Now I see red. “Drew’s a US Citizen. Mariana, my fiancée, who’s never known another country but North America, is training to be a nurse to give something back to society. Looks like you’re the sort we don’t need in my country.” I draw myself up to my full height, my dark hair flicking around me. “You proud of yourself? Keeping human beings who’ve done nothing wrong prisoner?”
My hands, twitching by my side, are already curled into fists. I’m not quite sure what would have happened if Drew hadn’t grabbed my arm, reminding me this is not the time or place for violence. Getting locked up myself wouldn’t help either Drew or Mariana.
“Come on, Tse. Let’s go call Ms Beacham, the lawyer. Maybe she knows what’s happening or at least can find out.”
Yeah. Her lawyer should be able to find out. Having to be satisfied with tossing the guard my best sneer, I reluctantly turn, walk outside, and cross the parking lot to the truck. I slam the door shut, start the engine to get the air conditioning working, then grab my phone, impatiently drumming my fingers until it’s answered.
“Carissa Beacham? Tse Williamson. We’ve got a problem. We couldn’t see Mariana, she’s in solitary.” Drew’s hanging onto my side of the conversation, the only part he can hear. “They wouldn’t tell us anything, Carissa. Her brother and I are worried sick. Yeah, okay. I’ll wait for your call.” I replace the phone in my pocket.
I breathe out deeply, then turn to the teenager. “She’s going to do what she can to find out what’s going on.”
I hesitate, waiting a moment before pulling away, my eyes going to the building in front of me. Mariana’s inside somewhere. It’s killing me not to know what’s going on. If this was a normal prison, I might have ways of finding out, of finding someone we’ve got contact with on the inside. But here? For once I’m out of my depth. There’s not enough data to go on. All I know is Mariana would have done her best not to do anything wrong. I doubt she’d even talk back. I work with facts, link them together, dig deeper. There’s fuck all to go on here. No supposition, no comprehension. I’m frustrated as hell as there’s nothing more I can do about it.
When Drew looks at me questioningly, I put the truck into drive. “Better get you back.”
“I don’t like leaving like this.”
I know exactly how he feels. I give him the arguments I’m working through in my head. “Can’t do any good here. Soon as we hear from Carissa and know what the fuck’s going on, I’ll bring you back, okay?”
Two days away from the club. Two days for absolutely nothing, except covering miles driving a cage across Arizona. I’m tired as shit after I drop Drew off at the Rez, and am now nearing Tucson. My phone starts blowing up when I’m turning up the track to the compound. Two, no, three missed calls. Make that four. I’m so close I don’t bother to answer. I’ll find out what’s so urgent soon enough.
Parking the truck, I slide my cut on. What the fuck? Brothers are piling in, one word sounding from every direction. Rock, and that’s being strangely coupled with the woman who’s recently arrived on the compound, Becca. Fuck. I remember how I’d left those computers searching. I should have been there in case they’ve found something Drummer needs to know. I listen, absorbing what little information I can glean from their animated conversations. There appears to be a connection between the woman and our out-bad member. How the fuck does Becca know Rock? Data, or the lack of it, doesn’t add up. That this is serious shit means I need to force worries about Mariana out of my mind, and focus on the club.
I’m surprised when I walk into church, the woman herself is sitting at the end of the table, Peg behind her cutting off her escape route. Still unable to get my mind totally off Mariana, I listen incredulously as it all comes out. How despite what we’ve all been led to believe, Rock’s not a traitor who joined the Chaos Riders, a club I should have been investigating, to bring us down, but instead he’s a fucking hero.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell us?” I yell as the details all come out.
Drummer shoots me a look as if to say I wasn’t here anyway, but shakes a weary head as he points out, “Chaos had to believe Rock’s story. It would only work if his old club, us, were out to kill him. Rock’s life depends on his backstory holdin’ up and nothing happenin’ to make Chaos suspicious.”
My hand unties and reties my hair as I listen to Becca’s story with my jaw dropping open. How the sweet butt Jill found out the truth. She’s always had her tongue hanging out for Rock, and now, it seems, she’s set on locating him.
