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When the gasoline can was empty, I placed it by my feet and lit a match. Touching it to the line of gas I’d made to the door, I grabbed the can and hauled ass out of there, taking cover behind the car. The fire that erupted from the warehouse burned hot, the heat singeing my face as I watched it engulf another one of my buildings—this one under a false name.
Black smoke drifted up into the sky, the flames licked at the stars. I watched it for as long as I could, making sure every square inch of it was consumed by the fire. Content that nothing could get traced back to me, I got back in the car and drove away.
35
Bane
It had beentwenty-four hours since the fire that consumed the bodies of four people who had every-fucking-thing coming to them. I sat back in my office chair, scrolling through the news story on my iPad, looking for any hints that they were going to start sniffing around me. Absently, I scratched at the bandage taped to my chest, the shallow wound hardly worth fucking fussing over, but I didn’t want blood leaking through my shirt.
Andy walked into my office looking like he hadn’t slept at all. He ran a hand through his dark hair and took a seat. In all the time he’d been my driver, he’d never set foot in my office, so it was strange to see him in here now. But the bastard deserved to be here. He’d saved Dagger’s life. He’d gotten him to the hospital in time. Dagger had gone in for surgery to repair his liver that had been turned into a two-hole sieve with that gunshot wound. That, along with two blood transfusions, meant his injury was a bad one. He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but apparently, the worst was over. The first twenty-four hours post-op was the most critical. Dagger was still breathing, so I knew he’d pull through.
“You wanted to see me, boss?” Andy asked.
I gestured to the seat in front of my desk, waiting until his ass was firmly planted before saying to him, “I want to thank you for what you did for Dagger.”
The guy shrugged like it was no-big-fucking deal. “He’s a brother.”
“You served in two different streams.”
He shrugged. “Army or Marines, we’re both fucking brothers.”
I leaned back in my chair and studied him. “How would you like to work for me in a different capacity? Just until Dagger gets back on his feet.”
Andy narrowed his eyes at me. “I’m listening.”
“I need someone I can trust at my back. You’ve proved that to me.”
“You need a new Dagger.”
I nodded. “Yes. With Sanderson gone, Manzetti’s a threat. I’m not willing to give up my share of the drug trade to that Italian fuck. I need someone like you, someone who keeps his fucking head in a situation. There’s a war coming. I need my soldiers.”
Andy thought about it for a moment. “Who’s going to drive your ass around town?”
Throwing my head back, I laughed. “I’m sure we can find someone else.”
“I have a younger brother. Just discharged. Got wounded in Afghanistan and is trying to adjust to civilian life.”
“What’s his name?”
“Max, but everyone in his unit called him Fox.”
“Get him in here. I want to meet him.” Reaching into the top drawer of my desk, I pulled out a wad of cash and slid it across the tabletop. When Andy arched a brow at me, I said, “You risked your life for me. I reward people for their loyalty.”
Andy’s gaze fell on the money before flickering back to my face. “I don’t need your cash for doing my job, Mr. Rivera.”
“Take the fucking money, Andy. Donate it to charity. Whatever the fuck you want to do, but take it. You went above and beyond, and I thank you.”
After a long while, he reached across the desk and picked up the cash. “Thank you.”
I nodded. “When could your brother start?”
“I’ll call him today. He should be good to go in the next couple of days.”
“Good.” I stood and buttoned my suit jacket.
Andy did the same. “How’s Wren?”
“I’m going to go and see her now.”
