Stone Cold - Ashby Crime Family

Cal

Now that I had accessed all the information that existed on Addison and Jack Beck, it was time to take it to the family. I didn’t have time to deal with images in my head of a certain porcelain-skinned woman who still made my mouth water with the urge to taste her. Despite what I told Bonnie, I was very attracted to her. Despite the bruises and the dirt that told me she’d been doing a hell of a lot more than pawning jewelry and filling out job applications.

I meant to call her out on her lies, but her damn question had come out of left field. While I was assessing her overall demeanor, searching for signs that she was using and hoping I didn’t find any, she hit me with it. And when I didn’t see those signs, it was the perfect distraction because I didn’t see the minefield until my foot was right on top of it. Before I could backtrack or explain, the fucking bomb had gone off, and Bonnie had run off, hurt, humiliated and rejected.

I wanted to go after her, to explain that she was not in a place to explore this connection between us, to see where it might go. I wanted to tell her that once the drugs were out of her system, she’d go back to being the sexy, hot, ginger with killer curves she’d been when I met her. But just then, one of my alerts sounded, and I dove back into the life, times, and death of the Beck family.

My legs carried me in long strides to Ma’s salon, where I’d told everyone to come for an important family meeting. Ma and Virgil were already there, but of course Jasper would show up in his own time and Kat was probably on her way over from the casino.

“Hey guys. Thanks for showing up.”

Virgil sat with his ankle crossed at the knee, a glass of whiskey in his hand and a lazy smile on his face. “Of course bro, you said you had some valuable intel and I wanna hear it.” He sniffed his glass and then deigned to look at me. “What’s it about?”

“That Fed, Agent Beck. And her father.” My gaze lingered on Ma because I wanted to see her reaction. I wasn’t sure about Virgil, but I knew Jasper and Ma knew exactly who this man was and probably what had happened to him.

Virgil whispered. “Wait, why are we looking into her?”

Sadie sighed and rolled her eyes as she slowly pulled a cigarette from the silver case, lit it, and took a long pull. Always with the dramatics.

“Calvin is convinced that her interest in our family goes far beyond her being the law and us being on the wrong side of it.”

That was one way to put it without providing any information whatsoever.

“Sorry I’m late. What’d I miss?” Jasper walked in slowly like he didn’t have a care in the world instead of keeping us waiting for five minutes. Luckily, Kat rushed in a few seconds later so we got started.

“Where’s Maisie?” Jasper asked.

“Dealing with a high roller who insists on being fed a steady diet of Darnell’s fish and chips.” Virgil sounded proud of his woman and the smile he wore said she’d been worth the risk he took by bringing her into the family.

Jasper nodded. “All right then, Calvin, what have you got for us?”

“Jack Beck was a driver who worked for Jas Freight Lines a decade or so ago. His trucks carried a variety of things. He didn’t ask too many questions and his shipments never came up short or disappeared. Until his last ride.”

Kat snickered. “Sorry, sounds like one of those old time westerns Dad used to watch all the time.”

She was right, but Jasper’s glare ended that discussion before it ever got started. “And because of that connection, tenuous as it is, you think she has a complaint against us?”

Jasper’s hand motioned around the room, encompassing each and every one of us, his tone mocking as fuck. Insulting.

“No asshole, it’s because she’s been looking into the Ashby family since she was a damn kid.” I looked around the room. I had their attention so I continued.

“Learned basic hacking as a teenager and it nearly got her in trouble, but thanks to Ma’s favorite Fed, she got probation and a clean record. Since then, she joined the FBI, and she’s been doing hundreds of searches on the Ashbys. Our business and property holdings, associates, crimes that could be connected to us…every fucking thing.”

That was the amazing part, just how much shit she’d gathered on us.

“The only reason she hasn’t acted on it is because she’s looking for info on what happened to her father.”

“Shit!” Jasper’s fist landed hard on the end table beside him, making Virgil’s drink slosh up toward the rim. “Good job, Cal, but goddammit, the last thing we need is a Fed with a vendetta on our asses, especially when we already have to deal with Marshall.”