Page 21 of Stone Cold Bad (Stone Brothers #1)
SEVENTEEN
COLT
A fter the last drop when the jerk on the other end had pushed his gun against my head, I was less than anxious to meet up with their boat. Dark clouds colored the horizon a chalky gray, and the looming storm churned up the sea enough to toss around our thirty foot trawler.
Their boat was an old yacht that had been converted into a much sleeker, faster version of its original self.
We’d been delivering drugs to some wealthy creep who had connections to the gambling casinos down south.
Even though we had no idea where the blow went after it left our hands, the quality and the price of the stuff seemed to indicate that it was going to rich people, people who spent their days trying to figure out how to get more thrills out of life.
I, for one, didn’t care where it ended up as long as we got paid and as long as things went off without a hitch.
Something told me that was no longer possible with the new man in charge.
His black shades were the first thing we saw as he and his two sidekicks climbed up the rope ladder. He had his shoulder holster strapped down tight under his coat.
Hunter moved closer to me. We had our guns tucked under our shirts, ready and loaded, in case this guy had a problem with the cargo or if he just went nuts in general. That seemed highly likely with the way he was grinning at us like the Joker from Batman.
“This motherfucker sure rubs me the wrong way,” Hunter muttered from the side of his mouth. This time Slade came down without being asked. Safety in numbers.
“Gentlemen,” he said as if we were all meeting for a friendly chat, “it looks like Mother Nature is going to be heavy handed today.” He swept his arm around at the ever darkening sky.
“So, without further ado—” He yanked his gun out as if he was pulling out his wallet.
He pointed it at me. “You know my policy. Until everything is counted and tested, I need a sacrificial lamb, and that’s you, Hollywood. ”
My fists tightened but they would be no match for his gun. As badly as I wanted to pull mine, I didn’t like the idea of dying in a bloody gun battle at sea all over a shipment of coke. Especially when now I had someone waiting for me, someone who needed me. Someone who I needed just as badly.
He walked over and pressed the gun to my head. Red hot rage flickered in my brothers’ faces. I shot them a look of warning. This would be a bad fucking time for someone to lose their temper. And, if nothing else, Rincon was always consistent with the quality of the cargo.
We stayed at the stern while Hunter watched the water for other boats.
Slade led the two men to the cargo hold to check the bundles for quantity and quality.
My life was in Rincon’s hands at this point.
Something told me the asshole with his gun to my head wouldn’t hesitate if his partners came up from the hold with bad news.
“Colt Stone,” he said, and I peered sideways at him. “Don’t look so shocked. It was easy to find out who owned this ugly fishing boat. I’ve been asking around about you. They call me Ace. Just to keep things balanced.”
“Why the fuck would you be asking around about me? And who the hell are you asking?”
“Don’t worry, I’ve been in this business long enough to know how to keep things discrete and smooth.
You impress me as the kind of man who keeps his cool when shit is going down.
I need someone like you. Those two clowns I’m traveling with are worthless.
You can make a lot more money on the other side of this drop. I’ll see that you get a better cut.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so. I’m good on this side.”
A short, harsh laugh made the gun barrel bounce against my head. “See, that’s what I like about you, Stone. A bullet is just a few inches from your brain, but you didn’t even hesitate in telling me no. That’s guts.”
Hunter was keeping watch through his spyglass, but I knew his attention kept flicking our direction. This new addition to the job, where my life was on the line with every drop, seemed to be making him reconsider our line of work.
The gun moved against my temple as Ace reached into his pocket for something.
He pulled out a piece of paper. “By the way, I was hanging out at a bar at the marina and saw this on the wall. The ten thousand caught my interest. The reward is just for information leading to the girl. Sounds like some easy money.” He unfolded it.
It was a flyer with Jade’s picture offering a reward for finding her.
I kept up a solid expression even though my heart was thumping hard against my ribs.
“What do you want from me?” I asked coolly.
“Just thought since you live near the marina, you might know the girl. You look like the type of guy who scores pretty well in the chick department.”
“Nope, don’t know her.”
“Just thought I’d ask. Figured it would be a quick ten thousand bucks.” He glanced down at Jade’s picture with a sick grin, and I wanted to rip it from his hands. “Shit, I’d like to hit that, eh? Bet she has a fine little cunt to go with that pretty face.”
My pulse was pounding in my head, and I briefly wondered how fast I could grab his gun and turn it on his ugly motherfucking face.
“I mean ten thousand bucks— she must be quite a fuck.” His dry laugh startled me.
He noticed my sudden tension. “Damn, maybe you’re not as steady and confident as I thought, Stone.
” He looked at the picture and then at the side of my face.
It had been impossible not to react to his comments. Now he sensed something was wrong.
After a long, tense minute, he returned the paper to his pocket. “Knew it was a long shot. But I did hear that you’ve been seen hanging around with a beautiful girl with white blonde hair. Thought maybe she was the girl on the flyer.”
“Told you, I don’t know her.”
Slade and the men returned carrying some of the bundles. I was relieved to see them.
“Are we good to go?” Ace asked.
“Yes, everything’s fine.”
Ace moved his face closer to mine before lowering his gun. “You will let me know if you change your mind about my offer.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
He laughed. It was a harsh, grating sound.
He put the gun back in the holster. I swallowed to relieve the dryness in my throat.
It wasn’t the gun pointed at me that had caused it.
It was the reality that Jade’s picture was everywhere.
It was only a matter of time until some greedy asshole like the one standing on our deck caught sight of her.
I needed to get home and tell Jade what was happening.