by Faye, Carmen
"You're all right, too, big guy," she smiled.
"Now, once again," Jim chuckled, "but with a little more detail.”
Fifteen minutes later, Logic, a wiry man standing five-ten and weighing little more than Nicole, was on his laptop, hacking into the CPD database to look up the names of the two men in the Cougar. Cole recited the license plate for him.
Bear, the club's Sergeant at Arms came in right after him – a large, burly looking man with a full and wild beard that had several colored memento beads braided through the whiskers. He received a recap of the drive-by from Brian and was then on the phone lining up rosters and summoning men.
George, the List Master, who ran the security and outrider details, came in right behind Bear. George looked like a CPO who rode on the weekends. His hair was perfect, fingernails perfectly trimmed on manicured hands, and white pearl teeth, which generally smiled often. He wasn't smiling right now and his face became more serious as Brian recapped the story.
"What makes you think they'll hit the club?" Jim asked Cole.
"The driver's suit," Cole said, "it was too expensive. A suit like that might have cost him close to five grand, maybe more. No one on Gabriel's crew brings down enough to wear a suit like that on a drive by. These guys were skilled, patient, and professional. Gabriel has brought in mercs, probably from the docks. Mercs aren't going to fuck around with strip clubs and liquor stores. They'll hit us where it hurts. They'll hit us here and at our homes. They'll buy lists of current members from CPD contacts and start hitting where there will be no security, and no protection."
Everyone in the room was silent and had only eyes for Cole. Then Logic spoke, "He's right about the two guys, Jim; they are both heavy hitters for Lou."
"Fuck," Jim hissed and rested his forearms on the desk, staring at the wood grain.
"Lou?" Nicole asked.
"Louis Donadio," Brain clarified. "He runs the smuggling at the dock yard. Nothing moves in or out that hasn't been taxed by Lou. He's honest-to-god, real-as-it-gets mafia and very unhealthy to get tangled up with." Brain explained to her, making her eyes go wide.
"How the fuck could Gabriel bring in Lou on a skirmish like ours? How could he afford to bring in Lou?" Bear asked.
"He's insane, he really is, medically insane," Jim said, his voice low and filled with awe. "He's got to know this will cost him his business."
"No," Cole told him, "Gabriel doesn't. He's obviously delusional enough to think he'll find a way out of that eventually."
George came out of the corner, where he went to make a call, snapping his cellphone shut, "Just got off the phone with one of the guys scouting out Gabriel's house. There are at least fifty suits walking around with auto rifles and subs in the open, dogs, large armored trucks, the whole works. The place is locked down. If we attempt to charge that, a lot of men are going to go down trying."
Nobody spoke for a long time and Cole really didn't think he had anything to say either. Then Jim picked up his cellphone and speed-dialed a number.
"Lou? This is Jim Hawker," Jim said into the phone and then listened. Everyone in the room froze and it felt like they weren’t even breathing.
"Sally is good, just finished high-school; how are Tony and Beth doing? Tony should be out of law school by now, eh? That's great. I wish him the best and maybe we'll throw some business his way. I don't want to waste your time Lou, so I'll get right to the point.
"It seems that fate or really bad decisions have put us and some of your men at odds, and I would like to ask about rules of engagement. One of my crew believes that personal homes, wives, and children are on the hunting list. Of course, I told him that would never be the case, but I wanted to clarify it with you before someone does something seriously stupid." Big Jim held his face still as stone as he listened to the man on the other side of the connection. "Thanks Lou. I'm glad to hear that. Your wife's birthday is in a couple of weeks, isn't it? Any ideas? Really, I know just the place for those. Have a good day Lou." Jim set down his phone, and scanned the faces in front of him, "No homes, women, or children. I don't know why I don't feel better right now."
"Because we're still up against Lou and they were on the list before you called," Brain suggested.
"Yeah," Jim nodded, looking grim, "that's exactly why."
"What if Lou was lying?" Nicole asked, her eyes still wide.
Jim shook his head, "No, Lou wouldn't bother lying about a thing like that; he doesn't have to. What could we do if he simply said, 'yeah, your man is right; that's the way things are'? No, he took them off the list because I called him and he was feeling generous. We're good business for him."
Jim leaned back a little, straightening his shoulders, "I'm thinking he sided in with Gabriel, believing we would back down as soon as we found out, which would be the logical move, granted. But his real goal is to take over Gabriel's operation. That's long term, steady cash coming in there. A takeover is much cleaner and more profitable in a shorter amount of time than trying to build up his own.
"And like it or not, Nicole, I'll let you know that, by reputation, Gabriel's call girls are known all the way down the East coast and through most of the mid-west, and you are the star of those recommendations. I did some checking and made some calls after talking with you last night," he told her as way of explanation. "So, Lou knows what he's getting into is a good investment of his time and resources. He'll make returns of a hundred-fold in two years after he takes over."
