Velvet Fire - Ashby Crime Family Romance

Jasper plugged the drive into his computer. The scowl on his face deepened and darkened as the seconds on the video ticked by. I already knew what he saw, dirt-covered bodies drenched in fear, facing an uncertain future that could only be traumatic.

“What the fuck!” It wasn’t a question. Jasper’s words were spoken in pure outrage at what he saw on the screen and the memories I’m sure it brought back.

“I know,” I told him, understanding in my voice. “We need to quash this shit quick. And The Crusaders too.”

We had our own rackets and they ran the gamut from drugs and guns, to ass and extortion. And everything in between. But we didn’t fuck around with kids. Ever.

“This shit isn’t just bad for Glitz. It’s bad for business.”

“Shit, it’s just plain bad,” I muttered.

Terry laughed. “Look around, Virg, this whole damn state profits off the sale of ass.”

“Have you seen the footage? Then shut the fuck up, Terry.” I didn’t have a problem with the guy, but I had no fucking patience for idiots. Which is what he was right now, mouthing off without knowing what he was talking about.

“Feds tend to give a shit about children being trafficked, especially over state lines. Hell, there are international task forces set up for this shit, which means a whole lotta cops up in our business, Jas.”

Sadie would have a fit when she found out, but we needed a solution to this problem before we took it to her.

Jasper let out a long-suffering breath that he’d earned with all the bullshit he put up with running the business. Finally, he looked up at me with a question in his eyes.

“We’ve killed four cells and twenty some odd Crusaders in the past few months and two more crop up for every one we eliminate. What the fuck do you think we do, brother?”

I let his condescending outburst slide because I knew Jasper had the most on his plate, dealing with everything he did on a daily basis.

I was sitting in one of his office chairs by then, taking a load off after the night I’d had. “I do have an idea, actually. If you’re willing to listen.”

Jasper wasn’t unreasonable by nature but he was so used to running shit, to being right, that he could be dismissive of any ideas not his own. It wasn’t because he was like our old man. He wasn’t. Hell, he’d saved us all more times than we could count from a devastating beating at that fucker’s hands, so no he wasn’t like him. But he could be…stubborn.

“I’m listening.”

That was something, I guess, so I nodded and laid out the plan. “We get the Feds to show up for another Crusaders’ death, only we make this one look like an inside job. Turn that fucking magnifying glass on them for a change.”

I held my breath, waiting to see what smartass comment Jasper would have. If I was lucky, and based on the past fourteen hours, that was debatable, he’d just give me a list of reasons why my plan was shit and let me get on with the rest of my day.

“I like it.” That was a shock, but I kept my mouth shut, jaws clenched, and listened. “There are a lot of damn details to work out with this plan of yours, Virgil, but it could work.”

Nodding to himself as if Terry and I weren’t even there, Jas typed out a bunch of shit on his tablet before turning back to me. “Until we have a plan—a workable plan—in place, we have to do something about that new shipment.”

Shipment. The way we all spoke of the victims, like they were some disembodied entity. Like they weren’t exactly like us, members of a club no one wanted to belong to. Survivors of assholes who used their power and strength to take what they wanted.

“Got an idea about that too.”

Jasper grinned and leaned back in his black leather chair, hands clasped over his midsection, the same way our dad used to sit. “Damn, Virgil, you’re full of ’em today. Let’s hear it.”

It wasn’t often that Jas was in a listening mood so I took advantage and outlined the plan that was a collaboration between me and Calvin.

“It’ll probably interrupt their business for a few days, a week or two tops, but it will get the women and kids away from them.”

“And we’ll have to lie low while they investigate,” Terry added. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to help or shit on my plan.

“Which we do every fucking time someone kills these assholes. It’s worth losing a few weeks of revenue to get rid of this problem.” I growled at Terry before turning to Jasper. “Isn’t it?”

He nodded reluctantly. “Price of doing business. Any other good news you want to share with the class?” The corners of his mouth tipped up to show how amused he was with himself.