of that conversation now. When Jem raised his brows, a question in his face, Thames nodded slowly. Jem stood up and disappeared in the backroom.
“Alright,” Thames murmured, redirecting his focus on Holden. “I’ll talk to Number One, but it’ll be here.”
“Not with all these people around,” Holden argued.
As Jem emerged, Thames nodded. “I agree. Not with everyone around.”
Jem whistled for attention, his voice booming. “Alright, folks, gotta close the bar as soon as possible. Consider it an emergency. I need everyone out.”
Protests erupted from customers.
“Apologies,” he went on in that suave way. “I will make it up to you all. Don’t bother paying. It’s on the house. I’m sorry. I really am. Come on!”
As he ushered people out, playing nice, Holden chuckled, appearing impressed. “Well done, Thames.”
Thames didn’t smile back.
The patrons left slowly, taking their time, guzzling what they could of their drinks. They meandered out, unhappy, throwing glares in Jem’s way.
It felt like forever. Minutes dragged by, people argued, and Jem ultimately had to stand by the door and force them out, all while smiling tightly. The second the last person left, he shut the door and turned his attention to the men in the corner.
Silence filled the air.
Holden eventually turned to look at the suited man in the corner, nodding once at him.
Number One stood up and strode over to the other side of Thames.
“You wanted to see me, and now I’m here,” he spoke, sitting down on the stool.
Thames didn’t like that he had a man on either side of him.
“No,” he found himself saying, turning to look at the suited man, the man he’d often wondered about. “I said to Holden that if you wanted me to do something, to have the courtesy to tell me yourself.”
The man nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Anything I needed said would have come from him, and in response, you threw him out of your home. You disrespected Holden, thus you disrespected me. I don’t take kindly to that, Thames.”
Thames studied the man, frowning at what he saw. The suit, the too groomed beard, the calm eyes; something felt off. He didn’t know what it was, but he did know this man should have frightened the hell out of him, but he didn’t. Not at all. He just…looked like a man in a fucking suit.
He felt almost disappointed.
“So what’re you going to do?” he found himself asking.
“With what?”
“With me.” Thames shrugged. “You just said you don’t take kindly to disrespecting Holden, thus disrespecting you. What’re you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to make a deal,” he said simply. “One that involves you…and your cousin. He’s been kicking around nearby.”
Thames had noticed Reid had come through the door, and then he’d taken off, chasing after Ember – a development Thames didn’t have the time to wonder about. But it made sense seeing the bastard here at the same time they were.
“This is the chop shop shit, isn’t it?” he asked resignedly. “Jesus, all this nonsense just to get to my cousin, and all for what? Some fucking cars? I thought the crew was bigger than this –”
“That contact list can open up doors.”
Thames shook his head, confused. “Doors you should have already had open for you.”
He truly didn’t understand what was going on. Chop shopping was petty crime compared to what the crew had delved in. This was off the reservoir and it didn’t make sense.
“Hey,” Jem suddenly barked out in alarm.
Thames turned, noticing the two men in the corner had gotten up and were advancing in Thames’ direction.
“What I want done with that shop is none of your fucking business,” Number One seethed, his face twisting now with anger. “You will fucking do as I say and that’s the end of it, or else you’ll never find a way out of the crew, Thames.”
The men stopped feet from where he sat. Jem edged away from the exit, warily watching their move as he settled behind the bar, his arms dropped.
Holden was relaxed, chuckling to himself as he relaxed his back against the bar, arms out. Jem edged nearer, coming to a stop directly behind Holden.
“Watch yourself,” Number one curtly said to him, catching it.
Jem shook his head calmly. “Relax. I serve drinks. Let me get you guys something and bring the tension down a bit, hey?”
Before an answer was given, the door of the bar swung open and Reid stormed through.
“What the fuck is this about?” he demanded, stopping just before he got to the