Read BORDEN 2 for Free Online Page B

again.
     
    “Good,” he said, his voice clearing up, the rage slipping away. “Now let’s talk business.”
     
    Whatever tension there was vanished in a blink of an eye… except the tension within me – that only worsened.
     
    There, in front of me, they talked business, and it was there, I realized, I’d just been pulled into a separate world, one Borden had worked hard never to let me into.
     
    I didn’t know what to think, and frankly, I was too frightened to.
     
    *
     
    They’d spoken for over an hour. About money, dates, the goings-on at the port, the cartel the MC kicked their drugs to, and every fucking illegal thing under the sun you can think of. I was in a state of shock, wanting to block out their words and drift away in thought. But I couldn’t do it. I listened to every single thing they spoke about, enough to know that that Borden did a number of shocking deals on the side. From loaning money to orchestrating connections for hits, the list went on.
     
    He was also a launderer. I pieced it together myself only because Hector tried to bring him into the deals. Borden refused and said he had no interest in money. It hit me all of a sudden. He was laundering his own money, bleeding it into his businesses so it went unnoticed. It explained why he would come here and start buying everything up so quickly. The one thing that wasn’t brought up was how Borden made his initial money when he returned five years ago, and Hector either already knew or didn’t care to.
     
    Secrets seemed to be well respected in the criminal world. There was no itch on either side to uncover them. Borden didn’t need to know why Hector needed the port. Didn’t care to ask what was going to be coming in. It was like the less he knew, the better.
     
    Then it was about me and my protection. All Borden had to do was snap his fingers and the bikers would deliver me to their clubhouse under their strict protection. Borden made it clear that if I was touched in any way, or hurt by any of the “savages” that he would cut ties straight away. Hector agreed, though I could tell it was difficult for him to. Yeah, because it was so fucking hard to babysit me in their little fucking nasty ass clubhouse and leave me untouched, right? Never mind that I had no say in the matter, or that I’d get absolutely no enjoyment being there whatsoever.
     
    I kind of did feel like a piece of property. I was an item in the biker’s eyes that would be moved around places when the time came, and Borden didn’t make it any better by going along with it. By the time all was said and done, Hector’s annoyances disappeared. He was visibly relaxed. He stood up from the chair and said, “Now that’s all sorted out, how about we fucking move on from this shit and have some fun?”
     
    “Go on,” Borden told him, dismissively. “You can’t fuck up my club more than it already is. I’ll be here –”
     
    “Fuck no,” Hector interrupted, shaking his head adamantly. “We just made a deal to end all deals. This is a time for celebration, and the men will want to see you for this. It’s history for our club. You have no idea the kind of pressure we’ve been under. You may be a mean fucker, but you know better than anyone else you have to nurture a good business relationship in order for it to work.”
     
    Borden exhaled slowly, the exhaustion in his eyes showing. “Alright, then.”
     
    Hector was satisfied, and it wasn’t until we were out the door, Borden’s hand gripping mine, that I realized why he’d been eager to keep me inside that office.
     
    *
     
    The club had been turned upside down. It was pandemonium at its finest. There were bikers everywhere. Drinking. Arguing. Laughing. Feeling up the dozens of half-naked women, some with their breasts hanging out, while talking casually to one another. Some of the women really enjoyed it, smiling at the attention, encouraging the intimacy. Others weren’t even mentally there, their