I wait until all the seats are filled, then immediately get started.
“With all the excitement yesterday, we heard Niran’s account but nothing from Reboot and Smoker. Let’s rectify that now.” As my eyes fall on the last man I’ve named, I notice he’s looking particularly pale today. His chest moves fast as though he’s taking in shallow and frequent breaths. At the very least the man might require oxygen. I’ll have to ask. In my view, he’s got weeks, not months, unless he accepts some help.
It’s he who first raises his fingers. I raise my chin toward him. “They didn’t suspect me, Prez.” He pauses and starts hacking. Pennywise gets up, walks down the table, and puts a sealed bottle of water in front of him. Smoker opens it, gives a grateful nod of thanks, and drinks some. His voice sounds hoarse and noticeably weaker than normal when he continues. “So,” he waves disparagingly at his chest, “I couldn’t stay quiet. A man came out to have a smoke. Hispanic. He investigated who was making all that noise. I bummed a cigarette, and he asked me if I was hungry. I said yes, not thinking anything of it, but wanting to keep up my cover.” He takes another few sips of his water. “He finishes his smoke and goes back inside. Comes out with a tortilla filled with some good shit.”
“Nice fella,” Salem observes. “Get anything out of him?”
“Nah. When I thanked him, he told me he knew what it was like to be hungry. Then he disappeared before I could question him.”
It would have been hard even if the guy had stayed to chat. What could Smoker have asked? Hey, you got the entrance to a tunnel around here?
“While I was eating, I nosed around. That auto-shop place? There’s a back entrance facing the restaurant. The area between the two premises looks like it’s used quite a lot, a well-trodden path. Could be the workers like Mexican food for lunch, or—”
“Or they use the shop for cover for the trucks transporting the immigrants out.” Bones sniffs and glances at me.
I’d like to get into that shop and check it out. “Any lights on there? Anyone working late?”
Smoker shakes his head. “All locked and closed up. I got as close as I could but saw nothing to indicate anyone around.”
I raise my chin toward the man who’s coughing once again. He’d done good, and I convey that with my nod.
“We could go tonight, Lost? See what more we can find. After hours when the restaurant has closed up.”
I nod at Dart, then look around. “Whose lock-picking skills are up to speed?”
“I’ll go.” Token’s raising his hand. “In case they’ve got alarms and shit, I can jam the signal.”
“We’ll go.” Salem knocks his fist against Pennywise’s bunched knuckles.
“How many do you need, Prez?”
I think for a moment. If we turn up in force, it’s more likely we could be spotted. “Me, Token, Niran and Salem.” I pause and glance around. “Dart, you take Grumbler, Blaze and Kink and see if you can find anything in the restaurant. Pennywise, can you take up a spot and keep an eye out for us?”
“Want me to go loaded?”
“Yeah.” Pennywise is a sniper with super powerful sights on his rifle. He’s often our lookout being able to spot trouble from a long way out.
“You’re not leaving me out, Prez.” Smoker speaks up. “They fed me last night. Won’t raise questions if I hang around again tonight. Vagrants will always go back if there’s food around. I’ll have eyes on the ground before closing, see if anything’s moving you need to be given advance warning of.”
“Good idea.” I’d rather he spent the evening in bed, but I’m not going to insult him with that suggestion. “But you stay out of trouble, Smoker, you hear?”
He gives a slight raise of his chin.
“What about us, Prez?” Reboot indicates himself and Keeper. I notice Scribe and Dusty are looking at me too.
“Not tonight,” I say, then to counter their looks of disappointment add, “We all heard Shark, it’s tomorrow it’s going down. That’s when we’ll need all boots on the ground. A small group of us have more chance of staying unseen. Too many, and we might get noticed and they may change their plans.” I change subject but continue addressing myself to Reboot. “We heard Niran’s impression of the place, you notice anything about the restaurant itself?”
“I’d eat there again,” Reboot informs us. “Good food, and the service was fine. I didn’t get the impression the staff were the type to be involved in people smuggling.”
“And what do people smugglers look like?” Deuce challenges him.
