Property of Drex (Book 1) (Death Chasers MC Series) (6 page)

Chapter 11

DREX

“Financial shit checks out,” Axle says as he walks in.

I glance up to the top of the stairs. It won’t be long until she comes down. Right now it’s just me and the top five. The other girls will be back shortly, since I sent them to go grab food while we talked.

“So her family suddenly inherited a bit of cash from the Hell Breathers?”

“Half a million,” he answers, and Sledge whistles low and loud.

“Thought we were the only ones hauling in enough cash to drop that much on something as pointless as this,” Sledge says while shaking his head.

Benny is apparently making more money than we thought if he can spend half a mill on a
gift
for us.

“No way this girl doesn’t have strings. I say we cut her loose now and deal with Benny,” Dash says, running a hand over the spiky blue tips of his short fauxhawk.

“Not happening. Pop doesn’t want to start a war. We could lose some of our allies, and we might gain more enemies. He wants proof Benny is up to something, so that when we start a war, no one thinks it’s a power struggle. It has to look like vengeance to keep anyone from getting antsy.”

They all nod, agreeing. Too many clubs would likely come after us if they thought we targeted Benny’s club and then obligated his crew to fight back. They’d be worried they were next, so that would mean Benny would be rewarded with more allies, and we’d gather more enemies.

Maybe that’s his game.

Not to mention all the damn street gangs that are in the outlying bigger cities who would get worried about us trying to take over and kill for power. The drug and gun trade is more lucrative than ever, but it’s also more dangerous than ever.

“So we keep the girl and find out what Benny is up to?” Mack asks, leaning forward.

I don’t like the look he’s giving the door to my room. He’s usually at Pop’s place, not here. He tends to forget to show me respect.

“
We
don’t keep the girl.
I
keep the girl. No one else is to touch her.”

He scowls as I check my watch. Just a few more minutes. We have to get this wrapped up before she comes down.

“Hurry up and run through the worry list. Just like with all the girls that come over or work for us, we only talk legit shit in front of her.”

They all nod in agreement, and Snake leans forward. “We got ten of the cars done today. Harrison is coming by to take a look tomorrow. He’ll bring the other half of the payment. Should we be worried about doing this with the Feds hanging around?”

I shake my head, propping my elbows up on my knees. “We’re only using a couple of kilos for the demonstration. We can flush that quickly with no problem. If the feds try coming in, they won’t find our basement garage. Besides, they don’t have shit for a warrant or they would have already come in.”

They nod, and I continue.

“We’ll use the new underground passage to get our clients through to the tip of the city. They’re driving in with blacked-out tint, so no one will know how many men came in. As for the nosy Feds, they’ll see the same number of cars leaving that came in.”

Sledge chuckles to himself while nodding. “Pretty fucking brilliant. Can’t help but love your mind. Herrin’s gonna be proud of that passage idea.”

I just smirk. Pop knows about the passage but he doesn’t know where it goes. This is my place and my business. He just reaps a chunk of the rewards. Axle speaks up, drawing me out of my thoughts.

“The strip club had Feds in it today. Liza watched them. One of them paid Jasmine over three-hundred dollars in lap dances to question her. She never gave them anything but the run-around. Finally, Liza told them they’d reached the limit, and the other guy sat down and started flaunting cash, saying he hadn’t gotten a dance yet. These guys are ballsy. I’ll give them that. Why didn’t your FBI informant warn you about them doing this shit?”

“A new set of guys were put on us and the Hell Breathers,” I grumble. “My informant is having to work twice as hard to catch tips now. It’ll take him a while to work his way in. I just found out this morning, since it’s a little hard for him to make regular calls to me.”

“Shit,” Sledge growls, running a hand over his bald head. “That puts a wrinkle in our comfort.”

“No shit,” Dash says through a sigh.

The front door opens, and Colleen and Sarah walk in with Liza right behind them. The guys all turn and whistle, pretending as though we’re not having a serious discussion. The girls never know. Can’t know. Only our immediate circle has the details.

Not that the girls are stupid and haven’t figured out some things. But they’ll never know the full extent of our operations.

“Two familiar suits are outside, sitting on top of their car and trying to intimidate us as we walk in or out,” Liza says, bringing in several pizza boxes.

Sledge tilts his head, and we share a grin.

“Should we invite in our company?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest as he reads my mind.

“Have you lost your minds?” Colleen asks, walking over to the table in front of us and spreading out plates.

“Axle, go make sure the basement is locked,” I say, my smirk matching Sledge’s. “Sarah, go invite in our new guests.”

