a facade `

“I’m getting the sense that some might feel like there could be a better suited leader than a young woman who wants to play with the big boys?” The brunette asked since that was how she had been treated when she first came into the academy. Mostly because she had the ego of a cocky man, and a lot of them were pissed that she could knock them out too. Her brow rose when the male mentioned back up and she could only show her excitement in the way her grin turned lopsided. “Come on now, you really got to ask? It’s been a while since I’ve gotten my hands dirty. I’m always game, King.”

“It’s a big gang, lots of guys older than her that’ve been in this scene longer.” He returned with a nod of his head, leaning back against the hard seat of the cruiser. Mason knew Harlow was capable of many things, especially given that she’d seen some of them firsthand. A grin soon curved his lips, Mason nodding his head, “Figured you would be. I’ve got to play my cards right, but I’m guessing I’ve got a short window to work with. I need her father still locked up when I make my move.”

“I have a feeling that I did…because that’s disgusting,” she reached for her napkin and started to wipe the signature dish from her mouth. “I do-because good lord how can anyone eat that slop?” she reached for her iced tea and drained it to get the taste out of her mouth.

Dylan blew the male a kiss and a wink through the mirror, then grinned at the male. Sometimes she felt it was unfortunate that they were similarly on the opposite side of the law right now as it would have been a lot easier if he came out from being undercover. Then again, some things were more important. As he spoke, she sighed aloud and nodded. “Yeah, I know who you’re talking about? How much of a threat is she? Think she can make it work?” While children often wanted to follow the steps of their parents, they were big shoes to fill and if she would crumble and burn herself, then it would make their job simpler. “But yeah, I can do that.”

There were times when Mason wished that he’d never taken up the undercover work. Wished that he could be back in New York, living his day to day life without the risk of meddling in a gang. But then he’d never have gotten back in touch with his brother, wouldn’t have been able to save him from what was to come. “Definitely less of one than her dad is. She’s got trust and loyalty, but it only extends so far. A lot of these guys came in expecting her dad to be in charge, not her.” And if the doubt was already creeping in, it wouldn’t be long before something started to slip. “Thanks, that’ll help a lot. Might even need to call you for backup. That is, if you’re game.”

“What….in the hell….” was the only thing Cheyenne could say when she ate it, and it tasted quite…different. “What the hell did I just taste just now?”

“Shame, convicts don’t get special treatment, King.” The girl said with a little quirk of her lips and a playful shrug of her shoulder. Funnily, she actually began to find that his presence had grown on her which only made it difficult since he was meant to be a lowlife criminal. When the conversation turned serious, she peered at him through her mirror and nodded. “I’ve heard of him. Gruesome shit. But nothing recent, why?”

Dylan couldn’t help but smirk when the male mentioned going to a drive through before they arrived at the station for their monthly arrest and share con. She would arrest him for some petty crime and gather any new information he had. “Not that bad of an idea,” she said with a nod, eyeing the surrounding restaurants as she drove. “Plus might be worth it to see you try to wiggle up to the glass and catch the food I try to squeeze through the slot.”

His denial only made her all the more curious as to why he wanted her to take point, perhaps he doubted her; in which case he could all he liked, she wasn’t here to prove herself. Despite it, she rolled her eyes and nodded, moving past him to head towards the backroom of the building where the figure head of their rival likely waited for them. It wasn’t ideal, but a momentary documented accord between them would garner certain problems they both shared incapable, that and it’d give the Jackals an opening to bring in a new shipment. “The guys are only a block away if things go bad, don’t let them go bad.” Whatever decision she’d made to bring him as her second was..– questionable, but he’d done all he had to to earn her trust, and her fathers. The reminder had Harlow looking to what she knew to be his own weapon beneath his clothing, wondering whether he’d offer her the same moment of unflinching loyalty he’d offered her father the night he was arrested. “They’re trigger happy, so maybe it is better you don’t take point, you’d no doubt just piss them off.”

