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Sharp – Four weeks later

I t took a month before he felt back to his normal strength. Sharp still got twinges of pain, but he didn’t need to hug the teddy bear when he coughed. His hair was growing, and his beard was formed but short. Sharp wanted it to grow longer. It amused him that while the hair on his head was white, his beard was dark brown; that was why Sharp been clean-shaven before, because he looked odd.

Sharp and Anderson had been living in Hot Springs. They’d been able to blend in with the residents without much notice. Anderson had been taking a long daily journey to work until Sharp told him to return home. He was fit enough to care for himself now. Anderson had hesitated, but Sharp pointed out that Anderson’s actions were going to raise questions.

Three weeks after he had been shot, Sharp finally got his brother to leave him.

Once alone, Sharp joined a gym and began working on his fitness. He’d lost weight and felt as weak as a kitten. Sharp needed to build his strength back up. Meanwhile, he was searching for an in with Santos. From everything he was reading, Sharp had decided to aim for Romeo and not his father, Miguel.

Sharp could already see the writing on the wall. Romeo would make a move on his dad sooner or later and dispose of Miguel. Being on Miguel’s team wouldn’t assist Sharp in his mission. He began making several plans on to how to pierce Romeo’s inner circle. And with Rage on the line, Sharp didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. Still, he’d need Anderson’s help, and Sharp also needed to be one hundred per cent fit.

Sharp - six weeks later

Sharp ordered a beer, took a stool in a bar in Hermosa, and kept an eye around him. Investigations had led Anderson to believe that one of Romeo’s lieutenants would be present tonight. If they came, they’d be getting a beatdown. All part of the plan.

With his back to the wall and sitting sipping a beer at the bar, Sharp was alert .

Half an hour after he arrived, he spotted the asshole entering. He had someone with him, supposedly a bodyguard. That was a shame because he’d also get beaten.

Bingo. Sharp sent a text confirming eyes on the target and waited.

Toxic, as the idiot’s name was, ran dealers around this part of South Dakota. Sharp studied him and shook his head mentally. What a little prick. Toxic swaggered in here, acting like he was someone he wasn’t. He wasn’t a tall guy and rather thin, but he gave off an aura of power. The cocky, smug look on his face made Sharp want to smash it off. The guy with him acting like some sort of hard man was equally a joke.

Sharp waited as they downed a couple of beers before Toxic looked at his watch. Sharp and Anderson had watched this target for four weeks and knew his routine. He would leave here at seven-forty-five. From the bar, he’d cross to a local park where his car was parked. Once there, he’d wait for his six primary dealers to bring their week’s earnings. Those would appear in labelled bags. When collected, Toxic would go to a counting house and the money was checked and laundered. From there Toxic would report back to Santos.

Except tonight was going to be different.

Sharp hugged the shadows, watching as the drop-offs went as planned. Once they were placed in the trunk of the car, four men crept out and attacked Toxic and the weak-ass bodyguard. Toxic immediately tried to fight back but was heavily punished by those attacking.

Two guys grabbed the bags and ran while the bodyguard had been downed with one punch. The remaining two guys kept beating the shit out of Toxic and his guard.

Finally, Sharp stepped out from the shadows, shouted, and began running towards the attack. The attackers looked up as Sharp launched at them and swapped a few punches. When Sharp pulled a knife, they ran off.

“Fuck, you want me to call the cops?” Sharp asked as he put his blade away and reached down for Toxic’s hand.

“Nah,” Toxic choked out. He was curled in a ball and writhing in pain. The attackers had knocked his bodyguard clean out.

“Dude, what about an ambo? Your friend is out cold here,” Sharp persisted.

“No!” Toxic snapped, rolling to his knees and hauling himself up. He leaned on the bumper and peered into the trunk. “Fuck!”

“Want me to put him in there?” Sharp asked, and Toxic slumped back against the vehicle. “Whatever you was doing weren’t exactly legal, and I ain’t hanging around.”

“Yeah. Get him in. You’re carrying,” Toxic said, his eyes narrowed at Sharp’s waist.

“What makes you say that?” Sharp sneered as he lifted the piece of shit bodyguard and dumped him inside the car .

“Dude, I’ll give you one hundred bucks to drive and ask no questions,” Toxic hissed as he tried to get to his feet.

Sharp gave off the illusion of hesitating.

“Two hundred.” Toxic increased the offer.

“Need help getting in?” Sharp asked.

