Page 12 of Up in a Blaze (Polished P & P #4)

CHAPTER TWELVE

BLAZE

I t was a week later when my phone rang. I glanced from the computer down to the screen and quickly hit Accept, then placed it on speaker. “About damn time you got back to me.”

“Hey, dickhead. Good to hear from you too. I can’t drop everything just to have a chat.”

Max Garcia, also known as Malice, was the only man outside of Henri and the club who I trusted. After all, he was the one I’d sold my business to. He also ran one of the biggest mafia organizations in North America who traded in not only organs but guns and drugs too.

The door to the office opened, and I glanced back to see Henri stroll in. I glanced at the time on my screen and silently cursed. His shift had ended.

“Need some information.”

The smartass replied, “Usually, you play with me a little before jumping right to business.”

Tech shot me a look.

I scowled at him as I heard Henri suck in a sharp breath.

“Haven’t got time to play, Malice. This is important.”

“Play?” Henri snarled. He stomped close, planted his hands on his hips, and glared at me.

“What type of playing is this?” In French, he blasted, “You told me he was nothing to you. Did you lie, my love? I swear, if you lied to me, I will have your balls and not in a pleasant way. You will feel pain like none before, and I will withhold my body from you too. So please tell me, my beast, did you lie?”

A chuckle swept through the phone before Malice hummed low. “Sounds like you’re getting a good scolding, Blaze. Would this happen to be the famous lover of yours?”

“That’s him,” I said, smirking at Henri, whose mouth had dropped open.

Malice snorted. “No wonder you gave up everything. He has the fire you need to keep you warm.”

“Can you not talk about him?” I didn’t like Malice knowing too much. I hadn’t even given him Henri’s name.

There was another deep chuckle. “I won’t speak of him again. But I will tell you that if you need information from me, I want something from you.”

Shit.

“He will not do anything for your business,” Henri said, stepping closer.

Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose and glared at a smirking Tech.

Malice laughed again. “He is as protective as you are, Blaze. That’s good for you. Will your lover allow some computer advice?”

“What type of advice?” I asked.

“I need you to find a couple of people who are being difficult to locate.”

Henri’s hand slipped to the back of my neck.

I knew exactly what he would be wondering.

If the people Malice were after were good or bad.

Usually, I wouldn’t care, and I would do what I had to so I could have the information I needed.

However, my life was different, and that was for the better.

Which meant I didn’t want to step back into any type of involvement in Malice’s world.

Still, if I refused, would I jeopardize the information I had to have?

What the hell did I do?

We needed to find out if Malice knew anything.

I suppose I could….

“What about if I find someone else to handle your thing?”

There was silence on the other end.

“Malice?” I called.

“You really want nothing to do with this world?”

“Nothing.”

“Will this person be willing to work with me on more than one occasion?”

“She could for the right price.”

“She? Call me intrigued. Ask her if she will do what you won’t, and if she agrees, only then will I help you.”

“And you call me greedy,” Henri snarkily commented.

Fuck.

“He didn’t mean that, Malice,” I said quickly.

“I only allow so much, Blaze. It’s fine to scold your man, Blaze’s lover, but I won’t be talked to like that. Especially not when it’s your man who called me for a favor in the first fucking place.”

Fear and fury filled me. I knew what Malice was capable of. I’d been there when he’d shot his own brother in the shoulder at the fucking dinner table for not respecting their mother. But I also wouldn’t let anyone talk to Henri like that. “Malice?—”

“Non, mon amour.” He squeezed my neck before running his hand over my shoulders. “Mr. Malice, I must apologize for how I spoke. I will keep my fire for my lover only,” Henri offered.

“Fucking hell, no wonder you got Blaze wrapped around your finger with that sugar-sweet tone. Bet it gets you outta a lot of shit.”

I glanced up at Henri, who smirked. “I am but an innocent angel.”

Malice guffawed. “Fuck off you are. Blaze, get back to me, and this time, I’ll take your call.” He hung up, and I swung my chair around to Henri.

Tech, with horror in his tone, said, “That was Malice. As in the North America mafia boss?”

“That’s him.”

Tech cursed and scrubbed a hand over his face.

Henri slid his ass on to my knee and hugged me close. “Sorry, mon amour. My mouth gets away from me sometimes.”

“Lucky I love your mouth,” I told him.

He leaned against me and kissed my chin. “It is very lucky.”

“Can we stop with that type of talkin’ and go back to how you know Malice? Shit, I should tell Country, right?”

“Your prez already knows I know him,” I told Tech, curling an arm around Henri’s waist. “Malice is the one I sold my business to.”

Tech opened his mouth, closed it, and nodded. He sighed. “Makes sense.”

Picking up my phone, I dialed in a number. “This won’t take long,” I told them.

It rang a few times before she answered, “Why, if it isn’t my sweet sugar daddy. What are you doing calling me this late? I’m surprised with your age, you’re not tucked up in bed. I can join you if you’re lonely.”

While Tech choked and quickly moved away to cover his laugh, Henri stood, faced me, and waved a hand at the phone with a glare.

“Gwen, please say I’m not actually your sugar daddy and that you call everyone a pet name before I get killed.

” Like Malice was the only guy I trusted, Gwendolyn McKenna was the only woman I was sure of and could count on.

We’d never met outside of online, but we’d gotten close back in the day when I’d gone to her to teach me more about computers.

I already had some skills, but the rest I learned from her.

Even still, I knew Tech and I could never measure up to what she knew.

“But, Daddy , I only use those names for you.”

“Gwen,” I warned.

There was a tinkle of laughter. “Hello, Henri, it’s a pleasure to see you, you handsome man.”