“Since you seem so unsure of yourself and I can’t bank on that, looks like it.” She might have usually let someone else take it, her new stance among the gang wasn’t as welcomed by everyone as might have been expected, but she’d earn it by running things as they’d always gone, “Try to keep up, King.”

“Let’s just call it a gut feeling,” he mused with a half-smile, as though it were a personal inside joke that only Connor were privy to. “And a girl.” It would be a sore lack of truth to exclude that meeting Harlow had been one of the driving factors as to why he stayed, why he planted roots in some tiny Georgian town. When it came to discussing personal matters with his brother, the eldest King held no reservations about admitting his own shortcomings or lack of foresight with certain aspects of his life. He wasn’t perfect and made no claims otherwise. “Like I said, guys in their early twenties aren’t known for smart decisions.” A rarity that people ever asked Connor for his opinion on current matters, most often he figured they just assumed his agreement always lay with Harlow. “I think he made a mistake and shouldn’t be crucified for it, but I also know that loyalty means everything in the gang. Actions have consequences; I’m just glad she hasn’t gone off the deep end with them.”

“A bunch. Mostly through the Carolina’s and never for more than a few weeks. Westport was the first place worth settling in for longer.” And now it appeared to be the only stop left on his route, finally having some semblance of family and stability for the first time in thirty plus years of life. “And how many twenty-two year olds do you know that have it all figured out?” Adult by legal standards, but a person’s early twenties were perhaps the most chaotic chapter by far. “Well he’s not dead yet, but that doesn’t mean he’s welcomed back with open arms. There are consequences and Harlow will decide them.”

“Yeah, it is. And no, it’s not for fucking sale.” She paused as she looked at him. “Or was that even what you were going to ask?”

“Not quite yet. I haven’t sundowned often enough to earn that jab, thanks.” Though Connor had long since been used to joked which preyed upon his status as the oldest Jackal below Alejandro himself. Granted, his general attitude certainly did him no favors either. “New York’s crazy is understandable, this place… Small towns just love making their own drama.” If he hadn’t cocooned himself within the shell of Westport and built a life over the past decade, it might have been enough to pack his bags. “Ryker’s just that— a kid. Not one I like much for obvious reasons, but we were all young and dumb once. Even me.” A quiet callback to mistakes made between the brothers once upon a time. “I’m just shocked Harlow hasn’t skinned him alive in the town square yet.”

There was an audible scoff emanating from him, the only response to the older King’s words. It wasn’t that he had nothing to say, but he figured that a nice break from the petty comments was well deserved for the both of them. Plus, there were more important matters to discuss. “Yeah, and how many small towns have you lived in?” Though he had just been throwing jabs at Connor, the question came out genuine. Even if they’d been torn apart from each other for more than a decade, that didn’t mean Mason wasn’t interested in hearing what his brother had been up to, or where he’d gone. “He’s twenty-two,” and a gang member at that, “I’d hardly call him a kid.” By twenty-two, Mason was already enlisted with the NYPD and patrolling streets he used to nick wallets from strangers on. For the sake of himself, he chose not to touch on Connor’s brief personal comment. “So --- what’s gonna happen to him?”

“You do remember how to recognize sarcasm, right?” After all, their original meeting in Westport occurred within the confines of the very mechanics shop that they both worked. Not to mention the position left them forced into side-by-side diagnosis of various vehicles. “Sounds like just another day in this place, I can’t say I’m totally surprised.” Though things had certainly grown stranger since the Hawthorne girl’s demise. “I meant the stuff with Alejandro… How much do you know about what went down?”

“Have you seen you? You don’t exactly scream music festival, rock concert at best, but a whole festival? I’m baffled, Mr King. Completely baffled.” Releasing her hold on him, she stepped back a little too preoccupied by the music to take note of her balance all that much, “Only one condition? You drive a hard bargain, but I feel like you already knew that.” Chewing at the inside of her cheek she looked down at her leg, lifting it to the tip of her toe to move it left to right slowly, “You know, not yet.. but I feel it coming, you know? We’re definitely in the final stages of possession. Think you can handle that?”