Page 51 of The Innocent

Oak snorted. “Or fucking stupid.”

Jekyll glanced over at the younger brother. “Or maybe they’ve already done a successful run.”

Ace’s jaw squared, and he shared a look with Cross. The wheels were turning. If the Satan’s had already fulfilled a successful transfer, it would explain their demand for more product and the cash flow behind it.

Ace looked over at Cypher. “Who’d Axel and Slade work with out of state?”

“No one big enough to facilitate this kind of job.”

“That we know of,” Hyde said. “We had the intel on Satan’s within the state, but we all got outside associates.” He arched his brow. “Present company included. Axel and Slade are no different. Unless they crossed the Underground and us, they were free to make outside deals with others. Oz never put a restriction on that.”

He didn’t. Oz, along with Rogue and Trey, owned the entire state and set rules for anyone working under the Underground, which included all illegal entities. But outside the perimeter, he didn’t demand exclusivity. The Underground monitored it, but as far as he knew, there hadn’t been a cause for concern.

Until now.

“Any way they’d give up their past associates?” Cue asked.

It was a fair question. After all, most of the Satan’s didn’t have the same loyalty as other clubs. However, Axel and Slade weren’t just members. They’d started the club years ago. It was theirs.

“They’re not giving up their connections to their club,” Jekyll said.

Cross sighed. “I would’ve agreed with you a year ago. But with Griggs and Spinner running things, I wouldn’t put it past them.”

Oak laughed. “It’s a shitshow run by fucking idiots.”

“We could take it to Oz,” Cue said.

“It would have to go through Inez first, and with what we got?” Ace shook his head. “Too soon.”

Gent leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Yeah, and thinking if we bring hunches and conspiracy theories to the King, we might lose credibility.”

Jekyll glanced over his shoulder at Cue. “But Oz is the next step when we got more. Just gotta fill the holes first.”

Gent laughed. “My favorite fucking pastime.”

Jekyll steeled his features and shook his head. Gent could always be counted on for inappropriate one-liners in a serious situation. Allegedly, it was part of his charm. Maybe it was. He’s still a fucking asshole. But a good brother, nonetheless.

Ace stood, pointing at him, Cue, and Oak. “You guys are taking the ride up to Satan’s with Cross tomorrow night. Routine bullshit, but we keep our eyes open. They’re hiding something, and we’re gonna fucking find it.”

Jekyll followed the other members out to the main room. He took a seat at the table with Cue, Gent, Oak, and Wraith. The prospects brought over beers, and one remained standing next to him. Jekyll narrowed his gaze, glaring at the young guy.

“Uh, yeah man.” He stumbled through his words. Jekyll was accustomed to this kind of effect he had on others. Especially the prospects. They’d obviously heard of him and his hazing tactics.

His throat bobbed. “You got a call on the main line.”

Jekyll arched his brow. Was the prospect going to elaborate or was he expected to fucking guess?

“Someone looking for Jekyll?” Ace asked.

The prospect snorted. “Actually, they asked for Zane Pierce.”

Gent laughed, squeezing his shoulder as he passed. “Using your government name. Well, fuck, Jek, who’d you piss off?”

No one used his formal name unless it was for legal matters. He’d been going by Jekyll since he joined the club. It didn’t necessarily raise red flags. It could’ve been his lawyer, but he would’ve called on his personal phone, not the clubhouse line.

“I didn’t know it was you. When I told her ‘no one here by that name’, I was about to hang up, and she just blurted out Jekyll.”

Her?