The Complete Contract Series (36 page)

Miller

I eye my precious, little, killing partner. She’s sitting next to me in first class on a plane bound for Louisiana.

“I need to fill you in on some things and I need you to listen and take what I’m saying in all seriousness because it truly is a matter of life and death.

“The man who called me to come over and help him basically runs Louisiana. I served with his son, Bo, in Afghanistan and I can’t recall ever seeing a soldier who enjoys killing as much as that boy does. It isn’t the fact that he has no problem with shooting men between the eyes; it is the fact that he enjoys gutting them. These boys over here are from the swamplands and they’re just as much animals as they are men. They are cold-blooded, ruthless, crazy, killing machines. They enjoy their jobs of being the muscle for their daddy, Lozado. You’ll meet Lozado while we’re there too and he is his own brand of crazy. Believe me, it’s no wonder his boys turned out the way they did. Also, don’t be shocked when you see Lozado with more than one woman; it’s just how he rolls.

“There is one other issue: I have an enemy who is lethal. He will come after us on this trip. It’s not a matter of
if
, it’s only a matter of when. Therefore, it’s mandatory that we get to him first.

“You will know him when you see him because he looks like a monster. There really isn’t any other word to describe him. He is a very large and muscular man with bad burn scars on his face. I cannot stress the point enough that he eats little girls like you for dinner. He knows the only way to get to me is through you so you are not safe on this trip. He is able to get Intel due to his connections and I’m certain he is well aware I have taken you on as a trainee. Watch your back, Stormy. This is the most dangerous job we’ve been on. If it wasn’t for the fact that Bo saved my life when we were fighting together in the war, I damn sure wouldn’t be coming down here to the bayou.

“For Bo to call us in for a meeting today tells me there has been a rush put on things. Lozado and both his sons will be at this meeting and I want you to just watch and listen. They don’t take kindly to women being involved in business in these parts. There are very few men in my line of work who have female partners so you should count yourself lucky.” Even though I’m teasing her, it really is true that not many men in my position would partner up with a woman. Unconventional as it is, there is no one I trust more with my life than my Stormy…

Lozado

I have worked hard to become a force to be reckoned with in Louisiana. I run the strip clubs here and even the Bosses answer to me. I guarantee anybody who has ever been stupid enough to cross me, has not lived to tell of it.

I stand at a long, lean 6’3”. I keep my hair pulled back in a ponytail and it is so long and thick, it looks more like a lion’s mane. I have been told that as soon as you look at me, it is evident you are in the presence of a very sinister man. I can’t say if that’s true or not, but I do know that the same was said about my daddy. I was raised to do what I do and to carry on the legacy of the Cajun mafia. I was trained by the best of the best—my daddy.

My girls tell me that my eyes are steel grey and my features literally appear to be carved of stone. All I know is my mother was European and my father was Cajun, straight out of the bayou Cajun. It has been said I am the perfect mix of class, from the European side, and boisterous, from the Cajun side.

I’m sitting at the head of a long table with Claudia’s voluptuous sex pot presence right beside me. She’s wearing a black and pink corset, a matching G-string, and a powder pink satin robe, left open so that when she walks, it literally flows behind her. She is a legend in these parts and she is mine.

Though she is smoking hot sexy, she is for my eyes only and none dare to stare at her directly. I’m fairly certain, though, if they can steal a glance, they will. I’m well aware of their furtive little peeks, but as long as respect is paid, nobody needs to get hurt.

Beth sits to the other side of me, huddled up and protected by me as she always is. I have taken quite a liking to the little one and have full intentions of keeping her around to train.

“I want to take a moment to acknowledge our guests, Miller and Stormy. I also want to take the time to thank you, Miller, for serving in Afghanistan. For that, I’m forever indebted.”

I eye one of the bosses of Latino descent and coldly state, “If you can’t handle your bitches, whores, subs, or slaves, then you don’t need to be working for me, son.” The man drops his gaze and listens, replying with an occasional, “Yes, Sir.” It is evident that he is terrified of me, and rightly so.