“Yeah.”

Sharp helped Toxic into a seat and climbed into the driver’s side. Sirens wailed in the distance.

“Get us the fuck out of here,” Toxic ordered.

Sharp nodded and pulled out just as sirens rounded the corner, then he hit the accelerator and sped off.

A black and white dropped in behind them, and Sharp looked in the mirror.

“Hang on,” he stated and floored it. He weaved in and out of traffic as the cops fell behind, and finally, he drove into an alley and killed the lights. Seconds later, the cops flew past him, and Sharp smirked.

“Nice driving,” Toxic murmured.

“Where we heading?” Sharp asked, not acknowledging Toxic’s comment.

Toxic rattled off an address, and Sharp pulled out and headed there.

“You’re gonna need a doc.”

“That’s where you are taking me,” Toxic replied. “What’s your story?”

“Don’t have one.”

“Bullshit, every fucker has a story. You’re carrying and didn’t want to get stopped by the pigs. Who the hell are you?” Toxic demanded.

“I don’t know you, man. Take the help and keep your mouth shut,” Sharp retorted.

“You any idea who I am?” Toxic hissed.

Sharp barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “No, and I don’t care. This is the shit I get for being a good Samaritan. Fuck me, next time I’ll carry on walking.”

Toxic growled low under his breath in pain. Sharp hoped the arrogant bastard was in a world of pain. The bodyguard was still out.

“You looking for work?” Toxic asked.

“Dude, shut up. We ain’t buds, I don’t know you. For all I know, you’re a fuckin’ cop, and this is a set-up. Fuck, I should have kept going.”

Sharp saw Toxic send him a considering glance before he winced in pain. Sharp’s reluctance was doing exactly what he wanted. Toxic was interested. As they pulled up outside the building Toxic had directed him to, Sharp parked and looked over his shoulder.

“We’re here, dude,” Sharp said.

“Can you help me in?” Toxic gasped.

“Sure.” Sharp helped him out of the car and knocked.

A man instantly opened it, and Sharp handed Toxic over.

“Here, your money,” Toxic slurred.

“Keep it,” Sharp replied and began walking off into the night.

“What’s your name?” Toxic yelled.

“What do you think this was? A fuckin’ date?” Sharp snapped and disappeared around the corner .

He walked for a while, checking he wasn’t being followed, before texting Anderson to pick him up.

“How did it go?” Anderson asked.

“The bodyguard is still out of it. Your guys got a bit too enthusiastic. Toxic doesn’t seem bothered about losing the money, which rings bells. Why ain’t he?”

“Fucker should be, we took fifty k off him. Romeo won’t be too happy about losing that, and neither will his father. Miguel will filter punishment through to his son, who’ll pass it down. Toxic should be shitting himself,” Anderson mused.

“Either Romeo isn’t the threat we assumed, or Toxic has a good reason to be safe,” Sharp said.

“We’ll find out in a couple of days,” Anderson replied.

◆◆◆

They certainly did.

A week later, Sharp heard that Toxic had fingered one of Bulldog’s last men as the thief. Naturally, he wasn’t, but it warned Sharp that Toxic wasn’t stupid like he’d thought. Behind the false swagger was a brain.

“Clever,” Sharp said to his brother.

“Very. With Michaelson making sure Bulldog’s crew disappear, Santos’s will never reach the culprit in time. In fact, it’s rumoured that Rage caught up with Bulldog. They’ll not get that fifty k back, but they won’t search for someone because of Toxic fingering the ex-Rage members. After the show of force Rage just made, nobody’s going to fuck with them for a while,” Anderson said.

“Careful, brother, it sounds almost like admiration,” Sharp commented, amused.

“Got to give it to your pres, he knows how to hide bodies and clean up a mess. We’ve not got anything on him,” Anderson replied.

“You never will because there’s nothing to be found,” Sharp denied, and Anderson snorted in decision. Yeah, Sharp wouldn’t out Drake for anything.

◆◆◆

Sharp walked into a bar and surveyed his surroundings before ordering a beer and putting himself in a corner table. He glanced at his phone and peered around the room. People avoided his gaze as they did in shitholes like this.

Shit, even touching the glass made Sharp wanna run for a shower. The place was filthy, but there was a reason he was here.

Eyes narrowed on him, and Sharp sensed it. He ducked his head and pretended to be tapping on his phone.

