did. But Jerrill had the kind of face that had looked like he’d thought the world of himself and that kind of attitude always got me riled up. Some people were just begging for their teeth to be punched in. Although that would have ended worse for me.
Good thing I’d just been running my mouth and nothing else.
I should just have found out whom I was saying it to. Besides, hadn’t Ted warned me? What was the point of finding allies and contacts if I did nothing with the information?
Yes, an absolute idiot. And now I needed a new game plan, because carrying on this way was only going to get me killed. That was the end point for someone like me. If I fucked up, it was a bullet in my brain. None of these guys—the Stone Cold Club, or the Crucifix Six, or any other Corny Name Club—were going to make things work out for me so that I could go home with a busted kneecap or something. Dead was on the cards, and when that was the case, I preferred to fold.
I found my box of cigarettes and pinched one between my lips, pulling it out. I lit up and inhaled deeply, pulling the smoke into my lungs, relishing and hating the burning sensation all at the same time. I’d been smoking since I was a teenager, and I still didn’t like it, but what was I going to do? Addiction was a bitch, and there were worse things to be addicted to.
I exhaled a cloud of smoke in front of my face and jammed one fist into my jacket pocket, feeling my lighter press against my knuckles.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” a voice asked behind me. It was a woman’s voice. In all the time Stone Cold had been hunting me, they’d never sent a woman, so there was no fear, just curiosity. None of the girls I’d slept with would be around these parts. I’d left a trail of women as far as Minnesota, but this was very far south. I turned around slowly, cigarette pinched between my lips, and looked down at her.
It was the woman I’d seen earlier. Alexandra.
She stood in front of me, her dark hair making her dark eyes stand out, and that red of her shirt made her look fierce. And she was furious. Her eyes spat fire, and she had her hands by her side, fists clenched into balls, and she leaned forward a little, like she wanted to attack but she was holding herself back.
“You owe me money.” Her voice was hard and melodious, all at the same time.
“What?” This was a new one. I’d seen her once, didn’t know her at all, and she was already making demands.
“Don’t be a jerk,” she said.
“I wasn’t aware I was one.”
“Your little stunt, getting kicked out, is going to ruin your rep.”
I chuckled, took the cigarette from between my lips with two fingers, and tapped it to get rid of the ash. “Nice of you to worry about my rep.”
“I don’t give a shit about yours. But you ruined mine, too. When you start taking down innocents, you need to rethink your strategy.”
I dragged on my cigarette again, nodding as I did. The word ‘innocent’ was amusing. It didn’t really fit the look she was sporting.
“Right,” I said, smoke billowing out as I spoke. “So how much did you lose?”
“Fifty large,” she said. I fought hard to keep my face neutral. She’d been sitting on fifty grand?
“If you can’t hold onto your cash when there’s drama, you shouldn’t be playing with the big boys.” I didn’t sound as surprised as I felt. Point for me.
“I lost my count, asshole,” she sneered. “If everyone’s being civil, I’m fine and dandy, but if a caveman like you waltzes in, they really ought to bar you at the entrance. There will always be casualties with men like you.”
Her mouth was mesmerizing. She was giving me a tongue-lashing in a big way, and all I could do was stare at her lips, full and pouted, meeting at a cupid’s bow below her nose in a way that made me want to taste her. I forced my eyes back to hers.
“Did you