“Come on, Nix. Just do this favor for me once.”

Carlito’s pitiful when he begs, but it’s not enough to sway me. Even though I’ve known him for two years, I still don’t trust him. “It’s too risky.”

Carlito has been on the scene for years, well established by the time I found my way into the Loft. He’s been known to deal in stolen goods, but his area of expertise usually involves massive caches of weapons. Not just guns, the big stuff too—AKs, grenade launchers, and even anti-aircraft shit. I’ve steered clear of him whenever possible. Even criminals like me have lines we don’t like to cross, and Carlito typically straddles the imaginary boundary I laid down.

“Not for a pro like you,” he argues, and I’m becoming irritated. “It’s a simple bank transaction.” His thick Spanish accent, slicked-back brown hair, and off-white leisure suit straight out of an old-school gangster film make him stick out like a sore thumb.

“There’s no such thing as simple, Carlito. Not in our world.” I turn my drink in my hands, making patterns against the cold steel table, bored with the conversation. “It’s a mistake too many people make.”

“I never knew you were a pussy, Nix.” When he says pussy, it comes out more like puh-say.

“Think what you want. Why don’t you go ask Grim? He’s been looking for some extra cash.”

“I already did.” He licks his two middle fingers and runs them over his bushy black eyebrows and scans the room. “I think I’ll go ask Freckles. She’s always up for a challenge.”

My eyes follow his, sweeping through the crowd to find Freckles. “I thought you said it was easy.”

“For you, it would be a piece of cake, but for anyone else…” His voice trails off as he slides out of the booth. “Catch ya later, Nix. Thanks for nothin’.”

I wave him off, but I keep my eyes on him as he makes his way across the room. He’s schmoozing the crowd, shaking hands and drawing attention to himself. It’s classic Carlito. Most people here want to lie low, but not him. He wants to be known. Wants people to like him. Every time I see him walking free, I’m amazed his ass isn’t behind bars from his need to be seen.

He gives a quick nod to Icepick, a man who has a thirst for blood that’d rival any vampire, and keeps moving. Smart move. Icepick isn’t the man for his job unless it involves making someone disappear, which it doesn’t.

When he stops in front of Freckles’s table and says a few words, he glances in my direction and she turns to look at me. I wink, and she gives me a wicked smile before turning back to Carlito. Freckles and I collaborated a few times, but she has no problem with arms dealers or anything that may negatively impact anyone but her. She’s all about the mighty dollar and could give a fuck about anything else.

She’s sizing him up and twirling her shoulder-length curly hair around her index finger as he chatters on, waving his hands wildly when he speaks.

Her nickname is cute, but her skills are anything but. She’s a notorious thief, but she has genius computer skills and could help him out if he earned her trust. Motioning with her hand to the seat next to her, she gives Carlito a small smile, signaling she will at least hear his proposal.

Leaning back in the booth, I place an arm across the back and lift the Louis XIII Cognac to my lips, sipping it slowly and savoring every drop. I’m still watching them when Wolf steps into my line of sight. “Been a while since I’ve seen you, buddy. Can I sit?”

I nod. Wolf’s been missing for over a month, and I assumed he was arrested and turned. Normally, I wouldn’t be suspicious if someone from the Loft disappeared, but Wolf, he was too close to me to be missing without as much as a text message. “Where ya been?”

“Here and there.” He gives me a big, toothy grin and waves over the waitress. “You know how it is.” His head bobs when he shrugs.

“I do,” I tell him because I want to believe he was just out of reach, but there’s something off about his behavior tonight.

I’ve known Wolf for three years. It’s a small chunk of time, but in our world, it’s a lifetime. People come and go, disappearing because of death or prison, and time is usually counted in weeks instead of years. The best in our industry find ways to stay under the radar, and much like me, Wolf has found a way. At least, I thought so until he vanished without a trace.

There’s a faint line of sweat dotting his brow, and he wipes it away. “So what’s new? Anything you’re working on?”

“Nothing. I’m taking a break.” I’m not convinced that he’s not wearing a wire or working for the Feds, so I give him nothing. “How about you?”

“Fuckin’ Hassan has me working on this bullshit overseas.”

Alex Hassan never works under the radar. Never. But he has enough money in his pocket to pay off politicians in the US and the Middle East to make his ass almost untouchable. He’s been dealing arms to rebel armies for years and has connections that most people can’t replicate.

“Is that where you’ve been?”

“Yeah.” He nods and huffs out a breath, puffing his cheeks out like a blowfish. “It sucks over there. I still have sand stuck in places I didn’t even know existed.”

I breathe a little easier knowing he was on assignment and not with the Feds. It’s something I can check easily with a simple conversation. Hassan’s here every night when he’s in town, without fail with some new piece of ass on his arm. The bastard gets laid more than Hugh Hefner. He’s the Middle East criminal version of the guy—without the Playboy mansion and the Grotto.

“I could’ve told you it’s a shithole over there.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He waves me off as the waitress approaches. Wolf smiles up at her, his broad grin growing larger as he ogles her breasts. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, Popcorn?”

