“Oh. Okay. So... he's gonna be there?” she asked, her words tense. Like she knew that was a bad complication.

“Yeah.”

She reached up, running a hand through her mostly dry hair, making it gently slide back into place. She sighed, nodding, accepting the added trouble. “You'll get him out of there,” she said confidently.

“Doll, it ain't just him I got...”

She held up a hand and it was so ridiculous a gesture (who held up hands to silence people anymore?) that I stopped talking and raised a brow.

“You worry about your friend. First and foremost. Don't go getting yourself in trouble because I screwed up and got myself in a bad situation. This isn't your job to fix this. So take care of your friend and let me handle myself.”

With that, she turned on her heel and stalked to my front door. I ran a hand up one of the sides of my head, feeling the short hair catch at my skin.

This was going to be a clusterfuck.

I had to somehow protect Shoot. Who wanted me to forget about him and take care of Alex. And at the same time protect Alex who wanted me to take care of Shoot because her plan was to kill herself. Meanwhile trying to not piss off the notoriously mercurial and volatile Lex Keith who was fully capable of having us all killed at once.

Jesus Christ.

I lived through this, I needed to find a new fuckin' job.

Janitor. Used car salesman. Guinea pig trainer.

Fuckin' anything that didn't all but guarantee blood and terror at every turn.

I sighed, grabbing my keys, and making my way outside.

Alex was already sitting in the car, buckled up, calmly pushing back the cuticles on her nails like we weren't very possibly walking into a well orchestrated trap.

If she wasn't so set on dying, she would make one fuck of a good criminal.

--

There were two SUVs parked out front the warehouse, empty, the hoods already cool to the touch. Further cementing my idea that we were heading into a trap. Alex didn't look at me as she unbuckled and went to her door.

I grabbed my gun, shoved it into the waistband of my pants and met Alex by her side of the car.

“Thanks for trying to help me,” she said, looking at the building in front of her while she spoke to me.

“Ain't done trying, doll,” I said, but she shrugged, biting on the inside of her cheek. “You ready?” I asked, already all too aware of how well prepared she was to get this done.

“Yup. Let's get this over with.”

She fell into step beside me as I let us in the front door, into the hall, then slowly down the stairs. Beside me, she was calm as could be. No sweating. No struggled breathing. Just oddly empty eyes and straight shoulders.

Meanwhile my heart was a fuckin' jackhammer.

We reached the bottom landing and I could hear voices around the corner. Alex paused and my hand went out, landing on her hip for a brief second. Her eyes went up to mine and she made her lip twitch upward before turning away again. My hand dropped and we moved forward as a unit, stepping around the curve of the wall and into view of the train car.

Four heads turned at the shuffling of our feet. Lex, two of his goons, and Shoot.

Lex was closing in on middle age with dark hair, dark eyes, and a thin build. His goons were big piles of muscle, one ugly with a shaved head and black eyes, one average looking with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Shoot had a busted lip (likely from his taunting of Limp Dick Rick when we were on the phone earlier) and a fading black eye. He was hunched just the slightest bit to his left, suggesting he likely had bruised or busted ribs. But he was alright. And the fuck even gave me a smile and a half-wave when he saw me.

I shook my head and I saw Alex's brow raise slightly, taking him in.

Whether it was because of his manner or because he was a good looking guy, I had no idea.

The train door was open and I stepped through first, Alex on my heels.

“Breaker, so nice to see you again,” Lex said, his slick voice leaving a slimy film on the air.

“Lex,” I said, nodding at him. “Shoot,” I said, nodding at him too

“You must be Alex,” Shoot said, letting one of his panty-melting smiles spread across his face. “Been keeping my brother company?”

“More like driving him up a wall I'm afraid,” she said easily. To anyone else, she seemed as at ease as Shoot himself. But I had noticed that her eyes hadn't so much as moved across the car. She found Shoot and she kept her eyes there. Like she was too afraid to look at the people who held her fate in their hands.

“Well, we're here,” I said, looking at Lex. Wanting to get down to it. The suspense wasn't helping anything.

Lex nodded. “Alex Miller,” he said and I saw the way her hands flexed outward slightly before she balled them in fists, lifting her chin, and turning to face the man she hated most in the world.

“Lex Keith,” she said in a tone that was like jagged glass.

“You're prettier than I expected. My men said you were a looker, but I had no idea you would be so...”

“Are we flirting with the hostage or having a fuckin' meeting?” I broke in, trying to make it look like I wasn't paying any attention to Alex and her clenched jaw and even paler than usual skin.

“Nothing wrong with being a little civilized, Breaker,” Lex said, and images of those beaten girls in the file popped unbidden into my head. Yeah he was real fuckin' civilized.

“Slept on a cold concrete floor last night. Forgive me if I ain't in a small talk mood,” I said coolly. If he knew anything of my reputation, he'd know I was never in a small talk mood. I got my orders, I followed through. Hell, if we didn't have to have any words whatsoever, all the better.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alex move closer to Shooter. Not me. Shooter. If I wasn't trying to make it look like I couldn't care less about her, she'd be getting one hell of a look. Shooter didn't seem phased by it. Women always seemed to flock to him. Apparently even in life or death situations.

The surge of jealousy I felt at that was sudden and unexpected. And completely fuckin' ridiculous. It made no sense. I wasn't that type of man. I didn't get jealous. But, fuck, I still had her taste in my mouth.

“Of course,” Lex said, breaking into my thoughts. “Let's get down to business.” He paused, looking at his men, something silent passing because they moved slightly. One going toward the door to block the exit and one moving behind Shoot and Alex. “Plans have changed.”

“We had a deal, Lex,” I said, letting my voice have an edge because it was expected when someone welshed.

“We did. But the deal has... evolved.”

“Evolved,” I repeated through clenched teeth.

He was giving me nothing. Aside from his men moving, there was nothing to go on. No inflection to read. No smile. Fucker had a great poker face.

“Yes. See... my need for Alex is not as pressing as I had originally thought.”

His need for Alex? The fuck was that supposed to mean?

“Gonna need more details than that Lex. And I ain't got all day.”

I got a brow raise for my rudeness, but it was expected of me, so he said nothing about it. “Yes. As it turns out, I won't need her for another few days. But, you can understand why I couldn't exactly let her go back to her life now that she knows about our little... arrangement.”

A few days.

A few days to figure out another plan.

A few days to take the son of a bitch down for good.

Alex could get her closure.

She could move on with her life.

“So what you asking, Lex?” I asked, trying to keep my mind in the present.

“I am saying that I need you to hold onto her for me.”

Thank god.

I could practically feel the sigh of relief from Alex. Shooter had moved his hand out and squeezed her pinkie with his before letting her go. A tiny gesture that was so much like Shooter. Always thinking of everyone else. Even though Lex hadn't said anything about letting him off the hook.