Page 60 of The Innocent

A chill ran down her spine, but she managed to muster up a smile.

“Okay.”

He stood. “Next week sometime.”

Great!

Imogene nodded and watched him walk down the street. When he disappeared around the corner, she inhaled a deep breath. The first in the last hour. She glanced down at her croissant. Finally, she could enjoy it in peace. She grabbed the end, bringing it to her lips, then stilled. The loud revving engine had her turning in her seat. In the distance, she saw a motorcycle pull out of a parking spot, make an illegal U-turn and ride down the street. Imogene leaned forward past the table next to her, squinted, focusing on the patch of the leather vest.

Was that…

She swallowed the knot lodged in her throat.

“Jekyll?” she whispered.

****

“Where the fuck have you been?” Cross spread out his arms and met him halfway through the yard.

Jekyll wouldn’t be mentioning his little detour to any of the brothers. Thankfully, it had all gone smoothly. Well, from his view. Imogene had been tense for the whole hour but seemingly relaxed when her client left.

“I told you. Had something to handle.”

Cross lifted his chin. “You get it done?”

“Yeah.”

He met up with the others near the back door.

This wasn’t Jekyll’s first time at the Satan’s clubhouse since new leadership had taken over, but he was seeing the decline since his last visit. Oak was right. It was a shitshow. It served more as a party venue than an actual clubhouse for members. On any given day, there were as many outsiders as members, in the middle of the fucking afternoon on a random Tuesday?

Their security was shit with no one manning the doors. Anyone off the street could’ve walked right in. Under Axel and Slade, they would’ve never allowed that. Then there were bigger issues that inadvertently affected Killcreek. They were willing to openly talk about the transport and business with strangers around. It was a complete lack of awareness.

Griggs was fully prepared to start talks. It was Jekyll who shut him down and ordered everyone who wasn’t a member out of their clubhouse. No one hesitated and practically fled from his order.

When he took his seat, Griggs glared. “I think you’re forgetting where you are, brother.”

Jekyll’s gaze darkened. “I know exactly where the fuck I am. And I am damn fucking sure we ain’t brothers.” Jekyll leaned on the table, and Griggs settled back in his seat, creating distance. Yeah, be fucking scared, motherfucker. “Let me tell you something you forgot.” He tapped his finger on the table. “We run this operation. It’s our product that we choose to let you sell and profit from. That makes me your fucking boss. You do what we say. Next time we meet up to discuss business? You clear this place out before we show up. ’Cause if you don’t? I’m just gonna start throwing them out on their asses. You feel me, Griggs?”

He shared a look with Spinner but didn’t answer Jekyll. No one wanted to be disrespected, especially in their own house. But sometimes it was necessary to get everyone in line.

Cross straightened in his seat. “By the end of the week, you’re gonna have a list for us, tracking every transport and cash sale. We wanna know where the product went, who bought them, and for how much.”

Giggs furrowed his brows, swiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. “I don’t keep records of that shit.”

“Well, then you’re gonna be fucking busy this week ’cause you will have all the numbers for us by Friday.”

This was all part of the plan. Griggs would have to show his cards. If it was all legit, there wouldn’t be an issue or pushback. That was an unlikely outcome.

“Unless you can’t provide that ’cause you haven’t sold shit.” Jekyll shrugged but kept his eyes laser focused on Griggs. His face paled and he started tapping on the table. A nervous twitch? That proved Killcreek’s suspicions might just be on point.

“Not stockpiling product, are you, Griggs?” Cross asked.

Griggs swiped the back of his hand across his mouth and slammed his beer bottle on the table.

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

He was playing innocent, but Jekyll was reading through his bullshit. His reaction was confirmation. Cross stood, and the others followed suit.