“Hey, stranger. I thought you were gone forever. Thought the Feds may have finally nabbed your ass.” She laughs softly, her dark eyes sparkling when she tips her head back and the overhead lighting falls upon her face.

“I’m too good for that.”

One thing I know is that no one is too good for that. One mistake and everything can be over. It’s a fact that we all live with every day. It’s that simple and something I never forget. We don’t walk through life like most people; we skate the law, living on the fringe and embracing the freedom that comes with it. Each of us knows that it can all end in an instant.

“What can I get you, Wolfy baby?” she asks, running her hand through his hair.

He slides his hand up her fishnet-covered thigh. “How about a piece of you?” he replies and licks his lips.

She slaps his hand away playfully and giggles. “Maybe another time.”

“Just grab me a vodka on the rocks, doll.”

She gives Wolf a small wink and turns her attention to me. “You want another, Nix?”

“Sure. I’ll take another.”

After a quick nod, she saunters away, swaying her hips wildly, giving him a show. “She’s such a tease,” he mutters, unable to look away from her performance. “It’s nice to see barely dressed American women. I don’t know how the guys over there do it. I saw tons of eyes over there, but nothing else. The nuns showed more shit when I was in school.”

I’m a little stunned that he had a solid upbringing. He doesn’t have the manners or morals of a kid born with a silver spoon. “You went to Catholic school?”

“Right before my sophomore year, I was expelled from public school. My parents thought private school would give me the focus to make something of myself.” He laughs and shakes his head.

“Glad to see that worked out.”

“Wolf,” says a familiar voice.

My eyes drift over the rim of my Cognac and catch a glimpse of black leather knee-high boots and jet-black stockings with a hint of lace showing below her extra short shirt. Standing with his latest conquest and soon to be piece of trash at his side is Hassan.

“Hassan,” Wolf greets him. “Care to sit?”

“Thank you.” He holds up his hand, placing the woman next to Wolf before sliding into the booth next to me. “Nix.” He extends his hand across the table, waiting for me to extend my own.

He’s one of my least favorite people in the place, well, besides Carlito. He never welches on a deal, but there’s something about him that has always irked me. Maybe it’s the way he uses people, especially women, and then throws them away. Even with my feelings for him, I still shake his hand and finally let my gaze wander across the table to his guest.

Hassan notices and grins. “Gentlemen, this is Eva.”

“Ma’am.” I tip my head but say nothing more. Hassan is known for being with beautiful women, but there’s something about Eva that makes her stand out from the others.

“Ah, Eva. I heard a lot about you.” Wolf’s eyes roam her like a hungry lion stalking his latest victim. But we all know he won’t touch Hassan’s property, not if he wants to keep his hands or his dick.

“It’s great to meet you too.” The silver ring in her bottom lip twinkles when her lips move, and I can’t look away. “I’dheard you were out of the country.”

I’m drawn to her mouth, the way her lips move when she speaks and how the light dances off the hoop. Her tongue peeks out and flicks at the ring, causing my cock to twitch.

“Yes. Hassan over here—” Wolf lifts his chin toward him and grimaces “—had me in the sand dunes of Saudi Arabia.”

“You loved it there. Don’t let him fool you, Eva.”

“Bullshit,” Wolf coughs the words into his hand, and Eva laughs at their banter.

Popcorn places our drinks on the table and gives Hassan a shitty look, dragging her eyes to Eva and snarling. But Eva and Hassan seem to be oblivious to Popcorn’s disdain.

Is there a woman in this place Hassan hasn’t conquered and pissed off? How long before one of them gets jealous enough to turn him in to the cops? Although they’ve all been vetted and deemed trustworthy, everyone has a breaking point.

Hassan turns and invades my personal space. “I was hoping to talk to you about—”

“Hassan—” I cut him off because I don’t want the next line spoken in mixed company. “If you want to speak with me, it’ll be in private.” We’ve been over this before, but he doesn’t seem to care whom he speaks in front of.

I refuse to discuss anything in front of a stranger, even a beautiful one. Eva is a stranger. Even speaking in front of Wolf has me on edge. When I discuss business, I want no witnesses but the parties involved, and that doesn’t include Eva or Wolf.

“Eva, my love. Can you go get us some drinks?” Hassan asks, but it’s not a question.

She glances between the two of us, her eyes flashing with anger before it quickly vanishes. “Sure. The usual?” She slides out of the booth and stands near the edge of the table with her fingertips almost touching his.

There’s a small pang of jealousy that’s settled in my belly. I chose this life, but sometimes I wish I had someone to share it with. Eva isn’t that to Hassan. The only thing he wants to share is her pussy, and once he’s had his fill, he’ll trade her in for someone new.

“Please.” He gently grabs her well-manicured hand and brings it to his lips. He closes his eyes, inhaling her skin before placing the lightest kiss against her delicate flesh.

My eyes are trained on hers, because she’s looking at me and not him. Her electric blue bangs hang over her hard, charcoal eyes. “Anything you want, Hassan,” she says with her eyes on me and only me. Hassan’s too lost in the feel of her skin to notice she’s not paying him any attention.