Niran frowns and jumps in to back him up. “Of course, it’s hard to tell what’s behind a smile, but they seemed genuine. As Reboot said, the service was good. Waitstaff paid their customers attention, little things like plates being removed as soon as you finish eating, fresh drinks offered when your glass was empty. Of course, we had to leave when Shark raised his head, but that’s what I observed while I was there.”
“What time do they close?” If the restaurant staff are not involved, perhaps it’s after hours when Alder’s minions come out from underground. Maybe literally, in this case.
“Eleven pm,” Reboot says. “I checked.”
“Tonight is about reconnaissance.” I level my best prez stare at each of the men who’ll be accompanying me. “We’re not going in to confront anyone. If someone’s there, if possible, we watch, observe, but don’t engage.”
“Aw shucks, Prez.” Salem flexes his hands, his knuckles cracking audibly. “You spoil all the fun.”
“They’ve got an alarm,” Niran puts in, keeping the discussion on track. “I noticed that. Token’s the expert, but to me, it looked quite sophisticated.”
“We’ll step carefully,” Token agrees. “Did you see what the make was?” When Niran nods and names a popular brand, the technical guy smiles. “Only a few local firms install those systems. I’ll hack into their databases and see exactly what they’ve got. Oh, and Prez? Got those new toys I’d like to try out.”
My brow furrows, then I raise my chin and grin. “Okay, get them handed out, Toke.”
“Oooh. We getting new toys?” Kink asks.
“Not the ones you’re used to,” Reboot quips.
“Bluetooth earbuds,” Token explains. “I’ll hook us all up on the same line. Keep communications open all the time. That way if anyone spots anything, they can warn everyone immediately.”
“Fuck. I’ll have Pennywise barking in my ear all the time,” Salem complains, receiving a middle finger pointed at him from the aforementioned man.
“Right.” For once, I bang the gavel. “That’s all we can plan for tonight. An information-seeking mission. Tomorrow we’ll make our move.”
“And what move is that?” Grumbler asks.
All eyes are on me.
For the last three years I’ve not had to do much more than keep our businesses going and men fed and happy. This is the first time I’ve really been tested. I’m used to men looking to me for advice on whether we should start a custom motorcycle business or take on a new tattoo artist.
I’ve been a member of the MC for many years. I’m no stranger to death or violence. Last night was the first time I was directly responsible for ordering a man’s death, and I’d slept like a newborn baby after. Shark was a traitor, and there was only one way to deal with him.
Today, I’m being asked to make decisions that will put my men in danger. Tonight, we won’t engage, if necessary, we’ll make a retreat. Tomorrow’s a different matter.
Admit it. I named you right. You’re lost. You’ve got no answers. Everyone is looking at you to lead them and you’re just going to let them down.
Shaking my head to clear it, I do what I’ve always done, taken people through my thought processes.
“I want Alder.” I state that so there can be no misunderstanding. Taking Alder down is the only reason the club is involved in this. All eyes are still watching me. “From what Shark said, we might get lucky and catch him there tomorrow night.
If he isn’t? Well, somehow we’ve got to draw him out.”
“How?” Grumbler asks. I notice he doesn’t offer a solution.
I’ve an idea in my head. “We send him a message. If this is a two-way operation tomorrow night, we can expect immigrants coming in, and people to be trafficked taken out. We liberate all of them.”
Dart frowns. “Sometimes traffickers target people they want. It happened in Tucson. Drummer’s old lady, Sam, got onto their lists. Shark mentioned something important. Maybe the whole contingent, or one or two, were particularly chosen? We just set them free, they could still be in danger of being picked up.”
He’s made a good point. “The women, kids, hell, men? Boys?” I run through who’s likely. “We’ll drop them at the local hospital. Fuck knows they’ll be in need of medical attention, if only mentally. They can contact the authorities and they can take it from there. My focus is Alder.”
Smoker sits back, his hands in the pockets of his cut. “So we don’t wear our colours. Go in incognito, else we’ll have the law banging our door down.”