"So, really, Lou is after Gabriel, not us," Bear clarified.
"That didn't stop him this morning," Brian pointed out.
"No, no it didn't and it won't," Jim agreed and rose up from his chair, "and it doesn't mean shit until this is over. We have some time before the pow-wow. So, I'm going to get some air; then we'll all get back here and sort out how we're going to work this."
"But…" Nicole whimpered.
"There's no buts here, Nicole. None at all," Jim told her and then looked at Cole, "Glad you read that thing right this morning, so we know what we're up against. Do you have a safe house for Nicole yet?"
"I'm running her to Rat's place as soon as I'm free to leave," Cole confirmed.
"You're free to leave then and take some of the boys with you," Jim told him.
"I'm with you, bro," Brian said, clapping him on the shoulder and then heading for the door."
Cole took Nicole's hand and said, "We're right behind you."
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT
It was near twelve-thirty and the meeting was well underway, though things were already sounding bad, when Cole's phone rang. Since phones had been ringing from the start and well before, he checked the display and saw it was Nicole calling. He answered, walking to the corner they were using for this, so as not to interrupt the discussion.
Cole was actually a little surprised he was here at all since he wasn't an officer, or even an outrider any longer.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Hey, Cole, look, I tried. I really tried," Nicole began.
"What are you -- "
"Just listen, all right? I have to get ready, so I don't have a lot of time for this. But I thought you deserved to hear it from me. Since we have hooked up, you've almost been killed how many times? Two, three? And now there's a war and men are already dying. I don't know if they were good men or not, but you could be next and might be as soon as Gabe puts this together. Now we know Lou is in the game and, baby, that's not the life I was looking for when I left here. I know exactly who Lou is, just needed to know we were talking about the same Lou. See, he's a client, Cole. I know what he's like. I know him a whole lot better than anyone else and he couldn’t care less how many of your men are blood splatters. He really, very truly, doesn't care. Lou's already been paid, up front, by Gabriel for the month.
“So, anyway, honestly, the bottom line is I miss it. I know I told you I wouldn't and I really believed that was true when I said it. I really did. But I do. So, I'm back and hopefully we can all get back to busi
ness. You can check with Angie and verify that I got into a cab all on my own, and had it drive me back here.
"Goodbye, Cole. It was more than I've ever experienced before, but I got to go. Oh, and always remember what I told you. Bye."
The connection broke.
CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
When Nicole left Big Jim's office earlier that day with Cole and Brian, the sunlight hurt her eyes as they stepped out into the perfect blue day. The emotional wars inside of her created patches of shivers in unpredictable places and she couldn't slow her churning thoughts down. Cole apparently noticed that she was distraught, but he didn't understand why and she couldn't tell him, or he would stop her -- and now, it had to be today. She definitely had to act today.
Learning that Louis "Lou" Donadio was now invested in this gang war between the Chrome Horsemen and Gabriel's organization meant that there was going to be a great deal of blood spilled today, and even more tomorrow, if she didn't do something. Big Jim understood what he was up against and was still planning on finishing this war.
That simply wasn't acceptable to Nicole. She couldn't live with this afterward, knowing that if she had acted, she could have saved many of the Horsemen from deaths they didn't deserve. She knew who Lou was, of course. He was a client of hers. One of her first and a first regular, as well. Max and Lou were the only regulars she had who never missed their scheduled days. Others would sometimes miss. Of course they always paid her rate for the night to Gabriel and would always send her a gift of apology, just to ensure that they remained on her list, but never Max or Lou.
Unlike Max, Lou frightened her and until his bubble popped, she would be so nervous around him that she was sure she wouldn’t be able to perform well enough to get inside. She always managed to do so, though she often wondered how. From the time he came in until the moment she burst through, her fear of him was close to paralyzing. Until she discovered his deep affinity for boats, sailing, and the waterways of the Great Lakes, she felt terror before each visit -- this time, this time she wouldn't get through.
After this discovery, she thought of Lou as her lost seaman and took to calling him Captain when his bubble burst and Lou would finally be in bed with her. Then she discovered his ultimate pinprick -- a needle that burst his bubble almost instantly.
Near the beginning of last year, she was attempting to put together a model ship to help learn the names of things and how the riggings worked with the sails, and all the other details sailboats are full of. When Lou came over, he was as dark as she had ever felt him before and she instantly prescribed a longer decompression that evening, but then he spied the model and it was like it magnetized him. He continued to glance at it, distracted constantly away from his laptop during her allowed decompression.
"Do you like it?" she finally asked, bringing him his second bourbon. "The riggings are very difficult."
"Yeah?" he asked a little wistfully.
"Yep," she admitted. "I know all of the knots and I understand how riggings should work…" and then she felt a seriously boyish, but deep desire in him, and added on impulse, "…could you help me, maybe?"
Pop.
