Nova (Silver Saints MC)

I thanked Kevin, and we disconnected, then I quietly stepped back into the office.

Mac was still talking quietly with someone, but after a couple of minutes, he gestured for me to come over and handed me the phone. “Nic,” he told me before I put it to my ear.

I’d been anxious to hear from Nic ever since Mac had agreed to reach out to him. We had no idea how far his connections reached, but if we wanted to negotiate with the mob, we needed an emissary. Hopefully, the fact he wanted to speak with me was a sign he could help.

“DeLuca,” I greeted after lifting Mac’s cell to my ear.

“Nova. How’s your girl?” he asked, his voice filled with genuine concern. Despite being known as the ruthless head of the Italian mafia in New York, Nic had a wife and kids that he adored more than anything, and a particular soft spot for women in trouble.

“No harm done, and she’s got me now.”

“Glad to hear it.” Then his tone turned hard and all business. “I spoke to a contact, and we have a problem.”

Fuck.

“They don’t have an interest in trading for Chad. He’s broke, so it doesn’t help them recover their money. But they could have made even more by trafficking Rylee.”

My fist clenched around the phone, and I had to remind myself that if I crushed it, I’d lose precious seconds digging mine out of my pocket and calling Nic back. But hearing him say those words...it ignited a rage inside me. I wanted to squeeze the life out of her stepfather with my bare fucking hands.

However, the bigger problem now was how to keep Riley safe from the mob. Worst-case scenario, the Silver Saints were really fucking good at giving people new identities and lives. But Rylee had lost so much, and I hated the idea of her being forced to leave what little connections she still had to her dad behind.

I took a deep breath because there could still be options. Nic hadn’t sounded as though he was finished talking.

“Are they willing to negotiate at all?” I asked through clenched teeth.

“I made a deal that encouraged them to agree to settle for the amount Chad owes them and nothing more,” Nic answered. He gave me the number, and I mentally patted myself on the back for being a frugal bachelor since I became a prospect with the Silver Saints MC at eighteen. I had more than enough money to pay the debt and still build a life for Rylee and our family.

“A deal? What will we owe you?”

Nic laughed, but the sound came from the dark and deadly head of a crime family rather than the friend. “Nothing. This will work out highly in my favor. They just don’t know that yet. But even if it didn’t, you wouldn’t owe me a thing as long as that girl is safe.”

“Thank you.” I still felt like I owed him, and I knew Mac would too. “We still owe you. You need us, we’re there.”

“Appreciated. Now, my contact will get in touch with Mac to set up the meet.” He went on to explain a few more details, and I was prepared to hang up when he said, “Oh, Nova. There’s one other thing. About Chad...”

“He’s a dead motherfucker,” I growled.

“Exactly,” Nic agreed, confusing me. “I won’t insult you by suggesting that the Silver Saints don’t know how to handle a hit. But the timing, with your girl running away…if he shows up dead shortly after...”

“Shit. They’ll look at Rylee.”

“Yes. So take this number down.”

I grabbed a pen from the desk and quickly noted the phone number Nic rattled off.

“That’s the personal number for Rogue, the head of Ruthless Corp. He’s expecting your call.”

My eyebrows shot up at the name. I’d heard of the “private security firm”—which was code for hitmen—out of Los Angeles, but I’d never had dealings with them.

Before I could ask, he added, “Don’t worry about the fee. Rogue owes me.”

He was calling in an awful lot of chips for us, but I knew he and Mac went way back, so I assumed the prez had that handled and would let me know if he needed something from me on that score.

“Good luck,” Nic said before disconnecting the call.

Mac picked up the paper with the number, and his eyes raised to his hairline, clearly recognizing it.

“You know him?” I asked.

He nodded. “Only talked to him a couple of times. Tried to recruit me years ago. Made it clear I’d have to be dead to leave the club, but he still reached out from time to time. Not since Bridget, though.”

I gave everyone the summary of my conversation with Nic, and we discussed a plan for the meet with the mobsters. Once that was settled, I started to head back to my girl when Mac called my name. I turned around to find him holding out the slip of paper with Rogue’s name on it. As prez, it was his right to deal with Ruthless Corp, considering it collided with club business. “Your girl. I trust you to handle it.”