Page 21 of Into the Blue (Shades of Vengeance #1)

“Even with the favor of the law, I’m not superman, dude.” He tries to explain, but I really don’t give a fuck about his excuses.

September in Colorado isn’t half bad. It’s cooler here than it is in Louisiana, but I don’t mind it.

It makes long sleeves more bearable for a trip I didn’t want to take.

Sitting in the shade of his Douglas fir on benches outside of Colton’s home isn’t the worst way to spend my time.

It’s the company that makes it irritating.

The whole point of delegating was so I didn’t have to make trips like these.

I can’t stand to have this uncertainty and have my information be filtered through so many mouths. That trust I had is dwindling by the day. I can’t afford to wait for shit to fuck up before I take action.

This hazel-eyed, military-cut wannabe is a pet project that I have very big plans for.

When I met him, he was doing small business.

Selling to his friends and just outside their circles.

After all, cannabis is legal in Colorado.

All you have to do is present a valid ID and be older than twenty-one to get your hands on it.

His in with me? Selling medical grade at a wholesale price.

I bought out his operation within a week of meeting him randomly on a visit to see my brother.

Is Colton Flagg a good man? No, definitely not.

He knocked up my brother’s best friend and the weekend I met him, he sent one of his guys to pick her up after her car broke down on the side of the road.

One. Of. His. GOONS. Not him. When he wasn’t doing shit besides sitting up at the house.

Sorry absentee dad type of shit. It’s why I feel no ways about using him as a pawn in this setup.

Like I said, I bought him out fairly easily. But I knew he had enough money to at least put the mother of his only child in a decent sedan. The hoopty she was rollin’ in was junkyard fodder long before I saw it.

Could never be me.

But I digress, he is not a good man—which made him the best man to carry out the operation I had him on at present.

It was simple.

No record, easy in to the Colorado Police Department. Kiss enough ass to rise up in the ranks and bam—He’s a sheriff overseeing the safe transport of my green over the state border.

A difficult task because the law is more strict here since there are plenty of people trying to smuggle Colorado’s finest beyond the border.

But using him to crack down on my potential competitors created a wide open market to exploit the arbitrary laws around cannabis, and now mushroom, production to suit my needs in the South, where it suits lawmakers to crack down on these substances.

This had been years in the making all while he tested the limits of his power in moving small shipments to me on different pathways.

It was smooth as the quantity increased and the number of runners we employed increased.

It was large enough that I figured my separation from the Fayes wouldn’t hurt us.

The quality made up for the quantity in the meantime.

Now, I’m looking at the man who assured me that it was no problem to increase this shipment. Yet! A third of the product is gone.

“You told me that it wouldn’t be a problem. Now it is. Think I came here to chat ?”

“I’ve kept my eyes open. It’s not any of my guys. I’ve been watching them all. It’s just gone.”

“You some kind of magician?” I ask.

“N-no,” his hand is on his belt, too damn close to his gun. It makes my men antsy .

“Go ‘head and put your hands where we can see them. I’d hate for a misunderstandin’ to become a different problem entirely.”

His hands raise immediately. “I wasn’t—Look, I’m doing everything that I can.”

“If that were the case, then you’d have a lead on how my shit went missing.”

“I can’t keep an eye on everything when I still have other responsibilities to the county. This only works because I’m respected at my job.”

“A job I provided for you.”

“I know that.” He sighs, scratching the back of his head. “There’s an opportunity that I see coming soon. I could replenish what we lost without raising suspicion. I just need a bit of time.”

I consider his words, my hand resting on my knife. Haven’t had to press him for anything since I’m the reason he’s no longer a low level dealer. He’s only steps away from becoming a quartermaster in this family. That means something. “What makes you think I have time to spare for you?”

“I’ll be able to move three times as much. There will be no eyes on me or anything.”

My eyebrows lift, completely unbelieving but intrigued by the possibility. “Three times as much?”

“Yes, I’ll move as much more. My guys will do what we need to.”

“How much time are we talkin’ ‘bout?”

