Total pages in book: 141
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129980 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 650(@200wpm)___ 520(@250wpm)___ 433(@300wpm)
Maksimos “Ink” Korask, their resident and extremely popular tattoo artist, weighed in. He had wide shoulders and dark hair. His body was covered in tattoos, mostly of animals and birds. Ink was a phenomenal artist and had an affinity with the animals tattooed on his body. He owned Black Ink Tattoo, a popular tattoo parlor in the small town of Caspar.
“We’ve spent more than two years trying to get names, anything at all, to help us find a way to break this ring. If Billows has women trapped in those rooms below his club, we need to get them out of there. We also need answers from Billows.”
Savva “Reaper” Pajari and his younger brother, Savin “Savage” Pajari, were the sergeants at arms for the club. Savage rarely spoke, but when he did, they all listened. He shaved his head to keep his blond curls away. He had shockingly blue eyes, and his very appearance often was enough of a deterrent when other bikers wanted to cause fights in the Torpedo Ink Roadhouse, a bar the club owned and operated.
“We can’t interrogate Billows until we know where those keys are kept. Breaking into the underground rooms hasn’t been a viable solution. Too many risks. We need the keys. Hell, we don’t even know where the entrance is. Maestro, do you believe you can get them from her?”
Maestro had no doubt that, given time, he would be able to search for the keys and make a copy when he found them. Zelie would have to trust him enough to allow him to roam freely in her studio apartment. They’d already searched her living space multiple times when she was out but hadn’t found the keys to the rooms below the club.
“I told you, give me the time and I’ll get everything we need from her. She’s extremely susceptible to me.” He didn’t add that he was also susceptible to her, but somehow, he must have given it away.
Steele gave him a hard look. “You need me to send Keys in?”
Maestro allowed himself to appear a little disconcerted. “Why would you do that?”
“You reacted to her. You’ve never reacted to any woman.”
“She’s a fuckin’ mark, Steele. For all we know, she could be the brains behind this operation. I’d be shocked, but she’s smart enough. She’s into their books. I don’t see how she could see their books every day for all these years and not know what’s going on. Maybe not the trafficking, but she knows this owner is dirty. She actually told me that the first time she ever did the books for Billows she kept him out of prison, and she was only sixteen.”
There was silence for a moment. Czar shook his head. “Sixteen years old and she’s cooking the books for one of the worst criminals we’ve come across.”
“I think she’s a genius when it comes to numbers and patterns,” Maestro admitted. “How else could she manage those books at such a young age?”
Steele sighed. “That’s one more strike against her, Maestro. She’s intelligent enough to keep Billows safe from IRS scrutiny, and she’s worked for him for at least seven years. It seems a little far-fetched that she doesn’t know.”
“I disagree, Steele,” Alena objected. “She’s looking at numbers. She doesn’t necessarily know where the money is coming from.”
“There has to be some accounting.” Kir “Master” Vasiliev was their treasurer and a genius with numbers and making money. Code would steal it from the targets they chose to go after, and Master invested it, making them even more money. He was tall with dark hair and ripped the way most of them were. He’d recently married Ambrie, and that, Maestro had to admit, had turned Master’s life around. “You don’t just have numbers without some explanation.”
“Before Billows has her come in to work on the books,” Lana “Widow” Popov backed up Alena, “it would be easy enough for him to make shit up.”
Lana was gorgeous; there was no getting around her looks. Tall, with a curvy body and shiny black hair like a raven’s wing, she had a way of walking and talking that was pure seduction. She was tougher than Alena, although the same age. Her birth brother, Kasimir “Preacher” Popov, was older than she was and extremely protective of her, not that Lana ever wanted any of his protection.
Czar sighed and swept a hand through his hair. “There are good arguments for both sides. Maestro, you’re the one who will have to put in the work and be with this woman day and night. You’re the one setting her up. There’s always a danger in that. If there’s anyone in this room who understands the damage betrayal can do, it’s you. No matter how many times you tried to save the girls in that school, it was impossible. That took its toll on you as well. I don’t want you taking this assignment if it will make things worse for you.”