My gaze snapped to the monitors. “You fuckin’ hacked us. What have I said about that shit?”

“Relax, Daddy. I’ll slip out at the end, and you won’t have even felt me.”

I palmed my face as Tech jumped back into his seat, his fingers at the board as he tried to work out how she got in.

“Naughty, naughty, cutie. You won’t find me.”

“She’s right, Tech. She’s the only one who can manage this shit. She taught me everything I know.”

“I am but the best. Henri, sweetie, I promise your big horndog is just a friend. I only like to mess with the big grump.”

Henri smiled and waved at the screen. “Well, I suppose I can forgive you since it is fun to mess with my Blaze.”

“Oh, my little dandelion. Blaze told me you sounded like heaven, but I didn’t believe him.”

While I cursed, Henri gasped and quickly sat on my lap again. “He’s spoken to you about me?”

Gwen squealed a little, and her voice seemed closer to the receiver than before when she said, “Oh boy has he. Daddy Blaze is like a big huffing dragon, and you’re his treasure.

He’s only threatened me like a million times to not look you up.

Not unless I wanted my fingers and toes removed.

You’re the light in his life. The one?—”

“He knows all this,” I clipped. “Can we get back to business?”

Henri rested against my chest, patting my other thigh. “Oui, mon amour. But I would like Gwen’s number. Chéri, we will be talking more.”

“Yes! Oh, please do. I would love that.” She took a breath. “Okay, sugar daddy, what do you need?”

“I need information from Malice, but he wants me to find some people. I won’t work with him, Gwen. Hoping you will so I can get my information.”

“Is this about the missing men and women you’re investigating?”

“Stop looking through our system,” I warned. “But yeah.”

“Fuck that,” Tech muttered, and he went faster at finding her to cut off her connection.

“Tell your friend to stop, Daddy.”

“Tech—”

“No. This is the club’s system. We’ve got private shit on here. I don’t know this bird, so I don’t trust her.”

“I do,” I simply said, eyeing him.

Tech’s jaw clenched. “Fuck,” he bit out before he sat back.

“Aww, you do love me, Daddy. Thank you. Out of respect to your biker friend, I’m backing out and just connected to your camera.

Whatever I found will stay with me. And, Blaze, if the information you want is for the missing people, then tell Malice I’ll do it, but he’ll be paying top dollar.

And you give him my rules. If he can’t follow them, then I can’t do it. ”

“Understood. I’ll text you his details after I’ve spoken to him.”

“You got it. Later, guys. Henri, speak soon.”

“Au revoir, chéri.” Henri hit the End button.

“How much do you trust her?” Tech asked.

“All the way, brother.”

Tech’s jaw clenched before he took a deep breath and stood. “She better be worth your trust, brother. I’m goin’ to get some food. Call your mafia friend back and let me know what he says.”

“You got it.”

When Tech left, Henri asked, “Do you think he will tell Country about Gwen?”

“He’s loyal to the club, so yeah, he will. But I know he’ll also let Country know I trust Gwen, and that should be enough for the both of them.”

“Look at you growing with your friends.”

I gripped the front of his neck. “Shut up.”

He cackled. I curled my arms around him and picked up my phone again. When I hit Malice’s number, Henri slid from my lap to the floor between my legs.

My gaze flared. He fucking wouldn’t. Not while I was on the damn phone with Malice, of all people.

His fingers went to my button and zipper, and I rested my hand over them and shook my head just as Malice answered. “How’d it go?”

Henri giggled silently and got to his feet to straddle my legs and rest against me.

I should have known he was teasing. Henri wouldn’t do that when he knew this call was important.

“She’s willing to work with you. She charges two thousand an hour.

But you have to follow her rules and let her work remotely.

You don’t get anyone else to find her. She does the job, and all contact stops.

I’ve known her for years and have never seen her face-to-face.

She taught me what I know, so believe me when I say she’ll get what you need. ”

“Fair.”

“I’ll give her your number, and she’ll be in touch.”

“Does she know who I am?”

“She knows fuckin’ everything.”

“All right. What’s the information you need?”

After I explained about what was happening, I asked, “Do you know anything about what’s going on?”

“I’ve heard rumors.”

“I need to know about the rumors you’ve heard.”

“Men and women are being picked up and shipped to Ireland. The Murphy gang has branched out from prostitution to auctioning off their merchandise. I heard they make a lot of money because their product is imported from all over the world.”

The Murphy gang was run by the Irish brothers Finn and Cian. They were ruthless with their businesses, and anyone who stepped in their way was quickly dealt with in the ugliest ways.

“Fuck,” I snarled.

“Did they take someone you know?”

“Someone that’s connected to a motorcycle club.”

Malice snorted. “They’ll be taught a lesson then. Good.”

“We have two ships heading this way. Do you know where they’ll port?”

“That I don’t know. But I’m sure you’ll figure it out. Now, what’s the name of this woman?”

“Gwen. Be nice to her, Malice.”

“I’ll try,” he said before hanging up.

“Mon amour, do you need to speak with the others?”

I ran my hands up his back. “Yeah, firecracker. Sorry, but bed won’t be for a little while.”

He sat up and stretched. “This is important. I can wait.” He kissed my jaw and stood. “You might have to carry me to the car, though.” He walked to the couch and lay down. “Wake me if you need anything.”

Standing, I went to him and crouched at the side, tucking some wild hair behind his ear and tracing a finger over the outer edge. “I won’t be long.”

“Take as long as you need, mon amour.”

“Fuck, I love you.”

He smiled. “Love you always.” He puckered his lips at me. I bent, kissing them before walking out, while texting Gwen, to go find Tech and drag him along to see Country in his office.

At least we knew who was behind this shit.