Beneath These Lies (Beneath, #5)(67)

“I guess. I mean, it’s just a file. It’s no big deal.”

His lack of remorse would be troubling to his superiors, but it was fine by me.

“Exactly. And you’re getting a decent bonus for your assistance. No harm, no foul.”

Herman nodded. “Right. Exactly.”

“So let’s hear it.”

“Hear it?” he asked.

“The recording.” At his confused expression, I added, “Did you think I’d pay for shit before I heard it? You could be scammin’ me, Herman, although I think you’re too nice a guy to be trying that.”

“I swear I’m not. It’s all here. I thought you’d want to listen to it in private. I mean, this could be big stuff. I don’t recognize the voices, so I’m not much help.”

“We’re listening to it now, and then we’ll both be on with our day.”

“Oh, okay. I guess that’s fine.” He pulled a USB drive out of his pocket. “Do you have a computer?”

Taking it from Herman, I turned to Johnny. He already had the laptop out and open in his hands. I slid the USB drive into place, found the file, and hit PLAY.

Static was all I heard at first, and then a conversation started.

“I told you I’m done.”

“And I told you I’m not. We’ve got at least three or four more runs before I’m going to be ready to call it quits.”

“You’re taking a lot of f*cking chances, Hennessy.”

Well, f*ck. We listened to the end of the recording, even though I didn’t need to hear any more to have my answers.

I held out a hand and Johnny placed an envelope in it.

“For your good work,” I said.

Herman grabbed the envelope and folded it in half before shoving it in his pants pocket. “Guess I’ll be on my way.”

“You do that.”

He left the warehouse, and I waited several long moments before my curse echoed through the room.

Fuck. As much as Hennessy was pissing me the f*ck off right now with his dogged determination to get my woman, I didn’t want this for him. This wasn’t the kind of news I wanted to deliver to any person. It also wasn’t something I was going to keep from him.

“Let’s roll,” I said to Johnny before we turned to leave the warehouse. A shuffling sound caught my attention before we got too far. We both drew our guns in the direction of the noise before taking another step.

“Come out or you’re dead.” My tone was casual, but my words weren’t.

D-Rock materialized from the shadows.

“What the f*ck are you doing back in town?” I demanded, lowering my piece.

He was lucky I didn’t shoot him instead. He was supposed to be laid up in his aunt’s guest room, not allowed to step foot in Louisiana again without my express permission. His recklessness had cost people their lives, and had caused me a huge pain in the ass.

“I needed to talk to you.”

“That’s what phones are for, genius.”

“Nah, man. I needed to get back here. Gotta see my girl.”

“Your girl is done with you. Most women don’t appreciate getting kidnapped and staying kidnapped for a week, and on top of that, they’re not big fans of being rescued by people who aren’t their man.”

“But I—”

“All you did was start a war. You need to get the f*ck out of town before you cause me more trouble. Told you I didn’t want to see your face anytime soon.”

“But Trinity—”

“Is f*cking going to art school, and she doesn’t need a gangbanger like you to f*ck with her life any more than you already have. The girl is bright. She’s going places. You’re not what she needs.”

D-Rock’s face twisted into an ugly scowl. “Ain’t that the pot callin’ the kettle? Fuck, you’re so far up that rich bitch’s ass, you can’t even see that you’re f*ckin’ draggin’ her down like you’re accusing me of doin’ to Trinity.” He laughed bitterly. “You’re a gangbanger and she’s practically f*ckin’ royalty. You’ve got no business touchin’ her, but you don’t seem to get that, do you? What do you think is gonna happen with you two? You’re gonna move into her fancy digs and live happily ever after?”

If my gun were still drawn, I would have been tempted to pull the trigger to shut him up. “None of that shit you spewed is any of your goddamned business, so I suggest you buy yourself a bus ticket and get back to Bumf*ck where I sent you, and wait until you’re called.”

D-Rock’s face twisted with rage. “You don’t get to f*ckin’ tell me what to do. I’m not some punk kid anymore, Rix. I’ve paid my dues. I get a say.”

I stalked toward him. Enough was enough. “You don’t get a say unless I tell you you do. You’re still a punk kid because you can’t make a damn decision without putting what you want first. You need to grow the f*ck up before you get yourself killed. Or before I kill you.”

“Fuck you, Rix.”

Enough of this little f*cker. I closed the distance separating us and grabbed him by the throat, lifted him off his feet, and walked forward until his back slammed into the concrete wall. If my crew didn’t respect me, then they weren’t part of the crew any longer. Because he was a stupid f*ck, I’d given him more chances than he deserved, but this was his last.