Page 28 of My End

Just a bunch of dirty bikers?

Boone and Gibbs were the real filth. Every word that came out of their mouths made it clearer. They were playing a long game, and it was bigger than just the club. Bigger than me, or Tilly, or whatever twisted plan they had for Russ.

Gibbs leaned back and swirled the last sip of his wine. “What are you thinking?”

Boone drummed his fingers against the table, and his eyes narrowed. “I need to reach out to a few associates. This is getting harder and harder to keep quiet. If Russ had just fucking folded when we wanted him to, we would have taken down the club, you would be getting all the praise, and you’d be getting ready to take office.”

Office. Of course.

This wasn’t about pride.

It was about power.

Gibbs nodded like he could already see the campaign posters.

“Yeah, but then his fucking daughter fucked everything up by befriending the club.”

Dove.

“Because you can never trust a woman,” Boone sighed.

Gibbs smirked. “What about Tilly?”

Boone waved a dismissive hand. “Tilly has her head buried in her paintings. She wouldn’t know the sky was falling unless it was streaked across her canvas. She’s nothing to worry about. Clueless as they come.”

He downed the last of his drink and stood. Gibbs followed.

“Let’s go to my office. The good scotch is in there.”

I moved to follow a few steps behind, but Mick caught my arm at the doorway.

“Go eat,” he said. “I’ll stay with them.”

I wanted to shove past him. I wanted to hear what else they were planning. Wanted to see if their arrogance would slip and spill more than they should.

But I just nodded. “Sounds good.”

Act like the help. Disinterested. Uninvolved.

Just a guard doing his job.

I turned and walked down the hallway toward the kitchen.

The second I rounded the corner, I let the mask slip.

Boone and Gibbs thought they were pulling strings in secret and thought their plans were safe behind velvet walls and security cameras, but now they weren’t.

I was inside the walls, and I was going to make sure every single word they spoke came back to the club.

Let Boone keep underestimating Tilly. Let him think she was too dreamy to see the storm brewing in her own damn house.

He was going to find out how wrong he was.

And I couldn’t wait to be there when he did.

Chapter Twelve

Tilly