She shakes her head while sighing, but goes to do as I’ve asked.

“Why?” Colleen asks.

“Because they need to know we’re not affected by them. Otherwise, they’re just going to keep getting bolder.”

She drops to a chair beside Axle, looking comfortable enough. She trusts us enough to know we know what we’re doing. Besides, they have no idea what’s going on outside of the legitimate businesses, even though they know we’re anything but legit.

“Fellas,
we have company,
” Sarah says in a singsong voice, teasing the two cocky sons of bitches following behind her as she sways her hips in her very short skirt.

I stay relaxed in my chair, watching as they join us in the massive room. There are four doors in here, all of them leading to various parts of the warehouse. Some hidden, some not. Their eyes immediately glance at the other three entry points, sizing up the room like good little cops.

“Gentlemen,” I say all too casually as Colleen puts a slice of pizza on my plate, “how the hell can we help you? You boys seem mighty interested in my businesses.”

As long as we all show them how relaxed we are in their presence, they’ll start sweating. It’ll put them on edge, and they’ll lose that smug sense of superiority they have right now.

“Drex Caine, I presume?” the douche on the right asks.

“Apparently you guys are a little more interested in me than I am you, considering I have no idea what your names are.”

They both shift uncomfortably as I slowly break through the wall of confidence they thought to be impenetrable. Then I feel someone behind me, and I tense. How the fuck did I forget?

“Well, hello,” Sarah says, grinning wickedly at the girl behind me, who came down at the exact time I told her. Only she won’t look as calm and collected as the rest of us. She’ll draw attention to herself and this situation we never should have agreed to.

“Hi,” Eve says uncomfortably, her voice almost too quiet to be a whisper.

Both feds look at her, and then they exchange a look of intrigue. Shit.

“Come here, baby,” I say smoothly, scooting my chair back for her to join me on my lap. It’ll go better if they think she’s my girl instead of my toy. The VP’s old lady has to be the most loyal to the club—or so they’ll think.

Chapter 12

EVE

I’m so damn nervous, and everyone in here is looking at me. The two men in suits are showing far too much interest in me. And Drex is talking a little too sweet.

I sit down on his lap when he motions for me to do so, but I feel too on display to get comfortable. Sledge eyes Drex, whose face I can’t see, and I feel like I’m stuck in the middle of a private conversation.

“I’m afraid I don’t know your name,” one of the guys in a suit says.

“Don’t make it too easy on them, baby,” Drex says while running a hand down my back, settling it on my hip as I shift in his lap.

His grip tightens, and he tugs me backward a little. To sit the way he wants me to, I’m forced to throw an arm around his shoulders and angle my body.

I don’t speak a word to the two men who don’t belong in here. They have to be cops. But why would Drex let them in?

“What’s the matter, boys?” Sledge drawls, looking at the men with a taunting gaze, even though his expression was drastically different when he exchanged a look with Drex. “Not used to seeing a pretty girl in someone’s lap? I heard you boys paid a lot of money for that. Jealous he’s getting it for free?”

I swallow hard when I start feeling like a science project everyone wants to study.

Drex’s lips on my neck startle me slightly, but I don’t react as though I’m surprised. A devil like him shouldn’t have lips so soft. It’s actually another reason for me to hate him.

When he nips at my ear, I almost moan, inwardly cursing myself for my body’s response to his touch. “You need to relax right now,” he whispers, making sure to escape the ears of the men on the far end of the table from us. “Pretend as though this is a common thing between you and me.”

I don’t answer, but I do—by some miracle—manage to relax. When I turn my head, our lips brush, and his breath catches in his throat. I hate myself for wanting to feel his lips, but he’s now screwed me twice and still hasn’t kissed me. In my mind, I might can find a way to embrace the madness if he gives me some semblance of normalcy. And I’ve got to find a way to cope if I’m going to last.

If we continue on this fast-paced wild ride, I’m going to be insane by the end of the week. It’ll all catch up to me at once, and I dread it.

Our eyes are locked, and everything gets intense. My skin tingles for all the wrong reasons, and the fear I need inside me is slowly fading and making way for other feelings I’m not prepared to face.

“You boys want to ask some questions, or were you just wanting to stand around and watch Drex and his old lady all night?” Sledge asks, and Drex smirks while redirecting his attention to the men in suits.

I keep my casual placement in his lap, but I manage to turn my eyes back to the men as well. Drex’s hand moves up my shirt, finding the skin of my stomach, as both of the men watch.

