Edge Of Fear (Arrow's Edge MC Book 4) by Freya Barker (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

whispers in my ear, as he drapes an arm over my shoulder.

“So what do you think?” I ask Ravi, as I step closer and let the mastiff mix sniff my hand.

In all honesty, whenever I thought about getting a dog, I envision something cute and fluffy, not the big brown scarred face in front of me. Half of one of his ears is missing, the jowl on the same side of his face looks like it was patched together, and a thick rope of scar tissue runs from his flank down his back leg.

“What’s his name?” I ask the woman who is showing us around.

“He didn’t have one when he was brought in, but we’ve been calling him Van, for Van Gogh.”

She points at his missing ear. Makes sense.

The dog leisurely licks my hand as the woman continues.

“He listens to it well enough. Seems to be well-trained and is good with the other animals, even though we suspect he may have been used in dog fights. The vet guesses him to be about five years old and other than the obvious scars, he appears to be in good health.”

“I like him.”

I look down at Ravi in surprise. It’s the first thing he’s said since he got in the back of my Jeep earlier.

“What do you think, Fee?”

I glance over at Tse and then back at the dog. He’s watching me with woeful brown eyes.

“I like him too.”

CHAPTER 16

Sophia

I DON’T RECOGNIZE the SUV parked beside Paco’s truck in the driveway when we pull in.

“That’s Ouray,” Tse announces.

While we get out of my Jeep—Ravi holds on to Van’s leash—I wonder what he’s doing here. We’ve been gone a couple of hours, stopping in at Walmart to grab all I would need for the dog and a few groceries, before returning to the animal shelter to pick up Van. He reacted as if he’d already adopted us, with full-body wagging in lieu of a nonexistent tail and enthusiastic licks.

He hopped right onto the back seat, sitting up straight with his nose pressed through the small crack I rolled the window down to. He looked almost happy, insofar as a dog can look happy. Ravi sat beside him, putting his hand on the dog’s back, and kept it there for the trip back to my place.

I have a feeling I’ll be seeing more of the boy.

“Ravi, keep a hold of him for now, okay?”

I’m not sure how Van is going to react to the two men somewhere in my house.

“Sure.”

Tse walks ahead, opens the door, and I follow him in with Ravi and the dog on my heels.

“Whoa, what is that?”

Paco is standing underneath the stairs by the open electrical panel. I can see Ouray outside on the deck, his phone by his ear.

It’s weird having these guys appearing to be at ease in my house. My guess is that’s what life would be like if Tse lived here too, his brothers automatically feeling at home. Come to think of it, he’s spent as much time here as I have this weekend. Stranger yet is the fact I haven’t even tried to claim this place as my own.

“A dog,” Ravi answers innocently, and something about that twists in my heart.

“His name is Van Gogh,” I provide.

“He friendly?” Paco wants to know, approaching slowly.

“Seems to be.”

Proving me right, Van sticks out his nose and his butt starts wagging when Paco scratches his head.

“Damn, but he’s ugly.”

“He’s not ugly, he’s different, that’s all,” Ravi blurts out angrily, and I watch Paco’s expression soften.

“Yeah, bud, you’re right.”

I’m about to tell Ravi to take off his leash when the dog’s head snaps around, and he growls deep in his throat as the sliding door opens and Ouray steps inside.

“It’s all good, boy,” Tse rumbles, and the dog’s single ear twitches at the sound of his deep voice. “Give me the leash, Ravi.”

Ouray stopped inside the door and waits for Tse to walk toward him; Van’s head low between his shoulders as he tentatively follows.

“He’s a friend. Friend,” he repeats as the dog approaches, sniffing Ouray’s hands he keeps by his side.

Ouray doesn’t move until Van nudges a hand with his nose, asking for a scratch.

“Good choice,” Ouray comments, his eyes on me. “No one’s gonna walk in here uninvited.”

Tse asks Ravi to take Van outside, but keep him on the leash for now. After he closes the door behind the boy, he walks up and pulls me close, wrapping an arm around me before turning to Ouray, suddenly all business.

“What’s going on?”

Instead of looking at Tse, Ouray looks at me.

“Cops found thirty-five thousand in cash in the storage room.”

“What?”

I about launch myself forward, but Tse tightens his hold on me.

“Hidden in large denomination bills under false bottoms in the empty produce boxes. And that’s not all,” he adds. “They also found a bag containing fentanyl and meth in the house backing up to our property. It looked like the one you told Ramirez Mandy was carrying. The house also wasn’t as empty as it looked from the outside. They surprised a couple of young guys crashed there with loaded weapons. Took ‘em into custody. Luna ended up calling in her crew. She’s still on the scene, the FBI is stepping in.”

I sink down on the couch and drop my head in my hands. All that money in my kitchen? Holy shit.

“I don’t get it,” I mumble.

“I do,” Tse responds. “Wouldn’t be the first time produce was used as a cover to transport illegal drugs, and it’s not a surprise the FBI is taking over. Drugs are likely shipped in with the produce. They used the Backyard as cover for the distribution. Next delivery they pick up the empty boxes,” he emphasizes his words with air quotes, “and the money hidden inside.”

“Looks like it,” Ouray agrees with Tse before turning his attention to me. “What do you know about Mandy Roberts?”

I can feel the blood drain from my face. I hired her. I gave her the keys to the