“Mask. Balaclavas.” I look around at everyone. “Smoker’s right, so make sure no one sees anything to recognise you.”
Smoker’s on a roll now. “Or why not bring them here to the compound? You could use them as bait, hold them hostage until Alder meets up with you.”
“Complicated as shit, Brother.” I shake my head. “The compound’s not set up for fuck knows how many women.” And all desperate to get home I would expect.
“Your ol’ lady could be in charge of them.” Smoker raises his eyebrow.
I open my mouth to tell him firstly, she’s not been accepted officially as my old lady, and secondly, that she wouldn’t do that, but then I reconsider. Patsy very well might. While I haven’t asked her, I reckon she’d do whatever was needed. Her compassion and understanding, the way she put others before herself was all part of her attraction. But despite all that, if I thought she wouldn’t be able to hack it as the old lady of an MC prez, I would have left well enough alone.
“Why don’t you just come out and get us to vote on it?” Dart leans back in his chair, linking his hands behind his head. “You want her as your old lady, don’t you?”
“I, er…” How exactly do I do this? We’ve got, and had, a lack of old ladies around here. Dart is the only one who has an old lady, and Alex had come with him from Tucson.
“Look, you just fuckin’ ask for a vote.” Dart’s chuckling at me. “Tell you what, I’ll do it as you’ve got a horse in this race. All those in favour of Prez taking Patsy as his old lady, say, aye.”
A chorus of agreement sounds.
“Anyone say nay?”
Silence.
“Okay.” I grin widely, nodding my thanks to my VP. “Seems I’ve got an old lady if she agrees. But we’re not bringing the women back to the compound.”
Smoker sighs deeply, then when his coughing fit ends, says regretfully, “Shame, some of them could have been whores looking for a new place to start over.”
“Should have known you just wanted to get your dick wet, old man.” Snips, sitting next to him, bumps his fist against Smoker’s arm lightly.
“You fuckin’ kidding, Brother?” Bones stares down the table at him. “Fuckin’ would probably kill you.”
Silence descends, broken only by Smoker’s cough and Bones sniffing.
Smoker breaks it himself, catching the treasurer’s eye and saying with a wink, “Can think of worse ways to go.”
Dart clears his throat. “Back on topic. How are we going to smoke Alder out?”
Grumbler leans forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands. “Tell him we want a slice of his business?”
It’s a good suggestion. I raise my chin. “He’s using the tunnel, we know that. His drug route was shut down by the feds according to Shark. Presumably, Dan’s knowledge did a lot of damage.”
“Or Alder doesn’t know exactly what the feds know and could expect them to set a trap.”
Dart’s right. Alder would be hesitant about using any of his established routes, as the feds could be waiting for him anywhere. But Dan didn’t know about the tunnel. Presumably by steering clear of the drugs for now—he probably can’t even know which suppliers are being watched—Alders’ got a need for a new trade. In flesh. “That’s why he resurrected an old route.”
“Or maybe Phil used it all along?” This comes from the normally quiet Dusty. When I raise my eyebrow at him, he continues, “Could be he thought Patsy might be in the know about it. If he had to stop one business because of the knowledge Dan had, maybe he wants her out of the way just in case Phil told her about his plans.”
That could make sense. Well, nothing else has so far.
“So we could hold our knowledge of the existence of his tunnel for ransom.” Salem grins, showing his teeth. “I like that idea.”
I do, too. “We tell him we want part of his business, or hush money to keep us quiet about it at least. If he doesn’t meet to discuss it, we’ll inform the tunnel task force or whatever it’s called. He loses everything or gains a partner.”
“And after that meet, we’ll make sure he’s dead.”
It could work.
A kernel of excitement flickers inside me. From the first time I knew Patsy was in danger, I now have a pathway to ending it once and for all.
“Why don’t we contact him now?” Reboot asks. “Why put ourselves in danger?”
If only it was as easy as that. “I don’t know how to contact him,” I explain. Maybe that was a question I should have asked Shark. Too late now. “Throwing a wrench into his smooth-running works will get his attention.”
