again, working hard not to laugh. “Says the traitor.”

“I’m not a traitor,” he growls. “I’m just the guy who won’t be your doormat and bring in all the money that you spend while you do nothing.”

See? Misinformation leads to sociopaths lashing out. I never understood Smitty expecting his son to work from the ground up the way he did, but I’m glad he did that now.

Otherwise, Lathan would know everything the Families have been up to. As of right now, he has no clue that it’s been me behind all his little hiccups with the sex trafficking ring he’s running for Phillip.

Obviously we’d be having a much different discussion if he did know.

“Thing is, Smitty has more money than he can ever spend,” I say, focusing my attention back on Troy. “He just lives humbly because it sucks to have the IRS breathing down your neck and trying to figure out where all that cash is coming from. Well, sort of humbly. He has a brownstone and an apartment in two of the priciest areas of New York.”

He darts a look toward Lathan.

“True story,” Lathan says with a careless shrug.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Troy seethes, glaring at Lathan. “You admitted my father got pennies for all he does. That Blackbird brainwashes faithful servants into doing its bidding, then reaps all the rewards.”

“Not my fault you don’t realize how much it costs to have nice things in New York. And you’re the idiot who was easily convinced that you’d get pennies. Now go away before I shoot you, and send in Garren. I’m going to need his expertise. Obviously I’m not even sick enough to coerce information out of my sister the way he can.”

A sick feeling pits in my stomach, and Troy glares at Lathan a second longer before stalking out, slamming the door behind him.

“Obviously his brains didn’t come from his father’s side. Penelope, however, has always been a bit dense. Probably got it from her,” Lathan says conversationally.

“The Families will hunt you down and tear you to pieces for this,” I say calmly, trying to keep my emotions in check so that my threats sound a little creepier.

“They’ve been trying to find me for months,” he says dismissively.

A small grin plays on my lips. “We’ve known exactly where you were for months. We’re just waiting for you to lead us to Phillip,” I tell him.

“Not the same place I took you the last time,” he says, gesturing around the warehouse before ticking the side of his head with his index finger. “I’m not that stupid. But I do have a welcoming party waiting for them if they try to rescue you from there.”

“We know exactly where you are,” I say again, my grin staying in place, even as dread uncurls. A welcoming party? That’s not good, because they’ll go there first. Unless they figure out Lathan wouldn’t take me there and know it’s a setup.

He studies me for a second like he’s trying to decipher if I’m bluffing or not.

“Nice try, sister, but if that were the case, Ezekiel would have barged in by now and already reclaimed you.”

Damn.

Bluff called.

Still… “If you say so,” I say with a shrug, looking away as though I’m unconcerned. He’s paranoid, so I’m hoping to play on that.

My head jerks to the side suddenly, and pain lances through my face, rattling my teeth, as a loud smack resounds through the room. My cheek stings, feeling like it’s on fire, as my eyes blink, trying to steady my focus.

It takes me a second to realize my bitch brother just bitch slapped me.

“Don’t try to get into my head, Maya,” he says, his eyes finding mine with cold detachment. “It won’t work. I know you too well to let you fuck with me.”

The door opens, and a guy steps in.

“Thought I told everyone not to disturb me while I was down here,” Lathan bites out.

“Sorry, but Nicholas is here with his guys to take the shipment. We don’t know where you keep the cash, and he’s not running the drugs without cash.”

It’s pathetic the drug-running operation is just a ruse to cover up the sex trafficking, in case anyone goes rooting around for what he’s up to out here. People like Drex and them who had no idea.

People like this Nicholas guy, whoever he is.

Cursing, Lathan walks out, leaving me behind, since there’s no way he’d trust handing money over to anyone else even for a brief moment. Still a little dazed from his slap, I look around the room, trying to find something that will help me.