Outlaw MC Bear Read Free Page A

be right here. Don’t hesitate to ring the bell for assistance if I’m not here.”
    “Count on it, Alfred.”
    The man winced from Silas’s intentional name slip, but made an effort to nod before he scurried out from behind the desk and disappeared into a back room. Probably to put that cash under lock and key.
    Silas whistled and hustled his way over to the shiny gold elevators. They were fast too, because in what seemed like a quarter of a second later he was looking out at the landing of Mr. Giovanni’s condo, which appeared to take up the entire twenty-seventh floor. Or maybe it was a private elevator to one section. The point was the place was massive, with two beefy bodyguard types standing at a doorway nearby. Typical, and not unexpected for a man this important. One held the front door open, ready for Silas to walk in. They both nodded a greeting and Silas followed the guy into a sitting room.
    There he was.
    Success, leadership and business savvy in a suit. He looked it too, even for his young age, with an authoritative chin, distinctive sideburns framing a dark head of hair, and icy gray eyes that looked like they could read through bullshit. His future client was seated on the expensive burgundy and gold fabric sofa that looked like it stepped right out of a Baroque period vampire movie. The stately man didn’t look up from his book when the bodyguard announced Silas, so he waited, widening his stance in the middle of the room, digging his hands into the front pocket of his cut, ready for anything.
    “Thank you for coming, Mr. Corrigan,” Mr. Giovanni finally announced. He placed a bookmark between the well-worn pages, glancing up for the first time. “I know this was a hurried affair, so I apologize for the imposition. We do appreciate your business.”
    “Sure.” Silas held his stance, waiting to be invited to take a seat. “It’s no problem. You came highly recommended by our mutual friend.”
    “Ah, yes. The padrino had quite a lot to say about you.”
    Silas wasn’t about to take that kind of easy bait. The padrino to the Italian mafia was the top guy in the region around St. George, Utah, Las Vegas, and everywhere in between along the I-15. He was the best sales connection for Silas and the Brotherhood, but even a referral like that didn’t put Giovanni on the safe list. Not yet. All it did was get him in the door. They were all still in a probationary period, to feel each other out, build some trust and credibility. Silas kept alert, fingering the piece of notebook paper in his pocket, and pretending to be bored. He owed the guy common courtesy, but that was about it. For now, he kept his lips zipped shut and let Giovanni lead the way through what was supposed to be a five-minute discussion.
    “You’re the strong silent type, aren’t you?”
    “I came to meet you for one thing, Mr. Giovanni.”
    “Oh, so right down to business, then.” The man ran his arms across his slacks and then he straightened the front of his freshly pressed blue button-down shirt. “I can respect that. Sunny? Get the case, please.”
    Silas was thrown off at the man’s politeness, but kept his facial expression blank.
    “Here you are, boss.” One of the goons brought a suitcase full of money into the room. Silas’s ears started to ring with anticipation. Here was where things got a little tricky—and always a little bit hazy. When Mr. Giovanni motioned him forward, Silas took three smooth steps toward the ornate coffee table that matched the sofa. He bent forward and sprang open the lid on the suitcase. An educated riffle through the contents proved that all the cash was there.
    Golden.
    He straightened up again, meeting Mr. Giovanni’s gaze head on, and they stared at each other for what seemed like a long ass time.
    That’s when shit went sideways.
    Someone’s big, beefy hand circled around Silas’s throat, and threw him up against a wall so fast Silas couldn’t catch his breath fast enough to tell