Boulder (Riders of Apollo #5)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Ford Wilson

Every few weeks we have to have a meeting with all three heads of the Mafias. For no other reason, than to discuss current expenditures, trades and other boring parts of the contract we made to each other. It was hard fought and we all had to compromise on more than we wanted too but since we have Saviour, there really is nothing they can do to us.

Unless Reign pisses Sav off, then we're all fucked.

Currently, we're waiting on Lorenzo - the head of the Italian Mafia - who is always late. We've even resorted to telling him an earlier time than usual but he just doesn't care at this point. It gets really fucking annoying after awhile because then we spend the first ten minutes of the meeting in an argument over the time wasted by him being late to then waste more fucking time talking about it.

You see the issue?

Matias and Lucia are having one of their couple moments, where everyone else in the room doesn't exist. Iosif is cuddling Miracle and cooing in his rough accent, despite his feared persona he really is a teddy bear. I imagine he'd hate it if we told him that though.

"I have arrived!" Lorenzo cheers in his perfectly tailored suit made of Italian wool, matching fucking waistcoat and the bejewelled walking stick that he doesn't even need. He's all about vanity and I've never seen him in anything other than Italian finery. Not that I even know the difference, he just tells us that every time.

He takes his seat with his security behind him and Bear starts the meeting. Lucia looks around the room with her piercing eyes and stops Bear midsentence. "Where is Riley?" Bear is obviously pissed that he got interrupted but he just rolls his eyes and tells her that Riley is at home since she's not part of the chapter. "Well yes but what Matias and I need to talk about includes her, does it not?"

"Boulder call her." I roll my eyes and leave the room to grab my phone, she doesn't answer and I immediately assume that she's asleep. "No answer?"

"No, Prez." Bear gestures to me and Lucia gives up on her pursuit, settling back in her chair with a dissatisfied grumble.

The meeting continues with the same bullshit as we're not making any money because of lockdown, the leaders are pissed that we're not fulfilling our quota so we're probably gonna have to lift lockdown just to do a few runs to make it back. "Sorry I'm late, my alarm didn't go off." Riley walks in looking very unimpressed, she's dressed in jeans and leather with her hair in curls and holsters tied to her thighs.

"Maybe you should get a new alarm clock." Lexie tells her, making her laugh.

"Oh, the alarm clock works just fine, I just didn't set it." She strolls passed the lot of us to take a beer from Leo and hop up onto the bar.

"We have a request." Lucia starts, a few minutes before the meeting comes to an end.

"What do you need?" Bear knows that there is only so much he can give them considering the treaties but he also has to try and fulfil the wish to the best of his ability.

"We need Riley." Matias continues and my heart jumps. Fuck.

"What for?" Bear continues and Riley laughs, still drinking her third beer.

"For a mission." Lucia deadpans and Lexie gets pissed. "She's not one of yours, it's her decision to help us out. You needn't know the details."

"She is an MI6 operative, I think we deserve to know what you want to use her for in an area we all share." Lorenzo demands, glaring at the Mexican King. They have the most animosity, not that anyone has explained why and Lorenzo is always the hardest to keep calm.

"Riley?" Matias prompts the woman in question and she looks pissed off. She opens her mouth to speak before spinning back around to Leo.

"I need tequila before I shoot someone." Leo passes her the entire bottle like a smart little kid and she necks some of it, not even wincing at the taste. "I am not someone that can be passed around, demanded of and used. I am a British operative, not someone at your beck and call. Just because I have been kind to you and helped you in a time of need does not mean I am on your side. I am impartial and I do not appreciate being dictated. I will come to yours this evening to discuss this in private, Matias. The rest of you don't need to know a fucking thing and if you pull something like this again, I am gone. Understand?"

Fucking perfect.

She slams the bottle of tequila on the bar and leaves, obviously in an even worse mood than she was when she got here. I follow her out with everyone's eyes on me and I find her smoking a cigarette and glaring at the floor. "You good?" I ask, coming up behind her and she leans back against me with a heavy breath.

"I am furious, stressed, exhausted. Just fed up, that's all."

"I suppose you're homesick as well." She spins in my hold and smiles up at me.

"Not really, here is just as bad as England." I laugh and we walk off since she's drank to much to drive and I can't be bothered to go back inside to get my keys.

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I was able to hang out with Riley for a few hours at her place, actually talking not fucking and I find myself deeper into something I don't want to get out of. I'm not gonna be given that choice though because she won't ever be mine and I'm just giving myself false hope.

She left to go and see Matias so I walked back to the clubhouse to then be bombarded with questions. Bear then gets Romeo to find her on the cameras so that he can track her as her tracker was removed the first time we spoke to her. I warned him against doing it, knowing that if she found out about it she'd have Bear's ass and it wouldn't be pretty.

Unfortunately, for Bear Romeo isn't allowed to access the cameras with a mile radius of Matias' house so we can't see what's happening beyond that point. Pissing off Bear and making him pace in his standard fashion that stresses the rest of us out for no fucking reason. "I still don't see why it's our business." I state, leaning against the wall of the lounge and looking up at the projector screen with all the camera feeds on.

"I just wanna know what they're using her for, she may not officially be one of mine but I'll protect her like one." Bear replies and my body feels fuzzy at that statement. As I said, too fucking deep into this and soon I'm not gonna want to get out of it.

I'm playing a dangerous game and I'm playing it alone.