“No questions, gentlemen?” Drex drawls, taunting them.

The one on the right finally clears his throat while Drex’s hand goes higher, and my shirt creeps up just a little. When he brushes his hand on the underside of my bra, my hand on his shoulder grips tighter.

“The word around town is you’re buying up numerous businesses and properties,” the man says, his eyes drifting to where Drex’s hand keeps getting higher.

He dips a finger into my bra, teasing my nipple, and I feel the flush on my face. This is so humiliating, but I do my best to play my part. The last thing I need is for him to be pissed at me.

“And?” Drex prompts. “Since when do the FBI care about what businesses a person buys?”

His lips go to my neck while he plays the bored, careless man I know he’s not. He’s cold and calculated. Something tells me he’s also a killer, considering the warning he gave me earlier.

“It always raises suspicion when someone buys up as much property as you have. Care if we take a look around?”

All the men chuckle, and the redhead snorts derisively.

Drex grins against my neck before pulling back to speak to them.

“Gentlemen, as accommodating as I’d like to be, I’m afraid I’m old-fashioned. You’re more than welcome to visit the public areas of my public businesses, but I’m afraid my insurance doesn’t cover anyone going where they don’t belong. Unfortunately, you can only see what is right in front of you. And as you can see, this is our warehouse and hangout. Nothing special. If you want to see more, feel free to bring a warrant and I’ll gladly let you have a look around.”

Drex is amazingly calm, cool, and collected, even as he gropes me right in front of everyone. Fortunately it’s all done under my shirt and no one can see anything but his hand moving around in there. I find myself cursing inwardly again when I have to squeeze my thighs together to stave off the ache that’s forming.

“This place is a little big to be a
hangout
. Don’t you think?” one agent asks.

“We also live here some. It’s a place for our guys to crash when they’re in town from another area. I live here a lot of the time. That’s just the way we do things. Sorry to disappoint you. We’re just a boring group who enjoy tinkering on cars and playing with our rides.”

His lips return to my neck, and my body reflexively leans against him. “I think I’m going to take my girl upstairs now. Sarah, will show you these boys out?” Drex asks, but it doesn’t sound like an actual question.

A sick, twisted part of me actually gets excited when he says those words about taking me upstairs.

I hate myself.

Drex reaches up and grabs my hair with his free hand, using it to angle my head and give himself easier access to my neck as the men walk out. One turns and looks at me, his eyes narrowing in on me as Drex makes a show of devouring my neck.

The moment they’re out the door, Drex removes his hand from my shirt, stands and lifts me by my hips, and drops me on top of the table. As soon as my ass hits the hard surface, he comes to stand between my legs. He towers over me as I try to catch my breath, feeling all the more humiliated.

“Girls, I need you to leave for a minute,” he says, but his eyes stay on me.

Is he going to fuck me in front of the guys? Please no. Please no. Please, please, please no.

I hear the sound of heels clicking as the girls walk away without protest, leaving me to fend for myself, but all the men stay at the table.

“They couldn’t keep their eyes off her. They’re going to ask questions, and then they’re going to try using her to get to us,” one of the men says, and I swallow hard.

“How could they use me?” I whisper, feeling so small under Drex’s glower. I thought the show went well.

“They swear to you that I can’t touch you if you help them catch Pop or me,” Drex answers coldly, a menacing undercurrent to his tone.

What did I do wrong?

“I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to. I’d never put my family at risk,” I say in a near whisper again.

Drex’s lips twitch, acting as though he’s amused. “Good. You’re scared.”

Of course I’m freaking scared, you psycho.

He leans back and drops down to his chair, seeming satisfied, and leaves me on the table, feeling very on display again.

“You’d better tell me the second they approach you,” he says, letting his eyes rake over my short shorts, lingering and pausing on my center as he strums his lips with his index finger in a lazy, pensive motion.

“I will. But I don’t plan on leaving here. You said I’d be staying up there.” I point above us, even though his apartment thingy isn’t actually over this room.

His lips twitch again, and everyone at the table chuckles. I’m not sure why they find that so funny.

“Baby, you can’t stay in here all the time. You’ll go crazy. Besides, they’ll be expecting to see you and me together some now.”

I get to leave?

“Can I see my family?”

The laughter around us stops abruptly, and I feel the eyes of everyone else burning against my back while Drex’s burrow into mine.

