Absolution (Road Kings MC And Underworlds 1)

“Well, fuck me,” Ben said slowly, leaning back and shooting them a shit-eating grin. “You guys find those in the garbage cans outside your homes?”

A closer inspection led me to believe that might not have been far from the truth.

“Fuck off, fecker,” Raig snapped, picking up one of the bottles of beer we’d ordered earlier, and wincing when he took a mouthful. “Jaysus, that’s disgusting.”

Nick was either too much of a snob to drink from his bottle, or he was wise enough to know it’d been watered down, and was likely warmer than donkey piss, because he didn’t touch his.

“We felt it’d be best to wear what other patrons would be wearing. So we might have taken liberties with ensuring that our clothing was fit for its purpose.”

I glanced at Ben, who was wearing a polo shirt and jeans. “Someone decided to go with the college look.”

Lifting a shoulder, he shot a semblance of a smile at the other two. It wouldn’t behoove anyone ever to forget the power Raig had behind him, and it left a lot of people feeling uncomfortable, including the head of the Chicago Cosa Nostra.

“Ach, come on, Benito. Let bygones be bygones, pal. It’s been five years, get over it.”

Nick and I glanced at each other, then gave our full attention to the two men. “Anything you wish to impart, fratello?”

His face was blank as he replied neutrally, “What, like the reason we lost the tanker in the Middle East was because someone planted a bomb on it?”

Pointing the index finger of the hand still holding the beer, Raig added, “It wasn’t exactly me who did it, and there were men on board who were going to kill you once you’d served your purpose.”

Benito didn’t even blink as he looked back at him, and it was unnerving the longer it went on.

Sighing, Raig turned back to Nick and me. “The tanker was meant to be carrying crude oil for resale, and it was also meant to have some diamonds on it.

“The tanker wasn’t carrying that, though, it had sand to weigh it down to look like it was the oil. And the men on board weren’t crew, they were men sent by a member of royalty, whose cousin he thought had been killed by De Luca’s dad.”

Both of us looked back at Ben. “So why are you upset?”

“The tanker had sentimental purposes,” he snapped.

“What he means is, it was named after his grandmother,” Raig told us, his eyes glinting in the dim lighting.

“My nonna’s name was Anna Maria, you dick. And the tanker was carrying someone on it who mattered when you blew it up.”

Raig’s face lost any humor as he saw how serious Ben was. “We’ll talk about your person once all of this was over. But do you think I’d have given the go-ahead to detonate if there’d been an innocent onboard?”

Ben’s response was to raise an eyebrow, which got a raspy laugh from the man. “After five years, I guess I can fill you in on some details, brother. For now, we deal with our other brother’s issues.”

Then, looking at me, he asked, “What in the fuck did you think you were doing marrying that trash?”

Ben was still watching him, but Nick stayed silent, waiting for me to reply. “It was a fake marriage to save my woman, her family, and the Bratva.”

“Ever thought of just killing them?”

Leaning forward, I took in his appearance. Aside from the dirty clothes, he’d done something to his hair to make it look messy and greasy. With Nick having done the same, they looked like men who lived in their mothers’ basements, and who’d needed some relief for the night. Not like men who held their positions of power.

I had no doubts they had their people inside and outside the place, just like I did. And I also knew not to show any tension or anger to tip anyone off.

“To do that would mean we’d lose the chance to find out who he was working with and who was the real danger, and we needed those answers.”

Putting the bottle back on the table, he rubbed his jaw. “I get that, it’s best to have your enemies in front of you than behind you. I just wish I could’ve dispensed with them earlier. They’ve left me feeling dirtier than the chair my ass is on just now.”

Nick glanced down, and then moved slightly forward on the chair. “Fucking gross. Anyway, it was a shock when Ribeiro joined us from a side room halfway through the meeting. I guess he was never told the old adage about ego leading a man to his grave.”

“I wouldn’t call it an adage, Nick,” Ben said, finally taking his attention off Raig. “More like a rule of thumb not to die by.”

“Fecking amateurs always cause the biggest dramas,” Raig huffed.