“She wouldn’t know where the Riders have set up,” Wraith suggests.
“Er,” Becca’s small voice and raised hand gets our attention. “Allie overheard Rock and the other prospect saying they were heading back to Long Horns. She told Jill.”
For a second you could hear a pin drop.
Prez is looking at me. “Can she find it with that?”
I’m already tapping at the keys of my laptop, quickly unearthing the info I want. “There’s a Long Horns out in the desert south of Tucson. An old ranch. If that’s where they are, then yes. Clearly marked on the map. Even someone like Jill would be able to easily find it with a Google search.”
Now Mariana has to be pushed to the back of my mind as I retreat to my office, digging to find anything I can on the Chaos Riders. It’s not much. Except the club’s got funding behind them. Abandoning their history, I look at the location where my brother Rock currently is. My gut feeling is that Becca’s right, and he’s in danger.
I turn to calling up the location of their clubhouse, and checking on Google View and the satellite images so we’re equipped with as much information as possible and will know what we’re heading into.
“Prez.” His door is open so I walk right in, laying some printouts in front of him.
“Mouse. Got something to help?”
I raise my chin. “That’s the location of the old homestead. Got barns out back. But the rear is totally unprotected. No fencing that I could see.”
Drummer takes out his phone and places a call. Within moments Peg’s joined us. As sergeant-at-arms he’ll need to be involved in the planning. Unfazed, I go through it all again.
Peg studies the photos and plans carefully, then looks up. “We attack front and back.”
“Got the other chapters coming,” Drum informs him.
Nodding, Peg taps on the clearest overhead satellite image. “We draw them out with Becca as the bait, go straight at the front. Get the other chapters circling behind them and flushing them out. They’ll be caught between us.”
“Pincer movement.” Drummer’s lips curve up. “Along the lines of what I was thinkin’, Peg.”
“You need me any more?”
“Nah, Mouse. Thanks.”
It’s not long afterwards that brothers from the other chapters start pouring in. I’ll be fighting alongside these men tomorrow, so I stay in the clubroom to be sociable. Already adrenaline has started running through my veins, anticipation of the battle ahead, and the overriding need to bring Rock home. The thought crosses my mind that tomorrow may be the day that I die.
I know I have a reputation as a cold fish, almost robotically going about my tasks, more comfortable with the machines I spend my life with. I’m in a one-percenter club, living this life until the day I leave it, knowing I’m dancing with the devil, taunting him to take me. Normally it wouldn’t bother me at all. Except now, I’ve got something to live for. People depending on me. I make a couple of phone calls to ensure everything’s in place if I don’t come back, then mentally try to prepare myself. If it happens, so be it. Drew’s in a safe place, Carissa’s looking after Mariana’s interests.
That I’ve taken on the sibling’s burden without question surprises even me. I got myself mixed up in their mess. Could have walked away, no one would have blamed me, I only met the woman once. For once I’m invested in what happens in the human world, rather than binary code and machine language.
As I watch brothers from all chapt
ers catching up, discussing the wrath they’ll be raining down tomorrow, the Chaos Riders they’ll be dispatching to Satan, I realise that while I have no fear of death, this time I want to come back. Want a chance. A chance with Mariana. What would it be like if I really was engaged to her? Thinking of making her my old lady? When she rode at my back, it was as though she’d been made to ride behind me. Only a few short hours that we had spent together, but it had felt right.
It’s when I consider her being deported and – if she could evade her father – starting a new life, finding a man who wasn’t me, my blood boils hot. Ask me and I couldn’t explain it, but I’m feeling possessive. Over a woman I’ve barely met.
I don’t know much about her.
But what I do, I like.
The next day I stand up beside my brothers as one by one we take all the Riders out. I might be a nerd, but I can shoot and kill as well as anyone else who wears the same patch. Rock, hell, Rock. What the fuck have they done to him? Beef’s been shot, but he seems to be walking wounded. While the two injured men are taken back to the compound, I stay behind and do my share of moving bodies and cleaning up. For once my mind is quiet, focused on the task. When we ride away and Slick blows that shithole up, I’m happy to celebrate. That’s what we do to our enemies.
