Grasshopper’s gaze flew wide. “Holy fuck. This is insane.” He looked between us. “But… how? I don’t…”
I laughed.
His amazement was comical. Plus, I didn’t doubt he felt a little self-conscious for having stepped over the line and told me things about Arthur he probably shouldn’t have. “Nice to meet you, Jared. I’m Cleo.” I stuck my hand out.
Grasshopper’s face darkened. “Fuck, you know my name, too. Witchcraft, I tell you.” Taking my hand, he shook it once, pulling me close. “I must know everything so my brain doesn’t explode.”
“You and me both.” I laughed again.
Arthur grabbed my hips, pulling me away from Grasshopper with a stern look. “What I want to know is how Cleo came into our possession.”
My laughter faded as Arthur’s voice drifted into strict business. “Explain to me where she was taken, who stole her, and what the fuck was the bullshit someone told me of her being his whore?”
My head snapped up. “What?” I looked between the two men. “Whose whore? I was nobody’s—”
Arthur cringed. “Nothing. I was told a lie about who you are in order for me to go ahead with the sale. I want to know who came up with it, so he can answer my goddamn questions.”
Grasshopper shifted on the spot. “Bazza. He told me that he got her from the Dagger’s, along with the other girls and she’d been in his bed. His bed, dude. I mean—it couldn’t be more of a fucking slight now that we know.”
Oh my God. My head. It couldn’t continue on like this, with half-truths, vague recollections, and hidden agendas. “Will someone please tell me what the hell all of this means?”
Grasshopper looked to Arthur, sharing a look that spoke volumes but remaining silent with answers.
Ignoring me, Arthur balled his hands. “You do realize I will get to the bottom of this, and when I do, I hope to fuck those I trust aren’t involved.”
The room’s oxygen wassucked into a vacuum. Grasshopper turned cold and menacing. He morphed into a biker with a vendetta—just like his president. “Someone has to have been working us from the inside. Shit.” He dragged hands through his hair, messing up his mohawk till it stood up in every which way. “Fuck!”
Arthur matched his anger with his livid face and highly strung muscles. “I want to know who, Hopper. And I want to know now.”
Fear charged down my back; I wanted to run from their palpable energy building like a cyclone. Lighter Boy. It was him.
Before I could announce my epiphany, Arthur muttered, “The complications and consequences of this are gonna bring everything we’ve been working toward to an end.”
Burn, baby girl. Burn.
I shivered. “What do you mean?”
It was Grasshopper who answered. His voice low and anger lacing every word. “It means those motherfuckers have used us again. First him, now you.”
Arthur’s fists turned white.
“Prez, didn’t think I’d see you here.” Mo appeared, his blond hair sticking up as if he’d just pulled his bike helmet off. His gaze fell to mine but he kept his questions hidden.
The tension that’d built in our small group faded thanks to the newcomer.
Arthur looked at him, his eyes dark and suspicious. “Are the other guys here?”
Mo shook his head. “No, just us. No trades today. No meetings. A lot of them are having a family day.”
Arthur nodded. “Good. We’re going on a little trip.” Dragging a hand through his long hair, he said, “The four of us are going on the hunt for fucking answers.”
Finally!
Arthur took my hand. “It’s time to unravel this mess once and for all. And when I find out what the fuck it all means…”
Grasshopper stepped forward, his hands curling by his sides. “It means we’ll finally have what we’ve been working toward all these years.”
Goose bumps scattered down my spine.
“Vengeance,” Mo muttered, his face glowing with eager pride. “Down with denial. Death to the traitors.”
Arthur nodded. “It’s time for war.”
Chapter Nineteen
Pain came in many forms.
Loneliness.
Betrayal.
Sacrifice.
But I’d found love to be the most painful of all.
I was invincible when no other emotion controlled me. I was single-minded in my determination to deliver justice. I had a gift of blotting out the world and throwing myself into numbers, calculations, and vengeance.
But when Cleo looked into my eyes with the same soul-depth connection we’d shared all those years ago, it fucking crippled me.
I became useless. Weak. Besotted.
I wanted to forget about all my plans and run far away to keep her safe.
Yet even though she granted me happiness with her tender touches and smiles, there was a blankness inside her, too. A scary void that blocked out all we’d shared, leaving me even more alone than before.
I loved a stranger. A stranger who knew me better than I knew myself.
Who would’ve thought her love for me could hurt so much?
Who could’ve thought my heart would break all over again knowing she’d forgotten?
Forgotten everything I’d whispered to her.
Everything we’d promised.
—Kill
The wind whipped in my face as I clung to Arthur’s waist.
It seemed life went from normal speed to hyper-overdrive. The moment he’d decided to solve the riddle that was my life, we all sprang into action. No planning, no hesitation.