“Blade,” I greeted him as I entered his office.

He didn’t stand, just indicated for me to take a seat. I hadn’t worked him out yet but Madison loved him and that was enough for me to go on. He cut straight to the chase. “James has his fingers in a lot of shit. A lot of dirty shit. If that got out, it would be the end of his political career and most likely would harm his father’s career too.”

“His father is the Minister for Defence, right?”

Blade nodded. “Yes. And James is running for a Federal seat at the next election. He won’t want any of this coming to light so this is your best bet to keep him off Velvet’s back.” He passed me a folder.

“Holy fuck.” I whistled as I flicked through the documents in the folder. Blade was right, James would shit himself if this stuff came out. Corrupt deals and prostitutes tended to do that to a politician. Especially married ones who professed to be Christian.

“Holy fuck is right. When you talk with the motherfucker, mention my name. That’ll help your cause.”

“Thanks, man.” I was still reading through the shit in the folder and had no idea how or why Velvet would have mixed herself up with someone like James Worthington.

Blade changed the subject. “Black Deeds giving you any grief these days?”

“Not that I’m aware of. Their new president seems to be keeping them in line.”

“Good.” He paused before continuing. “I think Marcus has some shit planned; you need to keep your eye on that.”

My head jerked up at that. “What do you know?”

“Still confirming information but my contacts tell me he’s looking to get back into drug distribution. In a big way.”

“Yeah, it’s what we suspect too.”

“And Scott’s on board with that?”

“Fuck no.” My voice reverberated around the room.

“Well thank fuck for that. Marcus is an idiot for considering it. Storm does well without the drugs. The attention it will bring you from the cops isn’t worth it.”

“You’re investigating Marcus?” I asked. Blade seemed to be on the ball with everything and everyone so I guessed he was.

“I’ve always kept an eye on my father.” His voice turned cold while talking about Marcus. He paused, thoughtful for a moment before pinning me with a hard gaze. “I have increased my surveillance on Marcus. Recently a name came up that I’ve never heard of. You ever heard him talk about someone called Blue?”

“No. What was the context?” My interest was piqued and I waited impatiently for him to tell me more.

“All we know is that Marcus is looking for someone by that name. And we believe that the Adelaide President is helping him do that.”

My mind was going in a million different directions trying to work out what this could be about. But I came up blank. “I’ll pass that information on to Scott,” I said, hoping he would know who Blue was. We needed to figure this shit out soon because Marcus was moving fast with his plans.

“Tell Scott to contact me if he wants in on this and I’ll keep him up to date.”

I frowned at what he’d said. “You two don’t talk?”

Blade fixed that hard gaze on me again. “We’re not close, no. My brother is stubborn where I’m concerned. Seems to be a trait he shares with our father.” His tone pricked my skin with it’s barbs.

He didn’t wait for me to say anything before he stood and made it clear I was to leave. I held up the folder he’d given me. “Thanks for this,” I said, and then turned and left his office.

Blade and his odd relationship with Scott was soon forgotten as I contemplated sorting Velvet’s ex-husband out. My fists were itching to have their way with him, but I knew I had to tread carefully. His connections meant I had to approach this from a different angle than I usually approached assholes. Fuck though, I could go a round with him and be a very happy man.

***

Nash

A couple of hours later, after dealing with Storm business, I walked into James’s office ready to do battle with him. His secretary was reluctant to let me in but when he’d opened the door to find me waiting, he hadn’t wasted any time letting me in.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” he drawled as he sat behind his desk. The arrogance was dripping from him and I squeezed my fists to settle them.

I threw the folder Blade had given me on his table and nodded at it. “Take a look, asshole.”

His brows raised. Patronising. Again, I reminded myself to ask Velvet what attracted her to him.

He opened the folder and I watched the flicker of surprise cross his face. After he’d flicked through some of it, he looked up at me. A cold stare emanated from his eyes, and he attempted to call my bluff. Throwing the folder back across the desk at me, he said, “You’ve wasted your time coming here, Mr Walker, if you think any of this worries me.”

He’d looked into me. Interesting. “I think that if any of that doesn’t worry you, you’re a bigger dickhead than I gave you credit for.”

He contemplated my words. “Where did Velvet drag you from? Actually, don’t bother answering that. You’re exactly the type of man that is about right for her.”

I fought the desire to introduce him to my fists. “Where the fuck did she drag you from? It’s beyond me what she saw in you.”

“I can assure you that I had a lot more to offer her than you do. I can see exactly what she sees in you; she sees her father.”