“December. Christmas time. They hold a retreat and I can play my part to get that in the works. If I’m controlling the planning of it, then I can make sure they’re out of the way.”

I scratch my beard, considering again. “Don’t like the risk you’re takin’. I’m gonna have some of my own men on it.”

“Of course. I could show them—”

Holding up a hand, so he’ll stop talking, I inform him, “No, you’ll leave transportin’ to them. If you’re clearin’ the way then they’ll just need to drive the routes.”

“But— ”

Shaking my head, locs flop into my face and I pull them back. “Nah. I’m still missin’ part of what I’m owed already. Haven’t ruled you out as a suspect yet.”

Under his breath, Colton murmurs, “You’re not the only one taking advantage of this opportunity.”

“What was that?” I sneer, not liking how he won’t speak up when saying something that will piss me off.

“Competition is high,” he says more firmly.

My knife is out and my men are close behind me. The blade is exposed, even as my hand remains at my side. “Is that a threat?”

“Not me. Never me. But you know, I worked with the Fayes on many occasions. Knew those guys. They can’t be happy about the ties being cut.”

I nod once and my men are at Colton’s sides. “You think for one second, that I give two fucks about what you or any of them think about the decisions I made for this family?”

“No, but—”

“No, period.” My knife is poised right under his ribs.

He wears no protection under his uniform, and that was a mistake on his part.

One to add to a long list of them, I’m sure.

“End of the sentence and the discussion. You sympathize with a Faye more than the Duponts losing product, such as yourself?”

Quickly, his head moves side to side before he rushes out, “Christmas, I’ll get everything exactly where it should be.”

“You will, I’ll make sure of it.” A final nod to my men and they escort Colton out of my sight.

“Hello?”

I look down at my phone to make sure I called the right number. Three diamond emojis tell me that I did call the right person. Putting the phone back to my ear I say, “Damn. Didn’t save my number?”

“Don’t take it personal. I don’t save anyone’s number.

” Her sharp tone is a welcome one. I was hoping that she wouldn’t be upset when I was gone.

Leaving her in the house by herself with strict directives to my men to not let her go anywhere without me, would be irritating to anyone.

But she hasn’t complained about it. Just her usual little attitude.

“Oh.” I lie back on the pillows. “I’m just anybody?”

The smile in her voice is evident. That makes me feel less irritated about not being there with her right now.

I didn’t feel suffocated or crowded like I thought I might with a woman staying with me.

Can’t even lie and say that it was a temporary thing when I moved all her shit in. What little it was.

I have no plans at all to move any of it out.

Or to let her leave.

At some point she’ll be healed enough to get back to Off Topz.

Am I going to be able to be okay with her at risk in my club again?

The number of bodies I’m accumulating on her behalf is bound to grow when she does. I need to find a better way to deal with all this. Because if anyone even thinks of hurting her again, I’m past the point of talking it out.

“If I had a list, you’d be somewhere near the top of it.”

“Yea?” I question and she makes a noise of agreement on the line. “What number?” I light the blunt I rolled earlier and start blowing it out the window while I wait for whatever she’ll say next.

There’s silence for a bit then, “Four.”

Despite the shitty rating, I laugh. No one would be so brazen with me. I’ve never met a woman who was—outside of Steph and to me, she barely counts. “What would change that?”

Even on the phone, her voice is sultry, wrapping around me like an embrace. “I don’t know. You have a habit of leaving me high and dry when I wanna get off…”

I run a hand through my locs. “Fuck, that’s my bad.

” I never apologize for business decisions.

I never had to. It was not something that ever came up.

Racquelle is making me see things completely different.

I had fucked up in leaving without telling her.

Even more because I said I’d finish her later. “Let me make it up to you.”

“Mmmh,” there’s rustling on the other side of this conversation and I wonder if she’s in my bed.

I had been sleeping in the guest room before I left.

I didn’t want to hurt her somehow while I was sleeping.

That would be changing as soon as I got back in town though. “How are you gonna make it up to me?”

I guess it’s the obsession playing up, making my dick hard as fuck just listening to her talk on the phone. “What you got on?”

“The sheets.”