For a moment, I’m transfixed by the way her lips move when she speaks and the sparkle of the piercing in her lush, glossy red lip. What a waste that she’s with a guy like Hassan, but it seems even he knows there’s something special about this one. He clings to her in a way that makes his claim unmistakable.

Finally, he releases her hand and gives her a small pat on the ass, dismissing her. “We’ll just be a minute.” She nods, finally making eye contact with him before walking toward the bar and leaving us alone.

“So I wanted to talk to you about…” Hassan says, and I don’t hear the next part of the statement because Eva looks back as she leans over the bar, giving me the perfect view of her upper thighs and smiling at me over her shoulder.

As Kyle, the bartender, speaks to her, she leans over farther and sticks out her ass. Fucking cock tease. Just a few more inches and I’d see more than just the lace on the tops of her stockings.

“What do you think?” Wolf asks, pulling me back into the conversation.

I drag my eyes back to the table to the two miserable fucks in front of me. “Repeat it one more time.”

Hassan taps his gold Dunhill lighter against the table out of irritation. “I know Eva’s beautiful, Nix, but she’s a cock tease.” Lifting a cigar from his pocket, he places it under his nose and smells it much the same way he did Eva’s hand. “She’s a beautiful possession, just like this cigar. To be used for my pleasure and only for a short while. What I’m trying to talk to you about can change your life more than any beautiful pussy ever can, so pay attention this time.”

“She’s not your type, Hassan,” I tell him, being blunter with him about his conquests than I usually am.

“She’s making me work way too hard for it. You know I always want things I can’t have.”

“Don’t we all,” I mumble, stealing another glance in Eva’s direction and taking in her perfect hourglass figure balancing on the highest black boots I’ve ever had the pleasure to see.

Hassan’s arm nudges mine. “I won’t repeat it again.”

“I’m a busy man, let’s hear it.” I give Hassan my complete attention.

“I’m moving product from Saudi Arabia to a Afghanistan. I need someone to transfer the money and make it untraceable. You game?”

I’m not. We haven’t done a deal in years. Working with Hassan always sends a chill through my bones. Anything dealing with weapons and the Middle East is on my short list of shit I won’t do. No amount of money is worth the national security of the country that has given me such an amazing life. I will not help terrorists. “Why don’t you use the same guy you always do?”

“It’s too big for him to handle, and I want someone different. He’s too involved in my business to handle this transaction. Wolf dropped your name, and I thought I’d come to you first.”

My eyes narrow on Wolf. Friends or not, criminals are criminals and will stab each other right through the back to save their own ass. “I don’t know, Hassan.” I shake my head and drag my snifter of Louis in front of me. “I’m pretty booked.”

“It’s ten million dollars for you. I’m sure you could find time for that type of cash,” Wolf adds.

“Even for double that amount, I couldn’t find the time.”

Hassan studies me as he lights his cigar, dragging out a few puffs, creating a small cloud in front of me. “Fine.” He leans back and stares at me with an unreadable face. “I’ll give you twenty-five million, but not a penny more.”

I wave away the smoke and the offer. “Can’t do it.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Nix. I thought you’d be interested.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not interested in getting involved in an arms deal in the Middle East.”

“They’re going to a worthy cause.” The cigar is hanging between his teeth, and his words come out garbled. “That I can assure you.”

“I appreciate the assurance, but my answer is still no.” Wrapping my lips around the glass, I let the Cognac drift across my tongue before sliding down my throat. I’m done with Alex Hassan and his offer, and he knows it, sliding out of the booth and pulling on the cuffs of his white dress shirt nonchalantly.

“If you change your mind, I’m going to wait twenty-four hours to ask anyone else.” He wanders away toward Eva before I can tell him not to waste the time.

“You’re a fucking fool,” Wolf says and rests his elbows on the table, holding his head in his hands. “That’s a lot of money to turn down based on some bullshit moral code.”

I pin him with my glare and speak with my teeth clenched together. “I’m not getting involved in terrorist shit, Wolf. You fuckin’ know it. Don’t ever mention my name around anything that has to do with it again, especially to him. Got me?”

“Yeah, man. But he’s not a bad guy.”

“We’re all bad guys. Remember that.” I glance around the Loft, taking in our surroundings. There isn’t an honest person here, only people out for themselves and a mountain of cash.

He downs the glass of vodka before slamming the empty tumbler on the table. “I’m out. I have a job to do tonight. You take care, Nix. Let me know when you pull your head out of your ass.” He’s on his feet and heading toward Hassan and Eva before I can reply.

Eva’s eyes meet mine from Hassan’s side and darken. Her tongue darts out, toying with the metal around her lip that captures my attention. All I can think of is how it would feel against my cock as I tangle my fingers in her hair, bumping the back of her throat with each thrust and listening to her moan like a bitch in heat.

But unlike Hassan, I don’t welcome strangers into my bed without knowing their full background. I’m not willing to spend the rest of my life in jail for some head, no matter how spectacular.