Thanks so much for your reviews. To the two guest reviewers, I love hearing that you're getting sucked in! I am loving writing this story, so am glad that you are intrigued. Thanks to Alex, snn7b, and aliqueen for your great reviews and ideas. Alex- I agree with you and really want to work more with Joe's family relationship to the Reagans. There are a lot of storylines going with all these characters and I'm trying to figure out where to work Joe in. (And thanks to those who have reviewed or messaged me to tell me you're shipping Kate and Carlos. I am too!)

Chapter 9

Joe made sure he looked annoyed. Like walking into Doubleshots was the last thing he wanted to do. It had only taken a day for Kate to let him and Carlos know their cover was intact and they could get back under with the Dimeboys.

He followed Carlos through the door of the bar and willed himself not to look toward the bar right away to check on Kate. He saw Carlos scan the room and knew he was looking for Kate, though he made it look like he was just taking in the situation at large.

Joe saw Johnny at the bar and then he spotted Kate. Her jaw was tight and her movements jerky, though she moved with her usual efficiency. She saw him and said something to Johnny.

Johnny turned on his stool and gave Joe an appraising look before giving Carlos the same once over.

"Have a seat," Johnny said, with a nod toward the stools next to him.

"We'll stand," Joe said. Kate had filled them in on what she had told Johnny. They needed to return as reluctant buyers, distrustful of the Dimeboys after Hux had come after them with a knife when the last deal fell apart. He looked toward Kate, wondering what she had told them about her gunshot. She had only told Carlos she had taken care of it.

Johnny nodded. "You want a drink?" He jerked his chin toward Kate. "Least she can do after getting in the way with the last deal."

Carlos shook his head. "Why are we here?" he demanded. "Hux made it clear he didn't trust us. We don't do business with people who don't trust us."

Johnny slid off his stool then. "That was Hux," he said. "He made some unfortunate choices over the years." He glanced back at Kate with a look that made Joe's skin crawl. Kate focused on wiping down glasses and putting them away without sparing any of them a look. "But there's a new hand on the wheel. And I have big plans. Plans that go beyond guns."

Glass shattered and they looked to see Kate standing over a broken glass. She muttered an apology and went to get a broom.

The ghost of a smile that hovered around Johnny's lips at the sight of Kate so unnerved had Joe's blood running cold. He may not have the same feelings about the girl as his partner clearly did, but there was still a connection there. Something that drew him toward Kate, made him feel like he was supposed to protect her.

Joe could see a vein pulsing in Carlos' temple at Johnny's words and the look he gave Kate.

"Where do we fit in these plans?" Joe asked before his partner could do something that blew up in their faces.

The grin that had threatened spread across Johnny's face. "My girl here told me you had come to an agreement with Hux. I want to move forward with it. With all the guns you want."

Carlos glanced at Joe, as if there was any debate they would do with business with Johnny. Joe raised an eyebrow before giving a slight nod.

"Let's sit down and hear what you have to say," Carlos said.

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Carlos was aware of every movement Kate made across the bar while he and Joe sat with Johnny discussing numbers and geography. She was on edge in a way he hadn't seen her before and he wanted nothing more than to find out what was really going on now that Hux was dead. For all the times he had seen Hux grab Kate or make an idle threat, he had never seen Kate as tense as she was with Johnny around. Before, Johnny had been the one in charge of moving the guns, and that kept him in the back of the bar or out on trips. Carlos and Joe hadn't had much interaction with him. And apparently Hux had been keeping his second in command in check.

That check was gone now.

Joe leaned back in his seat. Carlos was sure it had to be killing him to be moving around so much, but Joe didn't give any sign of the pain from his knife wound, other than fine lines around his mouth.

They were done hammering out the details of their purchase of the guns. In three weeks time, a big shipment would come in and hopefully that would be when they could finally take down the Dime boys.

"What are these plans you have that don't include guns?" Joe asked casually. He motioned over to Kate to bring a beer.

Carlos looked around the bar like he wasn't interested in Johnny's answer. He kept tabs on Kate's movement from the corner of his eye. Something was wrong. He had heard it in her voice when she called him to arrange the deal, and again later when she had made the call on her own to fill him and Joe in on the story she was selling about Hux. She had denied anything being different and refused to answer any questions before saying she had to go and hanging up on him.

Johnny smiled that slow predatory grin again. "There's money in a lot of other markets besides guns. Hux never wanted to widen our circle to make that happen. He didn't want to bring in the necessary players."

Carlos spared him a glance. "What markets?" he asked in a bored tone. "Moving H? You got enough of a crew to move guns and drugs?"

"I'm thinking of all the entertainment that goes along with heroin," Johnny said.

Kate approached with a beer for Joe and Carlos in each hand. Johnny reached an arm out around her waist and pulled her down into the seat with him.

Kate gave Johnny a dull smile, her hair falling in her face enough that Carlos couldn't see her eyes. "Another drink for you, Johnny?" she asked.

Johnny ignored her question and looked back at Carlos and Joe, a spark of something dark in his eyes. "We got a whole empty apartment upstairs. Never been used for anything, just sitting there empty. I can think of a whole second business we could be doing up there."

Carlos slid his hands under the table to hide the way his fists clenched when Kate tensed up next to Johnny.

Johnny looked to Carlos. "Tell you what, I'll let you get a sample of where I'm taking things, no charge, to show you I do business different than Hux. Mend fences and all that." He shoved Kate off the booth seat and she stumbled to catch her balance. "We'll have other girls, but Kate will give you a good idea of what we'll have to offer."

Carlos lifted an eyebrow to show he was interested and gave Kate an appraising look, as if he'd never really looked at her before.

She avoided looking at him, standing there like a calf at auction with the three of them looking her over.

"Sounds good to me," Carlos said laconically. He winked at Joe even as his stomach churned at what was happening to Kate. "Don't wait for me."

Joe let out a laugh that sounded good, but Carlos could hear the slight catch of disgust for the whole situation.

Johnny dropped a key into Carlos' hand. "Take your time, enjoy the…product."

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