Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40297 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
“Couldn’t resist your charming invite,” I drawled as I joined them.
Jax’s eyes narrowed. “If you’d been in your fucking office when I found this shit—”
My eyes narrowed, and I cocked my head to the side and cut him off. “We aren’t all workaholics like you, brother. Besides, as I recall…couldn’t find you anywhere near the compound for weeks. When was it? Oh, right. Last July. Around six weeks after Lark gave birth, wasn’t it?”
Edge smirked and flicked his gaze toward Kane, amusement glinting beneath his casual exterior.
Jax couldn’t contain the cocky smirk that curled his lips. “Point taken.” Then he looked at me pointedly. “You’ll understand soon enough.”
“Moving on,” Kane drawled as he inclined his head slightly toward the hallway. “Let’s take this to my office.”
We moved through the common room into the space our president had made his inner sanctum. Jax settled his tablet on the desk, turning it toward us so we could clearly see the streams of encrypted chatter and burner phone data scrolling across the screen.
“Been monitoring encrypted communications,” Jax began, his voice cool and precise. “They’re not explicitly stating race locations or times. Instead, they’re burying coordinates within coded drops. Structure and phrasing never change, always identical and through the same sender network.”
Edge leaned casually against the desk, his lips twitched faintly as he spun his knife lazily between his fingers. “Whoever’s pulling our money isn’t sloppy. Interesting choice of strategy—careful but ballsy, setting up in our backyard without knocking.”
Jax nodded, scrolling through more data. “Exactly. Found clusters in the communications matching the same high-stakes bettors and drivers Tyre flagged. Consistently showing up in the same places, on the same nights we’ve seen betting dips at our races.”
I folded my arms, contemplating the implications carefully, annoyance rising within me at the thought of someone testing our limits so openly. “Ghost races. Short runs, quick pools, and no overhead. Siphoning money quietly, hitting fast and disappearing before we catch wind. It would explain the dips I’ve been seeing.”
Kane’s ever-present scowl deepened, something steely settling behind his dark eyes. “Not a direct challenge, not yet. They’re testing our boundaries, gauging how far they can push before we shove back.”
“That’s exactly how it feels,” I agreed with a nod. “Seeing how much money they can divert, how many drivers they can lure away, and just how long it takes us to notice. They’re smart enough to stay mobile and careful enough to avoid confrontation.”
Edge’s mouth curled into something dangerously amused, a dark gleam entering his gaze. “Guess they didn’t get the memo—Redline Kings’ territory isn’t negotiable. Anyone trying to push that line deserves what’s coming their way.”
Kane’s voice was calm but deadly. “We’ll wait for now. Let ’em believe they’ve flown under our radar. We observe first, then shut it down decisively when the time is right. Don’t want any questions left about our control here.”
His plan was solid, which wasn’t a surprise since Kane was smart as fuck.
He turned his gaze toward Jax and me. “Figure out the next race. We’ll have to find a way to infiltrate it. Need to gather intel and pinpoint who’s behind this, so when we move, it’ll be with absolute certainty. Bastards’ll learn the consequences of testing us.”
Nodding my agreement, the tension eased just slightly now that we had a clear direction forward. “Understood. On it.”
I checked my watch briefly, impatience scratching under my skin. The clock had felt like it was crawling toward dinner.
“If we’re finished here, I have plans to get ready for,” My tone was deliberately casual as I straightened and glanced toward the door.
Edge’s attention sharpened instantly, a slow, knowing smirk spreading across his face. He leaned back, tossing his knife lightly from one hand to the other. “Plans, huh? You wouldn’t happen to be talking about plans involving a woman, would you?”
His voice was heavy with dry amusement, clearly expecting a denial. I didn’t blame him, though. It had been a damn long time since I had something even resembling a date. But I didn’t feel like confirming or denying, so I merely grunted and offered him a brief, inscrutable glance.
Jax chuckled softly, crossing his arms as he leaned a hip casually against Kane’s desk. “Give it up, Tyre. We’ve all noticed you’ve been a grouchy bastard lately. Of course it’s about a woman.”
Even Kane raised a brow at that.
I glared at Jax, but he just kept talking like he wasn’t in danger of losing his teeth. “Cecily Hayes, wasn’t it?”
His tone was teasing since he knew damn fucking well who I’d been obsessing over.
“The swim teacher for the kids?” Kane asked.
“Yup,” Jax replied, ignoring my irritated growl. “She’s been out of town, which explains the transformation from man to beast.”
Edge snorted, his movie-star worthy smile widening, and his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Is that so? Guess it turns out Mr. Ice-in-the-veins isn’t immune after all. Been waiting years to watch you finally lose your cool like the rest of us. Karma’s sweet.” He shrugged. “Or a bitch, depending on how you look at it.”