Page 5 of The Most Wanted (The Kinky Bank Robbers #4)

“High-definition shit,” Herk said. “Other guys have my hair, but nobody has my tattoo. You ever see it?”

Zeus had, but Odin and I hadn’t.

Herk pulled off his jacket and dress shirt and rolled up the sleeve of his white T-shirt to reveal a magnificent and massive firebird tattoo, wild with reds, yellows, oranges, and fury. The thing took up most of his upper arm, bright and gorgeous across his skin.

Odin whistled. “That’s some distinctive work.”

“Oh, it’s distinctive,” Herk said. “Nobody else has this. Which means somebody took a photo of it and re-created it and wore a wig. Did an amazing job of framing me.”

“You got an alibi?” Zeus asked.

Herk shook his head. “I was staking out a job with one of my guys at the time. Does me no good.”

“Your guy can’t tell Galvano that?” I asked.

“My guys would die for me,” Herk grumbled. “You think they wouldn’t lie for me? The old man knows it.”

“Don Galvano has cops on the payroll,” Zeus said. “Did they lift any prints?”

“Nah. Driver was wearing gloves in the shots, anyway,” Herk said, putting his outfit back to rights.

“So somebody was trying to ruin your relationship,” I said.

“Somebody did ruin it. Presented with fucking photographic evidence that makes it look like I took a joyride in her dad’s Corvette?

Making me look like I crashed it and lied?

She wants to believe me, she mostly believes me, but the doubt is there, man.

I see it in her eyes, and it’s killing everything about us.

I vowed to her I’d prove it wasn’t me. I thought I had time…

” His nostrils expanded as he huffed out a breath.

He strode over to the window. “Now I find out her fucking dad’s sending her for two years to Oxford—only way he’ll pay for her college is if she goes. ”

“Oh, no,” I whispered, getting into it.

“She gets on that plane, and we’re done. She says not. But I know it. Don Galvano knows it.”

I nodded. “The doubt is bad. And then being sent overseas…”

“I’m losing her, man. She’s my life. “ His voice cracked. It was wild to see this big, tough man brought so thoroughly to his knees. He loved her. “I just need to stop her from leaving. I need to show her and her father it wasn’t me.”

“You got a sense of who’d do this?” Odin asked. “You know who would frame you?”

“That’s what I’m coming to you for,” Herk said. “I’m hiring you to get me a name. Because me and whoever did this…” He fixed Zeus with a hard look, then he turned it on Odin, then on me, and the air went dead cold— “me and whoever this is, we’ve got issues.”

Issues.

There were a lot of places I didn’t want to be just then—prison. Hell. Strapped into the chair of an insane dentist. Being on the other end of those issues with Herk Washington would definitely rank right up there.

“But you have a guess, a suspicion, enemies that spring to mind,” Odin said, moving around to lean back on the desk, forming a triangle with Zeus and me.

I got the feeling that even the way my guys configured their bodies was carefully calibrated to show that they were enclosing Herk with their strength, but not threatening him.

Watching my guys use their professional acumen was always a thing of beauty. I’d seen it before, when I had been the target of a stalker, and now here it was again.

It gave me chills. Good chills.

“Lotta guys it could be,” Herk said.

Odin eyed him, head tilted in a way that seemed to say, let’s consider this together . “Five? Ten? How many?”

“Guys who’d have it out for me?”

“Yeah, who out there would want to fuck you up in this particular way?” Zeus asked.

“The crime itself tells us a lot. It allows us to rule out everybody who wants to kill you. What does that leave in? Three groups of people. In the first group you got those who have it out for you, but not bad enough to kill you—they just want to make you miserable.” Zeus held up two fingers now.

“Second group—people who have their reasons for not wanting you to get close to Don Galvano, which could include the Don’s own guys.

Third group: people angling to break you and Maria up for reasons of jealousy or otherwise. ”

Odin handed him a pad of legal paper. “Make a list. Anyone in those three groups.”

Herk started writing.

Odin went on to quiz Herk on his knowledge of Don Galvano’s operations.

Did he know the coin laundromat was there?

How well known was it that he had a coin laundromat there?

The whole line of questioning seemed odd.

Personally, I was wondering why Galvano had a coin laundromat at all, or why that laundromat would have a camera pointed to the traffic in front of it…

but then I realized I probably didn’t want to know.

“We’ll need to see all the footage,” Odin said. “Who has it?”

“Galvano. ”

“What’s your status with him?” Zeus asked. “Does he know you’re having this looked into? You think he’ll let us have copies?”

“I don’t know. He’s pissed. And more secretive than ever, due to…new organizational realities. “

My guys nodded, like that was all really clear.

Herk scribbled down a few more names and looked up.

“Fuck, man, you wouldn’t catch me dead driving a Corvette.

Please. But can I say that? No.” He scribbled down another name.

“Whoever did this, they’re gonna wish they killed me.

” He tapped his pen on the pad. “All eight James brothers are pissed at me, but not enough to kill me. Do I need to name them separately?”

Odin looked over his shoulder. “Just write James brothers. What’s your beef with them?”

“Disputed territory shit. They wouldn’t like the idea of the alliance, my people with Galvano in the background.”

Odin asked, “Who’s Nico Piazolla?”

“Maria’s old boyfriend. He was pissed when we started things up. I could see him behind this. And my old corner guy Henry—right here—he did a two-year bid off beating a guy on one of my corners. I hear he thinks I didn’t do enough witness intimidation on his behalf. I could see him behind this.”

Herk went on and on. The list was like twenty names long—more if you considered that some of the names were groups, like the James Gang, as I preferred to call them.

“That’s a lot of enemies,” Zeus said.

