“Forced blowjobs, same thing,” Lee answered, his voice tight.
I surged from my seat, shouting, “You’ve got to be shitting me!”
“Ally, cool it,” Hank said quietly.
“You cool it. You haven’t spent your nights working alongside a bunch of girls who’re being violated!” I shot back.
“This isn’t going on for another day, Ally,” Lee stated. “We’re takin’ them down tonight, all those f**kers. And you got your part in that. I get you’re pissed. I get why. We’re all pissed. But we got a job to do. You need to shift that anger to focus, ‘cause you’re a go tonight.”
I was a go?
What the hell did that mean?
“What?” I asked.
“We have to take them down simultaneously so they don’t have the opportunity to talk, see or hear the others were taken out and do something about it, namely put one of Smithie’s women or kids in danger. At the club tonight, Steiner will be Darius’s. Gibbons, yours.”
“I’m on Gibbons,” Darius stated and I knew why. He was the greater danger.
Lee looked to him.
“They’re steerin’ clear of Lottie because of her connection with Eddie and likely the rest of us. This means they know the connection, so he’ll know you. You enter when Ally’s dancin’ and Gibbons has eyes on her. Steiner will either have eyes on her or the crowd. You go for Steiner. Ally makes Gibbons part of the act and she goes for him.” Lee looked at me. “It sucks and it makes me wanna vomit sayin’ this, but you dance for him. You do it smart. You’ll have backup, Ally. Luke and Mace are on you. But you gotta disarm him and not get shot doin’ it.”
Holy shit!
Lee looked like he’d eaten something rotten when he asked, “Can you keep him occupied to do that?”
I stared at him. I looked to Hank to see a muscle jerk in his cheek. I looked through the men.
They all had eyes on me.
I looked back at Lee and sat my ass down again, saying, “Absolutely.”
Lee nodded.
“While he’s eyes to you, Darius takes Steiner out, Mace and Luke will get into position,” he went on. “You just have to get your hand on his gun. Shoulder holster. His left side. Once you got it, you get the f**k outta the way. Mace and Luke will move in.”
I nodded.
His voice dropped lower when he said, “You got the feel, Ally. You demonstrated that at Lincoln’s. If it hits you it’s goin’ bad, he looks like he’s goin’ for his gun, you get the f**k out. Mace and Luke will roll in. But I want his ass jacked by a dancer. I want him disarmed and unmanned by a woman and I want that to have an audience. You with me?”
Oh, f**k yeah.
I was with him.
When I nodded that time, I was grinning.
Lee studied me. Then he turned to the boys.
“Vance, Bobby, you’re team one. Hector and Matt, team two. Jack and Monty, team three. Brody will give you the details you need. Jimmy, Hank and Eddie will sweep up.”
Lee’s eyes were looking at the men he was addressing then he came back to me.
“After you take yours down, we’re closin’ Smithie’s and you work the girls. You get them to trust you. You get them to trust us. You get them to trust the cops. And you get them to make statements and press charges.”
“Copy that,” I replied.
Lee studied me again before he looked back to his men. “You have your assignments. This happens during Ally’s first dance. Eight fifty-five. Track your men. Find them. Report in. And the time comes, take them out.”
More chin lifts.
Jeez.
The gang broke up just as Darius’s phone rang.
But I looked to Lee. “Need a second. In private. Eddie, too.”
My eyes went to Eddie to see him watching me intently.
“Ally, got shit to do,” Lee said, sounding distracted.
“A second, Lee,” I replied quietly.
It was my quiet that got him to give me a look. He transferred his gaze to Eddie and then he nodded to me
I avoided all eyes as he moved out of the room and I followed him, Eddie following me.
Lee took us to his office, but stood at the door until Eddie and I made it through. Then he closed the door and turned his back to it, not moving further into the room.
Right. His position reiterated he was giving me only a second, he had shit to do.
So did I, so I cut to it.
I took a deep breath and reminded him. “You know I’m worried about Darius.”
“I do,” Lee confirmed. “But is now the time for you to get up in our shit about it?”
“I know about Malia and Liam.”
I watched Lee’s entire body get tight, and I didn’t normally get scared but that sure as f**k scared me.
“Zano tell you?” he fired at me, his words like bullets.
“No,” I answered, shaking my head for emphasis. “I found out like I find out a lot of shit. I know a lot of people. I ask a lot of questions.” I looked to Eddie. “I did it on the down low so there’s nothing for you two to worry about.”
“You’re wrong,” Lee returned, and I looked back to him.
“I know this is privileged information and the person who told me was not real big on me knowing it. But I got the information and I’m gonna do something about it.”
Lee leaned toward me, his eyes narrowing. “You’re not gonna do shit.”
“I am,” I whispered. “There’s a boy growing up without his father.”
Lee leaned back. “That’s Darius’s choice.”
“It’s the wrong one,” I retorted.
“That’s not your call,” Lee clipped.
“Yes, it is. Yes, it absolutely is,” I shot back, lifted a hand and shook my head. “Don’t worry, bro. You don’t want to be involved with whatever I decide to do, don’t be. That’s your call. Though I’ll assure you, I will not make a production of this. And I won’t drag the Rock Chicks into it. What I’m gonna do is take a big risk and point out some important facts to a man I love and have loved since I was a kid. He cuts me out, so be it. But there’s the slight chance he’ll listen to me, maybe not now, maybe eventually, but then he’ll find a way back to his family. And that’s important enough, not just for Darius but for Malia and especially Liam, I’m willing to take that risk.”
Lee glared at me.
I looked to Eddie and the instant I did, he said, “Don’t f**k this up.”