“What’s that?”
“Well, why would the Snakes go through so much damn trouble just for a briefcase full of smack?”
Larkin shrugged. “Maybe it’s an honor issue. They don’t like getting ripped off.”
“Maybe. But they wouldn’t start a war over it.” I paused, frowning. “I want to see the stuff.”
Larkin jerked his head toward the corner of the room. “Be my fucking guest.”
I saw the briefcase sitting against the wall and grabbed it. I opened it up and looked at the drugs wrapped neatly in their plastic. “Just doesn’t make sense,” I said.
“Drugs. That’s all this is about.”
I pulled my knife from my belt and jabbed it down into the drugs. “Maybe,” I muttered.
“Careful,” Larkin said. “We might still need that shit.”
I rooted around in the heroin, using my knife to dig into the bricks. I narrowed my eyes as I felt something, something hard and small, like pebbles. I reached my fingers in there.
“What are you doing?” Larkin grumbled. “I said to be careful.”
I pulled my hand out and opened it.
Hidden in the powder were small, nearly clear rocks. They were cut perfectly and reflected the light.
Diamonds.
“Look,” I said, laughing. I held my hand up to Larkin.
“Well, I’ll be fucking damned,” he said. “Diamonds.”
“This wasn’t about drugs. This was about diamonds.” I laughed, shaking my head.
“Fuck,” he said. “Their supplier must have been passing them some diamonds hidden in the shit, and the Rebels didn’t even know it.”
“So when they tried to rip off the Snakes, they started some serious shit without realizing it.”
“The Snakes think Caralee stole diamonds from them, not just drugs.” Larkin shook his head. “This explains a lot.”
“And Jetter had no fucking clue that he probably had millions of dollars of diamonds in his possession.”
Larkin and I stared at each other as the truth slowly sank in. There were probably a bunch more diamonds hidden in the case, which meant there was a ton of money sitting in my lap.
I dropped my handful of diamonds back into the case and shut the lid.
“Put the case down, son,” Larkin growled.
I stared at him. “We have to give this back.”
“Fuck no,” he said. “That’s a lot of money to just give back to our rivals.”
“They’re not our rivals,” I said, “and we don’t need it. We’re the biggest, baddest gang in the state.”
“Exactly. We don’t return millions.”
“If we keep it, they’ll come at us. They won’t stop until we’re all dead or they’re all dead. We’ll destroy each other.”
“That’s for the council to decide,” he said. “Put the case down and keep your mouth shut.”
I stared at him, a war slowly raging inside me. If I ran right now, I could probably get away. But I’d be running for the rest of my life. Caralee would be safe, but I’d be gone.
I promised her I wouldn’t run again.
But if I ran, I could save her, make things right.
I stood up, holding the case. Larkin was tensed, ready to spring, probably ready to gun me down.
I weighed my chances, stared him down. I could get out faster than he could shoot, I was sure of it.
But it was club over everything. Always had been, always would be. I was a Demon for the rest of my fucking life, and I’d be loyal until I died.
I couldn’t run out on Caralee, and I couldn’t run out on my club. Even if that would save everyone.
I put the case down on the chair.
Larkin relaxed. “I’ll voice your concerns to the council,” he said.
“Do that.”
“Get out.”
I nodded, turned, and left.
For a brief moment I had held the key to everything in my hands, the key to all this shit. I’d had millions of dollars worth of drugs and diamonds, and I chose to put them down.
Not for myself. If I chose for myself, I would have run and given the shit back just to clear Caralee’s name.
Instead, I chose loyalty to the club, but also loyalty to the promise I’d made her.
I wouldn’t run away, not from her, and not from my club.
Chapter Thirty-One: Caralee
“How’s married life?” Janine asked me.
Clutch laughed and drank his beer. I shrugged. “It’s fine,” I said. “Not real, though.”
“Real enough I bet,” Clutch said. “You guys been fuckin’ like rabbits?”
Janine smacked his arm. “Cut it out, you ape.”
“What? I’m just askin’.”
I shook my head. “No, of course not.”
“Of course not?” Janine asked. “Okay, whatever you say.”
“Not like Ford,” Clutch grumbled. “Not like him at all.”
“What do you mean?”
Janine gave Clutch a look. “I already told her.”
“You told her that Ford is a manwhore?” Clutch laughed. “Traitor.”
“She needed to know.”
“Maybe.” Clutch looked at me. “Ford’s been in every pussy this half of Austin, maybe the whole city. Who knows?”
I nodded, blushing. Thinking about him having sex with another girl made my jealousy flare like crazy, but I didn’t have any real claim over him. “It’s okay,” I said. “Doesn’t matter.”