“Fuck it,” Herk said. “Shows you’re doing something right as far as I’m concerned.”

“We’ll analyze that footage. That’s where we start,” Odin said.

“You sure you need the footage?” Herk asked.

“It’s the only known footage of the person impersonating you—in high definition,” Zeus said. “We definitely need it.”

“So what if I say I don’t think he’d give up the footage? Is that a deal breaker?”

“You fucking-g insult us, Herk,” Odin said. “A thing we need is behind lock and key.” Odin turned to Zeus. “Zeus, a thing we want and need is behind lock and key. What do we do about that? How will we ever get it?”

“Hmm,” Zeus said. “If only we had skills in that area.”

“Hold on—fuck—” Herk said. “I don’t want you robbing him.”

“You want your mystery solved or not?” Odin asked. “You hire the badass bank robbers, you get the badass bank robbers.”

“I’m not sending three guys with AKs to do a violent takeover of the Don’s house. I’m in deep enough shit with him here.”

“Now you’re being insulting,” Zeus said. “Violent takeovers aren’t our only move. It’s just the one that gets on the news the most.”

“ Fucking-g news is so sensationalized,” Odin said. “Such bullshit.”

“I don’t want you breaking in quietly either,” Herk growled. “The whole point is to repair our relationship. Jesus.”

Thor walked in just then, still in his scrub pants, blond hair tied back in a short ponytail. He slung his satchel off his shoulder and onto the desk. “You guys started without me?” He headed to Herk, hand outstretched. “How’s it going, man?”

“Thor.” Herk took his hand and they shook.

Thor smiled. “Alexander Hamilton, huh?”

Herk snorted. “That’s what you get for asking. Thanks again for Ethan.”

“He using that shot arm okay?”

“Good as new,” Herk said. I realized that Thor must have treated one of Herk’s guys. Thor sometimes had gunshot victims coming his way.

Zeus turned to Herk. “We need that footage from the Don. One way or another.”

Herk frowned, rocking slightly. Not quite a nod. “Fine. I’ll tell him you’re coming. You’re going to have to be cool with him, though. Repairing bridges here. Not burning them.”

Zeus nodded. “Don’t worry, we know how to talk to this guy. Go ahead and give him a call. Tell him we’re coming. He probably has his car out for work somewhere, and we need to get to it before the forensic evidence gets fucked up. Which it already will be, but we can maybe get something.”

Zeus led him into the back office.

“What’d I miss?” Thor asked, bending over to kiss me.

There was a glint in Odin’s eyes. “Isis wants us to fuck her in front of a stranger.”

“Stop it!” I said. “Don’t talk about that anymore. It flips Zeus out too much.”

“Ooh, Ice.” Thor went over to where my legs still rested atop the desk and laid a hand on one bare calf. “What about Herk?”

“Is Herk short for Hercules?”

“Probaby. You want us to fuck you in front of him?” Thor asked.

“Are you insane?” I exclaimed. “He’s a client. And a dangerous drug lord!”

Odin snorted and came around to my other side. “It would take a lot more than a dangerous drug lord to keep us from getting it up for you, goddess.”

“You have to stop this whole watching thing. Zeus hates it.”

“Zeus is being fucking-g inflexible,” Odin said. “It’s not as if we’re inviting another man to fuck you.”

“Zeus isn’t into it?” Thor seemed surprised by this.

“He’s forbidden it. ”

Thor straightened. “What the fuck?”

“You have to respect that,” I said.

“Yeah, well, Zeus didn’t want you in the gang in the first place,” Thor said. “Maybe he needs a little prodding.”

“He’s serious,” I said.

“What if we tied Herk up?” Odin suggested. “He thinks you’re hot. And he would be watching, wishing it was him.”

“He’s our first client,” I said. “We can’t tie him up and have sex in front of him. That’s not how a private investigation firm is supposed to work. Plus he loves Maria.”

Thor pulled the elastic band from his ponytail and shook out his hair, looking every inch the hot Swedish soccer player. Or maybe tennis player. Not a bad dilemma to have. “We can do anything we want. That’s one of the fringe benefits of being outlaws.”

“What do you say, goddess?” Odin said.

“Let me think about this a sec. Do I want you to tie Herk up and fuck me in front of him, thereby losing our first client and angering Zeus, not to mention Herk himself? Um…” I put my finger prettily to my cheek. “ NO! ”

“Not your type,” Odin said. “That’s the problem, isn’t it?” He ran his finger up the inner part of my thigh, creating an invisible line of sensation that got me a little hot.

Thor grinned. “You have a type for watching? This is getting interesting.”

“No,” I said.

“Yes she does,” Odin said.

I sniffed.

“I bet you’d like him tied up,” Odin said, trailing his finger back down toward my knee. My mouth went dry—he always knew exactly how to touch me. “Whoever watches, you’d want him tied up. Reluctant. Chafing at his restraints. Right? ”

A warm, delicious feeling bloomed in my belly. “Subject closed.”

“Yes or no?” Odin said, sliding his finger back up again, up under my skirt this time.

I shoved back, took my legs off the desk, and stood to face him, planting a finger in the middle of his chest. “A, Herk is right in the other room, so shut it. And B, a kink is only fun if all parties involved are into it.”

“Let’s not get extreme, goddess,” Odin said.

Thor smirked.

Herk and Zeus came back out just then. I shot Odin and Thor warning looks as Zeus and Herk shook hands.

Zeus had been getting more intense and possessive lately—couldn’t they see that? It was wrong to push him and goad him.

Zeus turned to us once Herk was out the door. “You up to speed, Thor?”

Thor smiled. “Certainly am.”

“Come on,” Zeus said. “Don Galvano’s expecting us in an hour.”