Rake (Wolfes of Manhattan 4)

“This isn’t how it words, Reid,” she said. “I’m not a fool.”

“No, just a mercenary. I can respect that.” No lie there. Money was money.

She looked great, especially for someone who was most likely twelve shades of hungover. Which meant either she had a great hangover remedy or she just looked that good all the time.

Probably the latter. The Romero sisters were hotness personified. I’d been into it last night. What was wrong with me this morning?

“Then we understand each other,” she said.

“Do we? Because if you think I’m handing you any money before you tell me anything, you can think again.”

“Fine.” She smiled seductively. “I’ll give you a hint.”

“I’m listening.”

“When Rock and I dated, I came across something at his place. Something I never told him about.”

“And…?”

“That’s it. You want to know the rest? You pay.”

“For all I know you could have found a dead mouse and disposed of it without telling him. That would fit your current narrative.”

“You really think I’d fuck with you like that?”

“Already I know you weren’t above keeping something from my brother. So yeah, I think you’d fuck with anyone for a buck.”

She let out a short laugh. “You’re the one who called me mercenary.”

“I did, and obviously I’ll stand by it. Thing is, though, my brother didn’t have any money when you were with him. But you knew who he was, didn’t you?”

She twisted a strand of her long dark hair. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.”

“Cut the crap, sweetheart, and don’t insult my intelligence. You knew damned well whose son he was.”

She raised her eyebrows. “It’s not like he changed his name or anything.”

“He didn’t, but the Wolfes are hardly a household name in a small Montana town.”

“That’s true.”

“So how did you find out who he was?”

“I do my research.”

“On small-town bikers?”

“On everyone, Reid. Everyone.” She met my gaze, her eyes serious.

There was meaning behind those words, but I didn’t for the life of me know what it was. I had to make her think I did, though.

“Do you?” I asked. “Because the Wolfes do their research as well, Nieves, and I’m pretty sure our resources are far superior to yours.”

She looked away.

Good. That got her.

“What makes you think,” I continued, “that you know anything we don’t know already?”

“If you knew, why did you question Leta?”

Good for her. She was smarter than I gave her credit for. “We question everyone,” I said simply.

She stayed quiet for a few seconds. Nicely done, Reid.

Finally, “Show me the money.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help myself. “A grand. That’s what I’ll offer. It’ll get you home to Montana.”

“I could get a grand from any high roller here.”

“Yeah, but you’d have to work for it.”

Her cheeks reddened. I’d struck a nerve. Yeah, I was being an asshole, but she was being a first-class bitch.

“A grand,” I said again. “And you don’t have to get on your back.”

She huffed. “Fine. But if you find the information helpful, I get another nine grand.”

“Fair enough. I don’t have any cash on me. I have to hit the ATM. Let’s meet for a late lunch at one, and I’ll give you the cash then.”

“Fine. Then you’ll wait for the info.”

I nodded. I actually did have a grand on me. Two and some change, actually, from last night’s blackjack winnings. But I wanted to check in with Rock first. He knew Nieves a lot better than I did, and he might have an idea of what she had found at his place. If he did, I could save myself a grand. Not that a grand meant more than a penny to me, but I didn’t particularly want to enrich Nieves Romero.

“Good enough,” she said. “Text me with the deets.”

“I will. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have business to attend to.”

She advanced toward me, gesturing to the door that led to the master bedroom. “Sure you don’t want to…?”

“Thanks,” I said, “but no. I’ve got a meeting.”

No lie there. I did have a meeting, but not for an hour. In the meantime, though, I had other things that needed my attention.

“Your loss.” She walked toward the door. “See you at lunch.”

9

Zee

The nice thing about working nights was that I could sleep in. I’d learned to ignore the sunlight streaming in through my window. Mo, who shared my bedroom, got up earlier, but she didn’t make a lot of noise, so she never woke me.

Until this morning, when she pounced on my bed and shook me.

I jerked out of dreamland with a scream.

“Easy, Zee,” she said. “Where the hell were you?”

Not an easy question to answer. I could have been anywhere. My dreams were nightmares more often than not, but I never remembered the details. Probably a blessing. I gathered myself quickly. I’d learned to in the past decade.

“I’m fine,” I said. “What is it? You know I like to sleep in.”