After that, even the darkest Lou didn't terrorize her any longer. This was not to say he didn't frighten her any longer; she wasn't an idiot. Just because you knew how to sail a storm didn't mean you did so if there wasn’t a safe harbor nearby. She gave dark Lou all of the respect and focus he deserved -- at least until her Captain arrived.
She could tease Captain mercilessly, though he would eventually fight back and chase her around the apartment to tickle her. He loved to laugh, especially at himself. But she never, ever, mixed the two of them up.
Yes, she knew exactly who Lou was. She knew about his smuggling, his takeovers, and his tactics. She knew how to read him and understood the consequences of reading him wrong. She knew him far better, she was very certain, than anyone else in this world. And that's why she knew she had to act today, before Lou got tired of this little war and swept the Horsemen and Cole with them away.
Jim was right: Lou expected the Horsemen to quit now that they realized he was in the game. To Lou, this would be a given, a simple fact, like weather. He respected strength and even a measured amount of defiance. Strong men and strong adversaries were very precious to Lou -- he didn't often get to meet them these days. So Jim standing his ground against Lou's enforcers today, and perhaps tomorrow, would earn him a great deal of respect from Lou -- but not the day after. Maybe not even tomorrow. Lou didn't respect idiots. Defiance was one thing; suicidal stupidity was quite another.
"Milwaukee and Detroit will be riding in tomorrow," Brian said to Cole, interrupting her thoughts.
"That will add what? Two hundred to the ranks?" Cole estimated as they reached their bikes.
"About that, yeah," Brian agreed.
Two hundred? Were they fucking insane? They're just going to piss dark Lou off!
She felt lightheaded suddenly and leaned against Cole who wrapped his arm around her, "You all right?"
She nodded and said, "Just got a little woozy there for a minute. Can we still stop at the super-store? I really need a change of clothes. Nothing fancy, just clean would be fine. Then I can go shopping with Angie later."
Cole shrugged and looked to Brian.
"I don't mind and the three coming with us probably won't either," Brian told him.
Cole looked down at her, "Can't have my girl feeling un-girly."
She grinned at him, "Good, because I can barely stand myself now. I should get my laptop and bag from the hotel room as well, right?"
Cole nodded, "Don't think we'll be coming back, so, yeah, good thinking."
After the hotel check out, they hit the store. Brian and the other three, who she still wasn't introduced to yet, remained outside in front while Cole took her inside. She felt more than a few eyes on her as she was escorted to the front door by five, large, armed men, which had her feeling slightly self-conscious in the clothes she was wearing.
She picked out a pantsuit, which was simple but fit her decently, then added panties and bra. She changed in the dressing room, removing all of the price tags to present to the cashier. Adding a chocolate bar to the pile, to Cole's amusement, they checked out and were back on the road with her old clothing in the saddlebags.
The ride to Rat's house was tense for her, but wound up being uneventful.
Angie, a stunning Puerto Rican woman Nicole's age, greeted them on the walk up to the house, with smiles and familiarity. She hugged Cole and gave the others warm welcomes.
"Cole is a very good man," she told Nicole. "You are so very lucky that I found my Rat first."
Nicole liked her instantly. Brian and the others waited outside again while Cole followed her in. Angie showed her the room they had to offer, which was a well-decorated, cozy guest room that she honestly didn't expect to find in a house owned by a man named Rat. However, in a house owned and ran by Angie, it fit perfectly. She grinned, having a feeling that Rat was likely a guest in his own house.
Angie seemed to read her mind when she said, "He gets the garage and some of the backyard around the grill. Any more, is just confusing for him."
Nicole returned her conspiratorial smile and then said, "I really need to change, Angie. I'll be right out." Then to Cole she said, "I need to talk to you before you leave. Won't be long. We can do it while I change."
Angie practically gave her a wink inside the grin she crafted with her full lips, but said, "I'll get the men some beers." Then she left them alone, throwing that grin back over her shoulder at Nicole as she left.
Nicole pulled Cole inside the little room and began undressing as soon as they were across the threshold, forcing Cole to close the door. "I have to tell you something, Cole, something very serious for me," she said, as articles of clothing fell into a pile. She wasn't going for allure; she was ripping them off for speed.
"Serious?"
"Very serious. In fact, I've never been in this position b
efore, so I'll probably fuck it all up," she told him as she unsnapped her bra. "But I hope I don't. I mean, I probably will since I've never done it before, but it’s one of those things that you really want to do right, ya know?"
"Um," he tried.
"But it's kind of like your virginity. You want it to be real and thrilling and sensuous, but all you really know about those things at the time is how to spell the words, right?"
"Um," he tried again since it seemed to work last time.
"So, I know this is most likely the exact time not to do this," she said, tossing her panties to the pile and coming over to him, taking his belt into her hands and beginning to work it open, "But you are riding off into a very scary situation now and I don't want to think about this being the last chance, but it could be. It really could be."
