Ethan (Devil's Flame MC #9) - Romi Hart Page 0,69
about gun trafficking being one thing, but that they had their hands in something darker.”
“There are a lot of rumors out there,” Rafe spoke up. “We’re actually trying to find out if they’re involved in human trafficking, at which point they will be forcibly disbanded.”
Rocky scoffed. “If Dylan has anything to do with it, they’ll be dismembered.”
A muttering of agreement passed around the table, and Corey continued, “Well, he may have turned him down, but someone in your club tried to push the deal through, to the tune of accepting nearly four hundred grand.” Ethan nearly choked, the number astronomical, and the shock registered clearly on Brett’s face, too, though she said nothing. “What happened to that money, we haven’t figured out quite yet, but it looks like whoever had it came to Martin, in trouble with the Shadows for not delivering the club to them, and Martin struck some sort of deal to try to pay them back.”
It all made sense now, and Ethan wondered if it was a loan shark or the Shadows who had dispatched with Martin. Brett inhaled deeply and shook her head, crestfallen. “I have a couple of good ideas who it could have been. We have a couple of guys who used to have gambling and drug problems. Getting hands on that kind of money would have been an instant invitation to party.”
Ethan reached for her hand. If their relationship wasn’t common knowledge at this point, it would have been soon enough anyway. He wanted to give her support. It was more important than propriety and appearances. “Is Tony following up on that end of it?” Ethan asked his president.
“He said he’d have something by the end of the day.” Corey turned to Brett. “Would you mind telling us who you think could have done it?”
“Not at all. I mean, I would rather be able to blindly trust people and tell you I believe all of them have integrity, but I wasn’t born yesterday.” Brett took a shuddering breath and cleared her throat. “So, do you know who attacked me?”
It was Rocky who smiled and nodded, but that grin was an evil one. “Two of the Shadows,” he said, motioning to Corey, who opened a file folder and presented Brett with two mug shots. “Those two were confirmed to have used debit cards at the corner store by your apartment building.”
“Fast work,” Brett muttered, gazing at the two photos and looking nonplussed. Ethan thought they looked like nothing more than a couple of street punks, though his mind swirled around the idea of vengeance. Those men had hurt Brett badly, and they’d planned to do more.
“Tony found out about the attempted buy-out and assumed they would be your attackers, so he started tracking finances,” Corey explained. Glancing at Ethan with an eyebrow raised, he said, “Dylan’s hunting them down this afternoon, if you’d like to join him.”
Ethan opened his mouth, eager to accept, but Brett squeezed his hand, and he stopped himself. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, he knew she didn’t want him involved in that, and he understood. While she deserved justice, some things took precedence, and Ethan supposed in this case, keeping his hands free of blood was more important. Reluctantly, Ethan replied, “I’ll pass. I think I have more important things to focus on.”
There was a strange glint in Corey’s eye that Ethan chose to ignore, preferring to take note of the way Brett’s tension eased. “Okay, then. You get to help handle any uprisings when Brett takes the offer of patching over to the club.”
That Ethan didn’t mind at all. With a few more particulars on when the Silver Suns would meet and who would be there to support Brett’s effort. When the meeting adjourned, Ethan walked Brett back to the bunk room. “You should stay here until everything is settled. I don’t want any chance of you getting hurt again.”
She sighed, obviously not convinced it was the right thing to do but relented. “I’ll stay. But only until we meet with the club.”
That was all he wanted. “Good. I’m going to follow up with Tony. Why don’t you get some rest? You still look a bit drained.”
She nodded, lying back on the bed. “I could use a little more sleep. First, though, I’m going to get in touch with everyone and let them know we have serious business to discuss.”
“Fair enough.” He kissed her and left her alone, nearly plowing into Dennis as he