She wished they were alone and she’d get to touch him without fear of anyone watching.
“Tell us what’s going on,” Devil said. His harsh voice cut through her fantasy bringing her straight back to the reality of her situation.
“I don’t know everything.”
“Then tell us what you do know,” Death said.
Sasha was getting good at recognizing people by their voices alone.
“Kenneth’s planning his retirement. He’s getting all the funding together so that he doesn’t have to worry about money at all.” Her mother sighed. “He’s planning on having Sasha killed so that he can take me with him. The blindness upped the stakes for him as she can meet an accident without anyone knowing the truth. The last four years have been a façade. He’s been showing the town how loving and loyal he is toward Sasha so no one would ever suspect him of killing her or organizing for her to be hit. I heard him talking to Frederick, the guy outside. He’s got some paperwork to finish filling out, and then he can leave. Frederick gets the main seat on the Piston County chair, funds the town—”
“And turns it into his own backyard of distribution,” Devil said, finishing off her mother’s sentence.
“I don’t know what’s going on. I really wish I did, but I don’t. I only know that Kenneth has organized the sale of over ten warehouses in the surrounding area of Piston County,” her mother said.
“He’s taking over the entire town,” Ripper said.
There was silence after that.
“Guys, take your women away. We need to make a call and then deal with the problem at hand,” Devil said.
“Come on, baby. Don’t fight me on this.” Pussy took her hand, leading her back upstairs.
“It’s bad, isn’t it?” Sasha asked. She didn’t need to be able to see to understand bad shit was going to happen.
“Yes, it’s bad. I’ve got to go and deal with this. Your mother will take care of you. Have a bath, relax, soak, and I’ll be up when it’s all over.” Pussy opened his door, leading her inside.
“I didn’t want to cause trouble,” her mother said.
“You’re not. You’re helping us. We’re going to help you. You’re not going to die, and we’re not going to let Kenneth take my woman away. I’ll kill the bastard myself before I let that happen.” He kissed her cheek. “Stay here. Don’t leave.”
The door closed behind him, leaving her alone.
“He seems like a good man. Everyone believes they’re monsters, but they’re not. They’re all good men, I see it.” Her mother kept talking.
“I love him, Mom.”
“Good, because I’ve got a feeling he’s in love with you.”
“No, he’s not. Pussy doesn’t do love. I don’t mind.”
“Honey, you can’t see him to know what he’s like when he’s looking at you. Believe me, he’s in love with you, and he’s not going to let anything happen to you.”
Sasha wanted to argue but decided against it. She liked the thought of him being in love with her.
****
Frederick stared out of his hotel room sipping a glass of expensive brandy. Everything was coming together. Soon he’d own the states from Piston County through to Fort Wills. He already had a stake in Vegas as well. Ned Walker, Eva’s father, was going to be next on his list. No one was going to be able to touch him. He’d have the cops, the Feds, and any type of government agency eating out of the palm of his hand because they couldn’t do a single thing to stop him.
Tiny, Devil, and Ned were all cogs in this world. They were big in their own little towns and cities, but when it came to the big leagues, they were still little fishes who could be squashed. Frederick had watched them for years, pretending to know the kind of shit they needed to in order to get by. Little drug runs here or there, a few bonus hits on the stock market to keep funds flowing legally.
He knew the real way to make money was through fear. No one knew how to challenge him as there was nothing he held dear. The women he f**ked were a convenience that he used to scratch an itch. When he was done with women, he either gave them to business associates as part of a deal or got one of his men to kill them.
For many years he’d wondered about taking over this place. He’d watched many people try and fail to take over Fort Wills and then try to take out Chaos Bleeds and The Skulls. Everyone failed to do anything or even put a dent in their lives.
It was a challenge that he could no longer turn down. Tiny and Devil could be beaten, and he was going to show them all how to do it.
“Boss, what’s going on?” Ronald asked.
Frederick smiled. “Nothing is going on. We’re going to be setting up business in a matter of time.”
“I’ve got word that Tiny’s planning on taking out your guy in the force. The one you’re paying to make life difficult,” Ronald said.
“That’s fine. I’ve got plans in place for everyone.” Frederick sipped at his drink.
“What do you mean?”
“For every person Tiny or Devil kill, one of their own will die. Tiny lays a hand on my men, he loses one of his men, his wife, or his kid. Murphy and Tate seem like a good target.” He smiled thinking about the brass bitch that was Tiny’s spawn. “Let him attack. The moment he does, I click a button, and he loses one. I don’t know when or how, but it will be soon.”
He’d put everything in place. His men were all around Piston County and Fort Wills. No one knew when he’d strike. Chaos Bleeds and The Skulls were ending with him. Frederick was going to show all the people who had failed that it was in fact possible to own the two towns. It just took careful planning to get the job done.
Chapter Nine
“What are you trying to say?” Tiny asked. They had The Skulls on speaker phone, and all the crew was present to hear it.
“Frederick is screwing with us. This is not about taking over as a partner or even as a business. He’s going to get rid of us, Tiny.” Devil ran a hand over his face. Pussy’s president looked tired and worn out with this latest revelation.
“How do you know this woman heard the truth? For all you know her hearing is as bad as her choices.”
Letting out a sigh, Pussy saw all of his brothers agreed with Tiny. “She’s drugged and addicted to alcohol, but she loves her daughter, Tiny. I’ll vouch for her. She’s telling the truth about Kenneth.” He looked at all of the men. “Didn’t you guys see it in Kenneth’s eyes? He threw a brick through a window. If he’s not got something planned then I’m a f**king idiot. There is more to this than meets the eye.”