beautiful chick came to mind. Dax was almost beginning to wonder if she was intentionally trying to goad him into another spanking…one that he wouldn’t mind administering in the least.
“Yeah. At least she looks well fed. Won’t bother us, I hope.”
“That’s one big ass shark.” Turtle agreed. “Gonna paddle out?”
Dax grinned. Turtle knew the answer. “It’s why I’m here, braddah .”
“Sweet, brah . Let’s do this.”
Having a braddah —a gang of ‘em, really—was cool. It was kind of like having a surrogate club. In fact, now that he had been out here for a few months, relaxing into the slower island pace, Dax was starting to wonder which crew was the stand-in. The local boys came in handy when it came to looking after Rhee—Sirena too. Dax was used to having a posse but he was done riding the fucking line. It was a big decision—one that came with big consequences. So, it came as a surprise when Hawk didn’t demand he cut out his patch and burn his leather when he received Dax’s message.
Can’t come back, brother. Not now.
I need you here, kid.
Yeah, I know. I’m sorry, brother. But it’s a family matter.
He didn’t have to say much else. Hawk knew how much family meant to Dax. They worked a deal, and it was a fuckin’ good one. Turtle’s family owned a small island that was totally off the grid. Supposedly, there were a lot of little clumps of earth like that in the sea. The soil was fertile and the coffee business was the perfect foil for weed they grew there too.
Coffee and bud…the perfect combination.
Dax set up a direct supply line to the medical marijuana clinics that were sprouting up all over the damn place, Darling included. It was easier to do than he expected. Wince and Slade handled the business stateside. Dax used their existing connection at the port to run Ivan’s hardware and a few keys of green through the shipping yard every few months. It was cheaper than running ice. Safer, too. No one went apeshit from smoking bud the way they did when they smoked too much ice.
Hawk bought off one of the ship gangs years ago, so it was no big thing to add another shipment to their existing connection. The longshoremen were happy to unload their contraband for a couple grand and a few ounces of green.
Dax rotated his arm experimentally, feeling a slight pull in his shoulder as he watched a clean set roll in. The first wave peeled off and a perfect barrel formed as it raced to shore. Yeah, he was definitely paddling out. He was healed fucking well enough.
Chapter Seven
“What the hell were you thinking?”
“I like to take pictures! It relaxes me. You know that. You’re the one who suggested I do what I love…”
“Look, there’s no time for this. Salazar saw you and your fucking camera last night. Why the hell didn’t you stay in the bar where I put you?”
“I told you—I was looking for the bathroom! I saw some cool shit to shoot. I had no idea…”
“You need to get the fuck out of here, Micks. I mean it. Disappear.”
“Where the hell am I supposed to go? I just told my sister that I would get an apartment with her…”
The cartel wanted her for what she had captured on film. The sad thing was that Mickey wasn’t even after that particular image—she was taking a photo of one of the dancers—a girl whose hardened façade seemed to disappear when she was on the pole. Unfortunately, she caught something in the background—something that ruined everything. When she first realized what she had done, she had considered erasing the picture, but now figured she might need it—for some kind of insurance.
Dizzy paced. “If you stay here, you will die. And it won’t be pretty. These guys the Chicos are dealing with-the cartel — they like to inflict fucking pain, Micks. Real pain. Do you understand me? There’s no way in hell I can go up against the Familia. So you need to get the fuck out of here!”
Dizzy shoved a wad of cash at her. “Take