Chapter 8
Olivia
Colt really was a force to be reckoned with, but I was an immovable object. He stood at a solid six feet, but I was only a few inches underneath that. Five-nine, without heels on. I’d be eye level with him had I chosen to wear my heeled boots instead of my work flats to our little discussion. I’d do that next time. Stand eye to eye with him so he didn’t feel the need to intimidate me with his height.
But Colt really was a handsome man.
His hand came up and wrapped around the bar. Just above where mine was. And his hand could have easily dwarfed mine. The body heat from his skin trickled down onto mine. Like a slow cascade of honey waiting to pour over my body. The slightest tinge of sun in his skin to help bring out the stern brown of his eyes. And that salt and pepper. I saw it in his scruff as well. It had grown out, showcasing just how many days he’d been in this dank, disgusting holding cell. His rugged jawline was peppered with rough stubble. A mixture of brown and gray that matched his hair perfectly.
I found myself wanting to raise my hand to touch it.
So, I moved my hand from the bar and straightened my back.
Not once did I disconnect our eye contact. I knew how every intimidation tactic with men like this worked. If they couldn’t intimidate someone with their numbers, they did it with their weapons. And if that didn’t work, they used their strength. And if that didn’t work? Their anger.
Colt had resorted to staring me down. Like a literal feral animal that refused to look away until I did first.
But that sure as hell wasn’t happening.
My eyes danced between his as I cocked my hip out. I laid my head off to the side, watching him as he squirmed. He shuffled on his feet before he quickly looked away, and I knew I had won the game. Whatever bullshit game he thought we were still playing, I had bested him again. And I could see it in his eyes that he wasn’t happy with it.
“What specifically do you want help with?” he asked.
“No details without a deal,” I said.
“That isn’t how this works. You give me details, and if I feel it’s worth my time, I’ll take it on.”
I grinned. “You mean like a client?”
He pushed himself away from the bars and I couldn’t help the giggle of satisfaction that left my lips. He raked his long fingers through his hair in frustration, tugging at it as his back faced me. I let my eyes sweep over him. I took in his long legs and his pert little ass in those jeans of his. The leather vest he had on his torso barely tugged over the breadth of his shoulders. He had a long wingspan. One that could easily wrap around me twice if he didn’t have any bones in his body.
My eyes whipped up from his ass when he turned back around, his eyes hot with fire.
“I want to take down the cartel in this area. For too long, the Roja Diablos cartel has funneled drugs into every part of America. Every single part of it. And whenever the DEA shuts down one avenue, two more spring up in places we didn’t even know they touched. I just got done wrapping up what I thought was an open-and-closed case in Southern California, then I get home and I’m sent here for the exact same cartel. The exact same bullshit, Colt. The DEA wants to put a stop to it, and that means going after the big guys. The players in the area. Not just the drug dealers, like we’ve been doing. It doesn’t work to try and get them to talk because the Roja Diablos cartel is ruthless. They’d rather rot in jail then rat and risk being tossed into the hands of their bosses. Which means we have to protect them from their bosses in order to get them to talk,” I said.
“Which means arresting their bosses,” he said.
“Exactly. I’d jump at the chance to end them. In every single place I could get myself to. I know you know who the bigger players are. I know your club knows. So, why don’t you cut the shit, let me get you out of here, and then we can all work together toward the same goal. Because I know that’s what you guys want.”
“Why do you want this so badly?” he asked.
“I relented. I gave you the reason. Take the deal or leave it, Colt.”
“It’s a simple question. You’re one of the most passionate DEA agents I’ve ever come across. Why this specific cartel?”
“I told you. They’ve got their hands in everything. Every part of the country, including this one. Including your hometown.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I get it. But, there’s something more. There’s a fire that drives you. And that type of fire I see is usually stoked by something personal,” he said.
Shit. I’d bared too much to him. And now, he was reading me like a book. Get a grip on yourself, Olivia. Now isn’t the time to be showing your hand. I gazed into Colt’s eyes as a grin spread across his cheeks. For the first time since our initial meeting, he had me on the hot seat. And he knew it.
I really needed his help for this case. So, the only thing I could do was take a chance.
“A personal question for a personal question,” I said.
“Not how it works,” he said, grinning. “You answer this question, and I might take your case.”
“Not good enough.”
“Then, I guess you won’t be getting your help.”
“You’ll rot here, Colt. They’ll pin every single thing they can on you and leave you to die,” I said.
“But, they won’t go after my guys. And that’s what matters,” he said.
“What about the family you won’t speak of?” I asked.
He charged the bars so quickly it made me take a step back. He brought his fist down onto the bar, snarling like a wild animal. His brown eyes turned into fiery orbs that locked their predatory gaze on me and never let go.
I held my breath at his words.
“You aren’t privy to the inner workings of my life. You don’t get to use my personal stories to bargain with. If you search hard enough, you’ll get your answers. You’re a smart little girl, aren’t you? So, why the fuck are you coming into the bear’s den and poking it with a hot fucking stick?” he hissed.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure as I formulated my answer. My sister had died of a drug overdose when the two of us were in college. My twin fucking sister. And every day, I missed her more and more. I felt a part of me would always be missing. Always be gone. Always be lost to the wind. I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell some motorcycle scrooge that, but maybe there was something else I could feed him that would get him to take this deal.
“I do have a personal investment in this case, Colt. And if you aren’t going to talk about your personal circumstance, then neither will I. You only get when you give. That’s how this works. Which is why I’m offering you what I am. In exchange for getting these charges dropped they have on you, you have to find a way to rally your club and help me gather information. I’ll keep your names out of it. Or, if helping me will put in a good word for you guys with the police, then I’ll let them know you’re working it with me. But, I know there’s more to this. More legitimate reasons to this. More information to this. And I need your help. I need your help taking on this cartel. Take me on as a client, and your payment is your freedom, Colt.”
I held his eyes, but I didn’t hold them in defiance this time. And slowly, I watched my kind stare disarm him. He rose up from the bars. He dropped his fists to his sides. He took a step back and drew in a deep breath through his nose, like he was shoving the wild bear in him back into its cage.
“How can I trust you?” he asked.
“It’s your only option. But, if you find me to be untrustworthy, at least you can do something about it out there. In here, you can’t do anything but place a seven-minute supervised phone call,” I said.
“I’ll have to talk to my club before taking on your… case.”
His eyes dropped down my body and I felt my skin warmed underneath his gaze.
“And the only way for me to do that is to be released,” he said.
“You could sleep it out here and wait until tomorrow to make that phone call,” I said.
“And how long do you think it would take to coordinate getting six or seven other men on the line while I’m standing there being watched by one of the guards? My phone call allotment time is seven minutes. But, they can cut that call at any time.”
“So, this is your play. Wiggle around the rules into having me help cut you lose before you agree to anything. For all I know, you’ll disappear and I’ll be short my only witness as well as the only person that can help me.”
Colt grinned. “Then, I guess you’ll have to trust me.”
Bear, my ass. He had a fucking wolfish grin on his face. One I didn’t trust. And yet, I trusted the rest of Colt. There was something about his presence. His countenance. The way he held himself and the way he stayed loyal to his club. There wasn’t a damn thing I had laid out in his lap that made him roll over on those guys. And I had to admit, dealing with someone from a motorcycle club was very reminiscent of my childhood. The adrenaline. The danger. Walking in that gray area.
Boy, had I missed it.
“Okay. I’ll work to get you cut lose tonight,” I said.