“We’ll discuss that later. If you do, it’ll be under supervision. You can’t go anywhere without one of us with you at all times. Preferably me. But you’ll go everywhere I tell you. When we’re alone, we’ll iron out the details. Also, I trashed your cell. I’ll give you a new one, and all calls will be monitored.”

Sheesh. I feel like
I’m
the criminal.

“Okay.”

“Axle,” Drex says, looking behind me. “Go through all her bags once more. Take her old clothes down below, and put that shit in a closet or something. It’d be too risky to toss them in the trash right now.”

The guy with snake tattoos all over his arms and neck walks toward the room to do as Drex has asked. Drex is still studying me, and I’m growing increasingly uncomfortable under his unbreakable gaze.

“It’s probably best if we just cut the girl loose,” Sledge says, and my eyes widen in fear. There’s no way I can let Benny touch me the way Drex has. I’d never be able to wash away the disgusting feel he’d leave behind.

Drex… I don’t know him. It’s easy to be a toy when you don’t know the person. He’s so much closer to my age, which again makes this easier. On some sick, twisted level, I’m even attracted to him. But I can’t be Benny’s.

“Can’t,” Drex says, his eyes still watching my every move. “Benny might think something’s up. The girl stays. The feds will be going after all the women in our businesses. They’ll consider them an easier in. Prepare the girls, warn them of the consequences, and call Esmerelda. Make sure she deals with anyone who needs to be fired right away.”

He stands, and my breath catches in my throat as he comes to be between my legs again. Roughly, he tugs at my hair and dips my head back so that I’m forced to stare into his piercing blue eyes.

“You only get one chance. Fuck up, and you’ll pay. Understand?”

My words grip the sides of my throat, refusing to leave my mouth. I’m forced to nod instead, and he leans back.

“Good. Now that you know the rules, go through the double doors and head to the den. The girls will be in there, and I’ll come get you soon enough.”

The first normal breath finds my lungs as he slides me off the table. He thumbs my lip while staring directly into my eyes for a minute longer. After what seems like an eternity, he finally lets me go, and I reluctantly go to join the girls who will treat me like shit. I could see it in their eyes earlier. I’m already hated; I’m sure as hell not trusted; and now I feel like the smallest infraction will get me killed. I really hope those agents don’t speak to me.

When I reach the den, the three girls are lounging around, and the one he called Sarah—the blonde—smiles at me. “So Drex let you come speak with us. He was determined to keep us away from you earlier.”

The redhead doesn’t even try to pretend that she’s less than disgusted with me. The older woman with dark hair like mine just sits, observing me with mild interest.

Very awkwardly, I sit down on the couch while the TV on the wall plays through a show I’ve never seen before. I don’t know if I should speak, and I’m not in the mood to attempt it.

“Drex seems to be really into you,” Sarah says, seeming genuinely pleased, which confuses the hell out of me.

The redhead snorts and rolls her eyes while feigning interest in what’s on the screen as she retorts, “Drex had a girl sell herself to be at his beck and call. He’s fascinated. It’ll wear off soon. Real soon. Boredom will kill him, and he’ll pass her along to one of the other guys.”

Oh shit. I hadn’t thought of that since he said I was his. I don’t want to be passed around. I’ve not even made peace with being Drex’s whor—um… I mean…
toy
. I’m sure as hell not ready to be anyone else’s.

Sarah rolls her eyes while waving off the other girl.

“Ignore Colleen. She’s just pissed because she’s always wanted in Drex’s bed. She’s not as bitchy as she seems right now.”

Crap. Just what I need. A scorned woman painting a target on my back.

Colleen scoffs, “I prefer to keep my self-respect instead of being a prostitute. Drex used to have standards.”

So everyone knows that I sold myself. As if my life wasn’t going to be hard enough.

“Ask questions. I know you have them,” Sarah prompts.

Liza’s eyes zero in on me, as if she’s waiting for me to say the wrong thing. Asking questions is tricky, because I don’t want to ask a question that will make someone suspicious of me—or
more
suspicious of me. The guys are probably speaking about how they’ll get rid of my body if I run my mouth or help the FBI.

I don’t even know what they’re doing that is shady. And I don’t want to know. The less I know, the safer I am.

“I really don’t know what to ask,” I say honestly.

Probably best to keep things as neutral as possible.

“You have to be curious about the rest of the club and us. I’m with Snake,” she says, sounding proud.

Is Snake the one with the snake tattoos? That would make sense. Or did Drex call him Axle? It’s all a blur.

“Snake seems quiet,” I say softly, trying to add to the conversation without painting a bigger target on my back.