With no warning, I rise and mandate, “This meeting is over.” As I make my way out, I stop and put my hand around the young man’s throat as I growl, “You get this shit straight or I’m going to string you up and horse whip you, boy—literally!” I can feel him trembling beneath my hand. Cutting the meeting short will ensure he worries about what I’m going to do. Yes, uncertainty can work in a man’s favor.

Pablo

It’s evident that my crazy ass cousin can see I’m shaken by the meeting I just had with my boss. He wastes no time starting in on me. The boy is a trouble maker from the word go and I have had nothing but a sense of dread since I brought him down here to Louisiana. It is not a matter of
if
he will fuck up, only a matter of
when.
I don’t want to be within range of Lozado’s wrath when he does.

“You gonna let that redneck white boy tell you what to do?”

“He’s crazy, Manuel! Have you done your homework on Lozado? The man is sadistic. He gets off on beating people with whips and shit.”

“Yeah, mother fucker, but I got a Glock and a bullet between the eyes goes a hell of a lot further than a whip ever will.”

I eye my cousin as I pace. Manuel makes me nervous; he is too high strung and too hot headed. He is way out of his league with Lozado and I know it.

“Manuel, you need to listen to what I’m telling you. This is one crazy mother fucker that you don’t want to mess with and that’s not even getting into how psycho his sons are. Rumor has it that boy of his, Bo, enjoys fileting humans and then feeding them, piece by piece, to the gators. These men aren’t human. You are fucking with people who will kill you.”

“So you gonna let some white boy come up in
your club
and tell you how to run it?”

“It’s
his club
, Manuel! He set me up with the understanding that I was to run it and receive a commission from the monthly monies.”

Manuel wastes no time beginning to mock me as he bobs his head back and forth.

“
With the agreement that I was supposed to receive commission from the monthly monies.
See that is where you and I are different; you spent all that time getting an education and you are still working for somebody else. Me? I just shot the biggest, baddest mother fucker that I could find and just like that, I had respect! You are a punk—a punk ass bitch, Pablo. You know, come to think of it, I don’t think that you and I have the same blood in our veins. I’m ashamed to even call you Cuz. Cause. You. Is. A. Punk. Ass. Bitch! Ha, ha!”

Manuel taps the gun against the desk, laughing at his own joke. I’m not amused.

“Whatever,” I say as I turn and leave my cousin who is still sitting in
my
office chair.

I brought my cousin from Mexico when his mother had called me crying, saying that her sister was scared because Manuel had gotten involved with the Mexican cartel and she was afraid he’d end up getting himself killed. Manuel has a way of attracting trouble and I can only hope I didn’t make a mistake in bringing him here to Louisiana. If Manuel gets on Lozado’s bad side, the Mexican mafia will be the least of his worries. Unbeknownst to him, Lozado has Colombian cartel ties through Antonio Wayne and his big brother, Ricardo. This could end up being a bloodbath by the time it is all said and done.

Stormy

“What the fuck was that? Did you see the way he just got up and said the meeting was over?”

“That was a head fuck, my lady. He will have that poor boy worrying about what is going to happen to him because there was no closure.”

“Smart move.”

“He’s a Dom with a business head so, yeah, he knows the art of a good mind fuck. I’m just glad we aren’t the ones on the receiving end of his wrath.”

“Yeah, it was also pretty intense what he said about owing you for your service in Afghanistan.”

“One thing all the hit men have in common is that we’re bound by blood. We all served in Afghanistan so, in one way or another, our lives are intertwined. We all bleed red, white, and blue.”

“So what are we doing now?”

“We’re going back to the hotel and waiting for it to get dark. Then we’re going to finish off the guy who should already be dead.”

“You know where he is?”

“Absolutely, you of all people should know I did my homework. Intel is a major part of our job, young lady. The element of surprise is everything and catching this guy before he knows I’m here is imperative.”

I don’t want to tell Stormy but my blood runs cold at the thought of meeting up with this monster again.