Grey (Storm's Soldiers MC Book 2) by Paige Notaro Page A

and dropped it in the earth. One of the men took it and went back.
    The boss turned around and walked back to the passenger seat. The three men got in, and they drove back up the dusty road, leaving us to our bags of Mexican money.
    I stalked up and pored through a bag. The bills were all crisp, and they smelled real enough, but it would be a fucking pain in the ass to get it converted.
    Calix stood in his spot, smoking another cigarette and looking up the way the Mexicans had left.
    “Should we go after them?” I asked.
    “No. Not now.”
    Asher’s voice crackled through the radio. “I can take out a tire or something.”
    “No.”
    Calix grabbed a sack and tossed it into the car. Leonidas and I followed his prompt. He got in without another word and started back up our side of the road. We were headed home. It had barely been ten minutes. Then again, this was far from over.
    We got back to the bar and Calix went straight for the liquor. I pressed up at his side watching and waiting for orders. He went through two glasses without a word. I tried to stay shut, but the stress ground me down.
    “What’s the plan, hoss?” I asked.
    “There’s not one yet,” Calix said. He glared at me. “I know you got other shit on your mind, so just get out and leave me be.”
    “I’m here for you.”
    “You ain’t. You’re on call, but you’re not here.”
    He signaled for another glass. I watched a bit longer, but he had no more words.
    “Fuck it,” I said. “Fine, then. You sulk. Call me before you do anything.”
    “Yes, sir,” my brother sneered.
    Asher and Leonidas were seated at stools nearby, and I had to see them as I pushed off. They’d heard the same words. They probably thought the same thoughts.
    My mind boiled with anger. Raw, ruthless rage. Was it justified? No. They had my number right, better than I even knew myself.
    What had I become?
    My watch clicked as it rounded to four. Fuck, needed in two places at once. I’d always be needed in two places at once.
    I roared out to the city. Viper thrummed with the anger I poured into it. Why was shit so messed up? Even letting go of my dilemma, what was Calix thinking arguing with the Cartel? They weren’t fucking Walmart to negotiate terms and shit.
    My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out.
    Where are you??? - Meagan
    It just made me more stressed. Why was she meeting with that fucker of a boyfriend anyway? He had done some shit to her, and she knew it better than me. Was she pining for some shit in her past? Was that what it boiled down to?
    The sky was dark by the time I rolled into Little Five. The place was all foaming with light and drunk people, just milling around on a Friday night.
    Friday fucking night and I was here to see my girl talking to her ex. Fuck me.
    I parked in some gravel lot that warned me my ride would be towed if I didn’t visit their shitty little cupcake stores. Let them try.
    The café Meagan had texted about was quiet. My colors stood out stark against the sweaters and polos of the kids working in here, but I didn’t give a shit. I got a coffee plain with buckshot and spotted Meagan outside about the same time she spotted me.
    Her face glowed amber in the outdoor lighting and her ruby lips looked plump, but it wasn’t enough to still my mind. She didn’t look to be all that calm either. Much of her was hidden by the back of another guy, broad, with slick dark hair over a striped grey sweater. Her eyes returned to him. I knew it was so he wouldn’t look back for me, but I didn’t like it anyway.
    I eased out the side door and took an empty seat facing away from the two of them. I sipped at my diesel and listened in.
    “Ok,” Meagan was saying.
    “Good. Great. I’m so happy to hear that.”
    “I mean I’ll talk to the registrar.”
    “Ok, good, and, uh…”
    “Rico, that’s it. What the hell else are you expecting from me?”
    “Nothing, nothing.”
    His voice was so full of shit. And he had this accent