I’m just frustrated I can’t take the government on in the same way. Face it head on and fight. But no, I have to do what I can through the lawyer, and hope for the best. Used to being a man of action, a man able to find information where it’s needed, it’s hard to sit back and wait for someone else to pull it all together.
****
“Tse?”
“Yeah. Hi, Carissa.” I prop my phone between my ear and my shoulder as half my attention is on my computer screen.
“Got some info. Mariana’s in solitary as you’re aware. It looks like it might be they’re preparing to move her to another detention centre.”
“What the fuck? Why would they do that?”
“Who knows, Tse? But these things happen all the time. Why they do it, I don’t know, but sometimes that’s the reason for putting detainees in solitary. I’ll keep on top of things and let you know as soon as I have anything else.”
I swallow, not wanting to ask, but know I have to. “Could they be preparing to deport her?”
A pause, then, “I can’t rule that out. But deportees are allowed to take a small suitcase with them. As her lawyer, I would have expected to have been asked to supply that. I haven’t, so I assume moving her is more likely.”
“Why move her?” I start to think of the logistics if she’s moved out of state. “Drew and I want to visit. They know she’s got family nearby. Or do the motherfuckers want her moved because of that? Punish her by keepin’ her family from her?” ICE’s intention seems to be to punish people for simply existing, or daring to cross into the US. I grow angry thinking none of this was Mariana’s fault. She didn’t ask to become an illegal alien. I shut my thoughts down when I remember Carissa’s still on the line.
“Who knows, Tse. Who knows. But I promise, as soon as I hear anything, I’ll be in touch.”
Christ. The fucking government’s holding all the cards on this one. I don’t have one single hand to play. My muscles tighten, I work to unlock my jaw. Nothing I can do. Only more shit to worry about. That’s getting me nowhere.
My attention is caught by information on the screen once again. Work. Throw myself into it. Deal with other people’s problems where I can help. At least, for now. Let Carissa do what she does best and what I’m paying her for. She understands the system.
I open the office door, seeing immediately the woman I want to talk to. It’s the first time I’ve spoken to her directly. She strikes me as timid as a mouse, an observation which almost makes me snort. But I force my features into a smile. Something tells me to tread carefully.
“Becca?”
As she swings around, there’s trepidation written all over her face when she nods. Holding out my hand, I introduce myself. “Mouse. I’m the go-to computer guy around here. We’ve not been properly introduced.” I wait for her acknowledgement, then continue. “If you’ve got a minute, Prez has asked me to do some investigatin’ on your behalf. Find out what you’re up against.”
Examining her carefully, I can see she’s been crying. Fuck, I’m an asshole. Of course she doesn’t want to talk to me now. She’ll be torn between our two injured brothers. Now’s bad timing, she’ll want to be with Rock, and also must be worried as hell about Beef who’s taken her under his wing. But I do need information only she can supply.
As she wipes away tears, my eyes soften with compassion. “Hey, I know you’re worried about Beef. But darlin’, he’ll be fine. I’m certain. Come in and let’s discuss your situation. Take your mind off everything that’s happening. Unless you’d rather be with Rock?”
Her dismissive shake of her head when I mention Rock’s name surprises me, but as usual, I’m focused on data and pulling puzzle pieces together. I’d also spoken the truth. Both men are in good hands, her brooding on their condition won’t help them recover. I’m confident they’ll do that by themselves. Both strong, determined brothers. Then I feel guilty, of course she’ll want to be with her man. My needs will have to wait.
But she follows me into my office. I’m an unfeeling bastard, so again I check. “You sure you’re okay not being with Rock?”
She gives me a sharp look. “Have you spoken to Rock?”
“Nah. Not since he’s regained consciousness.” A burst of guilt floods over me. Sometimes I’m so taken up with getting the facts, I forget to consider feelings. This can wait. Cognisant I’m using her situation to take my mind off the helplessness I feel about Mariana’s, I offer once more. “But did you want to wait to go through this? You’ve probably got things to talk about with him.”