Again I glance around, studying the faces of every man present. They elected me to lead them, part of which is keeping them safe. Maybe it’s not just Reboot who’s concerned about the danger implicit in what I’ve proposed we do. “This isn’t our fight, this is mine. I want Alder taken out, but that’s because I want my old lady to be free.”
“Stop right there, Prez.” Smoker raises his hand. “I don’t like anything I hear about this Alder. He’s fucking up my town. Drugs were bad enough, but this trafficking he’s got going on?” He raps his knuckles on the table. “I, for one, want him taken down.”
“Goes for me too.” Pennywise nods at Smoker.
“Me three.”
Others follow Salem’s comment.
“Been fuckin’ boring lately,” Bones observes. “I’d like a chance to crack some heads together.”
I’d comment they weren’t taking this seriously, but while their words may be lighthearted, their expressions are not.
My VP’s shaking his head. I cock an eyebrow toward him.
“What you’re forgetting, Prez, is that Patsy’s not just your ol’ lady. Even without that, she’d be club. She’s part of the MC because her daughter is our Colorado brother’s ol’ lady, and Demon, prez of that club, charged us with looking out for her.”
I draw in a breath. He’s right, but I’d overlooked that fact. Some of the guilt of including my brothers in what feels like a personal fight drifts away. If we stepped back, Demon would probably come in to fill the gap. One way or another, Alder was going to meet his end via the Satan’s Devils. Like Salem had earlier, I stretch my hands, making my knuckles crack and grin. “Well, let’s get down to the details then.”
We take a few minutes to agree what time we’re going to head out tonight, then I dismiss them all, sitting back in my chair for a moment. I need some time to go over the plans in my head, thinking of what I might have missed, and what could come up and take us from the blind side.
It all hinges on what we find out. Plans laid can be altered once we know the lay of the land. While I search in the depths of my mind, I can’t think of anything more I can do now.
You’ve forgotten something. Shut up, I tell the voice in my head. You’ve not considered everything. You’re lost before you start. I’ll be seeing you soon.
Abruptly I st
and, kicking at my chair. Problem is, there’s a large part of me that wonders whether the virtual Snake who haunts me is right. Have I forgotten something? Would I let the others down so badly they’ll destroy my cut and burn the tat off my back? Or, maybe I’ll just take a bullet in the head.
What if I’m about to lead my men into a war that we can’t win?
No. I slam both palms down on the table. No, I won’t. I may not trust myself, but I trust them. I couldn’t ask for a better man than Dart to be at my right hand. Salem, Grumbler, Bones and Pennywise know what they’re doing, and I can depend on them. Niran, well, he’ll step up as the sergeant-at-arms if Grumbler ever steps down. And Keeper, Deuce and Reboot were all patched in by me, and I wouldn’t have brought them on board if I didn’t think they’d make the grade.
I may be the prez, may ride at the head, but this club is more than one man. If I were taking the wrong direction, Dart would let me know.
That’s what was missing between me and Snake. Snake always knew which way to head, and never turned back even when he knew he was wrong. He didn’t need to take advice from anyone. Fuck knows he hadn’t let me in on the plans that ended up with him dead.
I stand up straight. Snake was wrong. Having doubts, asking questions isn’t a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength. Snake was weak, thinking he was always right. It’s that that had led to his death. For now, I’m still alive. And rather than being responsible for the decimation of my club, I’m determined to lead them right.
“You’ll fuck up.”
“Get away, Snake.”
A manic chuckle. “You know I’m right. Lost. That’s what you are. You’ll always lose in the end.”
I won’t fuck up. Or I’ll die trying not to. What I have now, my brothers, my club, my woman, far too important to make a mistake.
“They’ll all see through you in the end.”
But they won’t. They’ll see a man doing his best. My business was always my sole responsibility, that was the error I’d made. My mistake had been to take everything on my own shoulders, including the success, or as it turned out, the failure of my marriage. This time, I’ll be sharing the burden, club-wise and with my ol’ lady. Patsy will be there with me one hundred percent.
Being Lost: Satan's Devils MC San Diego #1 Page 32