The scrape of a chair alerted him that someone was sitting down opposite him.

“You got three seconds before I put a hole in your gut and walk out,” Sharp warned.

“No way to greet an old friend,” Toxic replied, leaning back. “Be pointless if you shot me now after saving me.”

“We ain’t friends,” Sharp said and tapped his phone once more before putting it face down. He’d scrub that fucker with a wet wipe before it got anywhere near his ear.

“We’re something, homie,” Toxic responded.

“Not your homie, either. What do you want?” Sharp asked.

“You saved my life,” Toxic stated.

“That’s a matter of opinion.”

“Fuck me, talking to you is worse than the fuckin’ dentist. You left without taking the money.”

“Yeah?”

“You looking for work?” Toxic questioned.

“Dude, you don’t know me from Adam, but you’re here offering me a job,” Sharp said with a short bark of laughter.

Toxic nodded. “Because you’re a man I need. You stepped up to four attackers without a second thought. Kicked two of their asses. You put a stranger in a car, and drove him to a backstreet doc, and disappeared. I’ve had men out looking for you and you’re a ghost. And you are someone I want on my team,” Toxic said.

“Doing what?” Sharp asked.

“Need a bodyguard. My last one… he wasn’t so good. He got me jumped and lost me fifty k. My boss wasn’t happy, especially when we know we ain’t got a hope in hell of getting that back,” Toxic stated.

“And now he is fertilising a field somewhere and pushing up daisies,” Sharp replied, and Toxic laughed.

“He’s taking forced retirement,” Toxic announced .

“I ain’t cheap. And I’m between jobs, so may be open to an offer, but don’t fuckin’ insult me,” Sharp said.

Toxic’s eyes narrowed. Sharp wondered what he was thinking.

“I want a bodyguard, you’ve got the skills,” Toxic mused.

“Yeah. There’s a reason I’m called Sharp. You might get to witness it someday. Tell ya now, I do not work on a percentage, I don’t accept drugs, booze, or women as payment. I ain’t your servant, you don’t tell me to fetch and carry. If I am doing that, I’m distracted, and you take a bullet.

“If you have got assholes working for you, they watch their mouth, or I’ll break their bones. I don’t know what quality you’ve employed before, but I don’t accept shit. Disrespect me, I’m gone. I’m aware of my value and won’t take a cent less. I’m also not your personal assassin. Now, if you can work with me, here’re my digits. It’s good for twenty-four hours, and then the line goes dead. You don’t get a second chance,” Sharp said and wrote his number on a napkin and handed it over.

Toxic studied it as Sharp got to his feet. “See ya around.”

Sharp left and headed for his truck. It was five years old and looked immaculate, all part of his image. He knew Toxic was watching him closely. In a couple of hours, Toxic was going to get a beatdown again. Sharp would receive a call by the morning .

Sharp - two weeks later

Sharp’s fist hit the little punk hard and knocked him to his knees. Blood streaming from his nose and bust lip, the fool looked up at Sharp.

“Back the fuck off,” Sharp warned.

Toxic raised an eyebrow and turned to the worm on the floor.

“Drix, you shouldn’t have gone for me,” Toxic tutted as he strutted forward. “Sharp here doesn’t like threats.”

“Toxic, you got to—”

“I don’t gotta do shit. You’re five k short, where’s the fuckin’ money or drugs?” Toxic demanded.

The strung-out smackhead snivelled, “It’s not my fault—”

“I want the money or the drugs,” Toxic ordered.

Sharp barely held a snort in. With Sharp at his back, Toxic was a strutting peacock.

“I don’t have either,” Drix replied.

“Then your sister will be working to get me the cash,” Toxic sneered and pulled a gun. Before Drix could react, he put a bullet in the fool’s brain. He glanced across at Sharp, who shrugged.

“You better call clean up, that ain’t my job,” Sharp said. His mind was racing. There was a girl in danger. Sharp had to get Anderson to find and move her before she was forced into prostitution.

“That’s why I like you,” Toxic stated. “I’ll send the guys round to collect his sister. She’s a tasty piece, stuck up, but she won’t be for long. Once she’s had a few cocks shoved in her mouth and up her ass, her attitude will soon change.”

Sharp gritted his teeth. He wanted to punch this fucker out but refrained from blowing his stack. This was his in to Santos, and then from Santos, it was the mysterious Manticore group.