It’s the tone of her voice when she tells me she and Rock have said all they needed to say, which makes me look at her strangely. Something’s happened there. Or perhaps Becca’s feelings were one-sided, and she’s been rebuffed. If so, she’s taken it to heart, indicating she’s more concerned about Beef who’s taken a turn for the worse and been rushed to the hospital. I hadn’t known that. I wonder briefly what could have happened, then dismiss it. He’ll be in the right place. I’m worried about Beef myself, we all are. But as I can’t offer medical help, there’s nothing I can do for him.
“Tell me about Hawk,” I start, wanting to know about the man she was, is, married to. The man who left her to be neglected and abused by the Chaos Riders.
Unsurprisingly, before she tells me much, we’re joined by Drummer. Prez will want to know about any possible threat to the club. I’m soon absorbed and disgusted as Becca goes through what happened to her. Prez and I exchange a few glances accompanied by shakes of our heads. For the first time this morning, the horror she’s lived through pulls my head completely away from my own problems.
Hawk’s in prison now. But he’ll be out. Possibly sooner than his three-year sentence suggests. “I’ll look into when he’s eligible for parole.”
Becca takes in a sharp breath, seems she thought she’d have the full three years to get shot of him.
We question her further, but apart from finding out Hawk’s a pastor with a violent streak, she doesn’t know anything about the secret life he’s been living. Her first impulse is to run, but a girl like her has got no chance on her own. When I offer to look into her getting a divorce, becoming legally separated from him, I end up nodding when Drummer promises she’ll be free of the man who trapped her into a marriage she didn’t want. I exchange a look with Prez. A look which says, a man like that? If we have to, we’ll kill him.
Drummer’s phone pings. When he reads the text, he gives what for him is a broad smile. “Beef’s come through surgery. The doctors think his prognosis is good.”
Rolling my head back on my shoulders, I let out a breath. My brother’s going to be fine. It’s only at that point I admit there was a moment
there when I was worried he wouldn’t make it.
As Becca and Drummer leave to go to the hospital, I promise to keep digging. The story she told me makes me eager to help. If I can’t do anything for Mariana, I’ll focus on finding the information to help another woman.
Chapter 14
Mariana
When Drew and Tse visited last week, saying goodbye tore me in two and I lost it. I returned to my prison cell and collapsed on my bed, tears flooding from my eyes as my hands thumped the hard pillow, cursing the world for letting me end up like this. It’s so unfair. All I had to do to keep my DACA status was to abide by every law, which I did. Every action, every thought, taking into account the rights and wrongs of what I should be doing. I even sent Tse away because of his connection to an outlaw motorcycle club, not allowing myself to see him again or know whether we’d have a chance to start a relationship.
Now, through no fault of my own, the authorities think I’m a criminal. What could I have done differently? Except not be in that place at that time.
I constantly go back to that morning, running the events over and over in my head. Knowing the crash had been out of my control. Hating the man who set me up and lied about it. Has he any idea of the landslide of repercussions his actions have caused? Separating me from the only family I have, and who depends on me.
Drew. A man/boy who’d be lost and adrift if it wasn’t for Tse. But why has Tse taken my brother under his wing? Given him shelter? Making sure he’s looked after? It’s not that I’m not grateful, there aren’t enough thanks in the world to give him. But I’m bewildered about the Native American who always seems to be rescuing me. Only this time, he can’t protect me from the bear that’s intent on killing me.
Lying in my cot, I’m certain death or worse is waiting for me should I return to Colombia. From my mother’s brief correspondence with me, I know my father’s in a position to be able to find out anything with his network of connections. He’ll probably be aware I’m there as soon as I step over the border. He wanted me back. He’ll take his revenge on me for returning, and for keeping his son away from him. The son he didn’t know he had, but found out about when he saw the scar my mother got from birthing him. The son he’ll probably want to mould into his own image. I can’t let that happen to Drew. But am I strong enough to fight him?
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