Ride Hard (Raven Riders #1)(74)
Dominic’s gaze sliced to Dare, and he repeated the name as if it was something distasteful. The guy might’ve had a few inches on Dare, but Dare sure as shit didn’t scare easily, and he didn’t do intimidated at all. Not the way he’d grown up, and not the way he lived his life now. “I want your word, man to man, in front of all our combined people, that you’ll keep clear of our betting activity in the city,” Dare said.
“Which of your men is in charge of that here?” Dominic asked.
“That’s me,” Ike said, stepping up beside Maverick. Ike Young was pretty well known around the Baltimore underground for sports betting, so no doubt the Iron Cross already had a decent idea who he was. “I’ll do my job and stay out of your business if you give me the same respect.”
The two men eyeballed each other for a long moment, and then Dominic nodded. “You have our agreement. The Iron Cross isn’t interested in making enemies.” An agreement between outlaws might not seem like much, but reputation and your word mattered a f*cking lot if you wanted to get deals done and keep other groups from stabbing you in the back.
“We’re glad to hear it. Then if you have our money, we assume you’d like to inspect the product,” Dare said.
Dominic held out a hand behind him, and one of the other guys slapped a thick envelope into his hand. “It’s the amount we agreed.” Dominic handed the package over, and Dare gave Phoenix a nod. The Road Captain got busy with a crowbar, popping the nailed lids off the crates—two of guns and one of ammo.
Dare then handed the envelope off, letting Phoenix double-check the amount, which should’ve been on the order of about fifteen grand. They could get a couple times retail on the Glocks, but the AKs didn’t go for more than five hundred on the street, and that was on a very good day. They’d been able to get these f*ckers up to four hundred per. Tension hung in the air like a fog as Dominic and two of his men stepped to the crate and withdrew some of the unloaded weapons to inspect them.
“The Glocks are excellent quality. Not much used if ever,” one of Dominic’s men said.
“The AKs are good quality, too. Everything’s in good shape. And the promised ammo is all here,” another man said.
“We’re good,” Phoenix said from behind Dare, who gave a nod to confirm he’d heard.
“The crates are all yours,” Dare said. The man crouching near the ammo gave a nod and began resetting the lids. With a single tilt of his head, Dominic called a few other men forward. Two by two, they carted the crates to their waiting vehicles, packing them away in trunks as everyone watched.
Dominic turned to Dare. “We appreciate your making this happen.”
“We don’t want to make enemies either. With you or anyone in the city. We hope you and your people will take it as the good-faith gesture it is,” Dare said, nailing the guy with a stare. They were so close to being done with this that Dare could nearly taste it.
“We do, though it strikes me that there’s something else you could offer that would achieve that even more,” Dominic said.
Dare didn’t outwardly react as whatever this other shoe was potentially dropped on them. “Can’t imagine why you’d need any more proof than I’ve just given you.”
“Because I’ve got men to take care of, just like you do. And I assume as new friends you’d be willing to help me do that.” One eyebrow raised over Dominic’s lifeless eyes. Inwardly, Dare reveled in the fact that this guy had a f*cking sniper rifle trained on his big white forehead right now and didn’t even know it.
Humoring him, Dare asked, “And what exactly is it you think I could offer that would help?”
“The identity of the men you worked with to take this hardware from the Church Gang in the first place.” Dominic crossed his arms over his chest and looked down his nose, waiting, challenging.
The one thing Dare had no intention of giving. Ever. “That’s a nonstarter, Dominic. You’re not just asking me to give up a business partner, you’re encouraging me to make an enemy. What happened with the Churchmen doesn’t have to have anything to do with you if you don’t let it. Start fresh and let the past lie.”
The tall * shrugged. “We’ll find out with or without you. I was just hoping you’d be smart enough to be on the right side of the decision.”
“Keeping your word to another is always the right decision,” Dare said, taking satisfaction that they apparently didn’t know about Nick’s team yet, which should mean that even if they knew about Haven and the reward, they didn’t know what had happened to the women after the Church Gang lost them. “So we’re done here.”
“Appears that way,” Dominic said with a nod. And then he turned and crossed toward one of the cars, his men falling in line behind him as he passed. They packed back into the Humvees and tore out of the lot, tires squealing against the concrete. And then they were gone.
“Let’s ride,” Dare said, already in motion. “Routes home just like we discussed. No stops, no detours. Anyone gets in trouble or picks up a tail, give the signal.” Everyone hustled toward the line of motorcycles waiting at the entrance behind them.
Engines roaring, the ten of them shot out into the night, riding off in groups of two and three in different directions to head out of the city. They’d preplanned their exit strategy ahead of time to combat against being followed. With Maverick at his right and Joker behind them in the truck, Dare worked his way out of the run-down neighborhood and onto one of the main arteries that led past the stadiums and out to Interstate 695. Their sixes were clear all the way, allowing Dare to take a deep breath for the first time in a couple hours, especially as all clear messages came in from the other groups of riders.