Page 137 of The Innocent

Meetings with Oz were always held at his club, The X-Lounge, and on days when it wasn’t open for business. The parking lot reflected that when they pulled in the back.

They got off their bikes and started toward the back entrance. The door opened, and Nash, along with Oz’s security, were stationed around the doors and hallways. They’d been doing business with Oz long enough that they had a decent rapport with his guys. But Nash was closer with Ace, Cross, and Wraith dating back to when the club was initially formed.

“He’s waiting for you,” Nash side-eyed Ace. “Anything you’d like to share with me?”

Ace snorted. “Yeah, it’s been a while since you’ve been up for a ride with us.”

Nash shook his head, smirking. “I was thinking more on the lines of the meeting.”

“You made your choice years ago, Nash. If you’d chosen differently, you’d already know,” Cross said.

Nash narrowed his gaze. “You all really enjoy busting my balls.”

“Yeah, we do,” said Wraith.

They were led upstairs in the elevator and walked toward the back of the balcony. The members spread out through the room, matching the placement of the security team. They were evenly matched if something went down, but it wouldn’t come to that. They were just there to pass along information.

Oz lifted his cigar to his lips and gestured for Ace and Cross to have a seat.

“You have information?” Oz arched his brow.

Ace folded his arms. “We’ve had a deal on the table with Satan’s Hex for a while now. They’ve been taking on more product, but pay on time in cash. No trades.”

Oz lowered his chin. “Sounds like a solid deal.”

On the surface, it did.

“That’s what we thought, initially. However, they don’t have the clientele to distribute that much, Oz. But they keep upping their shipment. Did some checks on who and where they sell. The numbers don’t add up. Tested that theory when we asked for a list of buyers, and they couldn’t get us one. Then offered them a triple shipment. They didn’t hesitate and took it.” Ace sighed. “We think they’re stockpiling for a major haul out of state.”

“And that’s a problem?”

“It is if they transport it themselves and move through areas protected by you, don’t you think?” Ace cocked a brow.

The king of the Underground was a hard read. Rarely did he show any emotion.

Oz drew in a breath. “Where?”

“We think they’re planning on cutting through Ghosttown.”

Nash, who was standing a few feet from the table, lifted his chin. “Why would they take that chance?”

“It’s a big payout, Nash. And minimal risk for them if they’ve got someone in power backing them.” Ace glanced between Oz and Nash. “We got reason to think they’ve done it before. They’re confident they can make it happen again.”

“Christ,” Nash muttered.

Oz slowly nodded. “You’ll handle this.”

Fuck.

Ace held up his hand. “We weren’t offering to take the job. Just sharing with you as a courtesy. We’ll handle Satan’s on our end if they follow through with the transport and let you know, but nothing more than that.”

“How much?”

Ace shook his head. “We don’t want it, Oz.”

Oz cocked his brow. “Has the club become independently wealthy unbeknownst to me?”

“Not interested,” Cross said.