Sharp had a target and needed to keep it in mind. Meanwhile, Anderson had a victim to save. In front of Toxic, Sharp texted his brother. Toxic didn’t even bother asking what Sharp was doing. He was a fucking idiot, despite his intelligence.

Sharp - six months later

“Don’t give a shit who you are, I pat you down, or you don’t come in,” Sharp growled at a guy trying to enter the room Toxic was in.

“Step aside now, asshole,” the prick retorted.

Sharp grinned. “Ain’t happening. The boss is busy.”

“Getting blown? Get the fuck out of my way,” the idiot snapped and tried to barge past.

Sharp grabbed his arm, elbowed his face and then, twisting his arm upwards and outwards, forced him to his knees.

“Get the fuck off me! You just signed your death sentence! ”

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Sharp sneered and yanked on the arm, making the guy yell in pain.

“Let Jackson go, please, Mr Sharp,” a smooth voice said, and Sharp turned around.

And there he was, Romeo Santos in the flesh.

“Why?” Sharp shot back.

Romeo snorted. “Because I asked nicely, and I employ you.”

“Nope, pretty sure I work for the man in there,” Sharp replied, playing dumb.

“And he works for me. Now I’d rather not have a bullet put into your brain, and not here, it would be so messy, so step aside,” Romeo ordered.

Sharp pretended to consider it, and then, with a final wrench on his captive’s arm, Sharp stepped away and let go.

“Thank you, Mr Sharp,” Romeo added.

“It’s just Sharp.”

“A mister makes everything much nicer and politer. Accept it,” Romeo demanded as the bodyguard got to his feet and began to step up to Sharp.

Sharp refused to back down and held his ground, glowering at the guy squaring up to him.

“Jackson, don’t be tedious. I warned you that you were becoming overconfident and cocky. Return to the car and wait for me there. We need to discuss this behaviour,” Romeo chided, and Sharp found himself entertained.

Jackson gave Sharp a dirty look and disappeared. Another man took his place. “I assume you don’t mind if we enter now?” Romeo asked .

“I’ll check,” Sharp said, and Romeo looked a mix between amused and angry.

Sharp knocked and waited. When Toxic called out, Sharp cracked the door. “There’s a guy who says he’s your boss here.”

“Romeo?” Toxic mumbled, sitting up and shoving the woman off that was giving him head. He zipped his pants and told her to leave.

She scrambled away and walked past Sharp as he opened the door.

Romeo entered. “This is where you’ve been skulking, Toxic,” Romeo said, sitting and adjusting his dress pants.

“I ain’t been hiding, Romeo, why would I be?” Toxic blurted, and Sharp swallowed a laugh.

Toxic was. He’d lost a shipment of drugs and had been trying to track it. Sharp knew Anderson had snatched it on his intel because shit wasn’t moving fast enough.

“I think we know why. That was worth one hundred K. How you gonna pay for it?” Romeo asked, flicking away an imaginary speck of lint.

“You can keep my cut from the next few until you’ve recouped the money,” Toxic said. Sharp noticed the sweat beading on his forehead.

“That will take a while. But this isn’t the only shipment vanishing in six months, is it?” Romeo stated.

“You know I’m your main man! The first one those Rage assholes took, and the second I shot the dealer over. I was gonna pimp his sister to earn the five k, and she was gone!”

“One mistake I forgive, two I ask questions, three, there’s no coming back from,” Romeo declared.

“This is me! I’ll get your cash. Fuck, I’m your boy, you know that,” Toxic cried, jumping to his feet.

“You’re someone who’s cost me a lot of money. And we’re not friends, Toxic, did you forget that?” Romeo asked and swiftly pulled a gun, and before anyone could act, shot Toxic.

Sharp didn’t watch the body fall, instead, he whipped his own weapon out and aimed at Romeo.

“Shoot me, and he dies too,” he warned the second bodyguard, who was just beginning to draw.

Romeo laughed. “You’re fast.”

“Ain’t been around as long as I have and not learned shit. This is one witness you ain’t killing,” Sharp stated.

“No tears for Toxic?” Romeo asked.

“As you said, he wasn’t my friend. He is someone I worked for. While Toxic was alive, I was loyal. He’s now dead. I’m looking for a new boss,” Sharp answered.

“Come, Mr Sharp. We’ve business to discuss,” Romeo replied and began walking out.

Sharp watched the bodyguard let go of his weapon, and then Sharp followed them out.

Looked like he finally had his in.