Crash cleared his throat and said, “I need the words, Katie, I have to touch you. These things are like little pieces of vinyl, the person wearing them can’t even feel them. They adhere so closely, it’s almost natural.”
She nodded again and realized her mistake. Looking Crash square in the eyes she said, “Let’s get this over with, I trust you guys.”
Crash climbed over the seat, and when Katie was having a hard time getting to the zipper in the back of her dress, he helped her out, dragging it down. He was gentle and calm with her—the situation was uncomfortable for both of them, but they made it through. By the time she got her dress off and thrown out the window, Katie went to undo her bra. Crash’s hand landed on her shoulder, and she looked back at him.
“You can leave it, hon, your panties too. No way they could have gotten beyond them unless they touched you there,” he said, nodding his head toward her chest. Katie got it and was beyond thrilled she could keep some of her dignity intact.
Link’s phone kept ringing, and he kept on shutting it off—it was getting annoying. Crash showed Katie a function on his phone he used as a magnifying glass to look at Katie’s neck and shoulders. He even ran his fingers through her hair, but before he could get done, his phone started ringing.
“Dude, you need to take care of this. I need to be able to use this damn thing without it getting cut off every two fucking seconds.”
“Shit, man, just hurry up and do it, Tuck is freaking the fuck out in the other cage and wants us to pull over. Crank is trying to calm his ass down, but as soon as he saw her dress go out the window, all hell broke loose. Whiskey wants to tranquilize him.”
“No!” Katie yelled. “He had morphine in his blood and heavy doses of antibiotics, you can’t risk it. Add that to his weakened condition and mixing anything could be fatal.”
“Son of a bitch, this shit just keeps getting better and better!” Link yelled.
“Okay, listen, I’m going to stall. Crash, get that search done quick and dirty, we’re still over an hour out from the clubhouse, and stopping now would be fucking stupid.”
Crash patted Katie’s leg and had her move on the seat so he could get a better view. Hell, at one point he even had her up on all fours. Link had called the other car and put his phone on speaker so Tuck could talk to Katie. Just like all the times before, he was issuing orders, telling her not to take off another damn thing and for Link to pull the damn car over. Katie tried to talk him down, but nothing was working. Right after Crash had looked at both of her feet and handed her a t-shirt to put over her body, Katie said, “Tuck!” He was still ranting, so she said his name just a little louder to get his attention.
“Tuck!” When he got quiet, she said, “It’s done now, do what you need to do. Let Whiskey and Crank take care of you, I’m fine. Do you understand? Crash is already back in the front seat, and I’m sitting here by myself, wishing you were here with me, but it’s done, okay?”
There was complete and utter silence on the other end of the phone, and Katie told Link to hang up. Crash did eventually move up to the front but not when Katie had said it. She felt a little bad for lying to Tuck, but things were getting out of control, and she didn’t see any other choice.
“You know he is going to make us pay for that right?” she heard Link tell Crash.
“Yeah, but if it was my girl and the situation was reversed, I’d have been freaking out too. I’ll take whatever he dishes out.”
Katie didn’t hear the rest of their conversation because the adrenaline that had been spiking through her body was gone, and she was crashing fast. Leaning her head against the window and hugging her own body, she fell asleep.
Chapter Eleven
Tuck went into work mode after his meltdown over Katie. He hated the idea of Link and Crash seeing her without her clothes on. It didn’t matter to him that that shit needed to be done, they could have pulled the damn cage over and let him do it. He vowed to himself they would all pay for that after this shit was sorted.
Tuck relayed what he knew and what he and Katie had found out. Crank informed him an anonymous call was placed to the Clubhouse, telling them to be at the corner of Spicer and Wheat in Lexington at 0635. Damn it, Katie hadn’t been wrong, but he couldn’t figure it out. Why the fuck take him and torture his ass, only to let him go? Then it hit him. They wanted him to know that information, and they wanted him to find fucking Jamie. It made sense.
“Who took the call?” Tuck barked.
Crank cleared his throat and said, “Boone.”
It wasn’t the man’s name that concerned Tuck, it was the way Crank had said it like Tuck didn’t know something. The last thing he wanted to hear about right now was another fucking traitor in their club. Crank filled him in on everything Boone had been up to—being gone at just the right times, being at the warehouse before even being asked, and playing king of the castle at the fucking Clubhouse, even bringing Misty in to party after she’d been banned.
“What did you guys do about it?” Tuck asked. Personally, he would have either made the man dig his own grave or banished him. No one fucked with his club. Crank was sitting in the front seat sideways talking to him, and the minute he started shaking his head, Tuck knew he wasn’t going to like what he had to say. They hadn’t taken care of anything.
“Tuck, he had all his fucking ducks in order, Tal couldn’t even find a slip-up. We questioned him for three fucking days, and he took the beating like a fucking champ, but he never faltered. Link didn’t have a choice, he let him stay, but we’ve been keeping a close eye on him.”
“Obviously, not close enough. The same fucker Brass felt was shady just so happened to be at the Clubhouse when this mysterious phone call about Katie and me comes in? Too much of a coincidence if you ask me.” Tucks body was starting to hurt, and he tried his damnedest to find a good spot to sit in but wasn’t having any luck. Then the biggest blow came.
“Tuck, we knew where you were, we were coming to get you, anyway. Jada heard the guy who had a hand in taking her and Maddie talk about the Verner building, but it wasn’t until she and Brass went to Lexington for a doctor’s appointment with Maddie she remembered. We’ve been planning the mission for three days.”
“And let me guess, Boone was in on all the meetings, right?”
“Damn straight,” Crank said never looking away although Tuck could see the regret in his eyes.
“Okay.” Right now, there wasn’t anything else he could say. “What about Katie, I issued orders she was supposed to be watched at all times? How did that shit fall through the fucking cracks?”
“Fuck man, we were stretched thin looking for your ass, people all over the damn country, so Link asked the Frankfort boys to keep an eye on her. Colt said he would do it and if there were any problems, he would give us a call.”
“Let me guess, no fucking call came, did it?” Tuck retorted.
“Got it in one, brother,” Crank confirmed. Tuck would deal with that shit later. It didn’t matter to him that Colt had taken the VP position at the Mother Chapter, he was still going to let him know if an order came down from him, that fucker needed to keep his fucking word. It bugged the shit out of him that her own brother would just leave her out in the wind.
“Shit, Colt is her fucking brother. I’ll bet the asshole didn’t even put a fucking guy on her ass.” He hadn’t meant to say it out loud
“Got no clue, but I’m sure you’ll find out.”
“You bet your ass I will, and someone is going to pay for that shit.”
“I have no doubt, Prez, but first, I think we need to get our own house cleaned, then deal with the fucking cockroaches that seem to keep sprouting up out of the Vulture pool,” Crank said with conviction. Crank was one of those people—nice guy on the outside, but if you fucked with what he loved, you were screwed. He loved the RBMC and his woman and had vowed to wipe every fucking Vulture off the face of the planet because of what they had done to her. Tuck would stand right by his si
de as he did it.
“Jinx, you think Creed could blow that tunnel again, only this time opening it?” Tuck asked.
“The tunnel on Addy and Whiskey’s farm?” Crank responded, instead of Jinx.
“Yeah, I need that fucker blown open, like now. I want three sets of guys guarding both entrances twenty-four-seven. Once we get in there, I want every inch of that place checked out. We missed something,” Tuck barked.
“Whisk is the best demolition guy we have, and he is already at the farm,” Jinx said. “With Creed’s help and knowledge, I don’t think it would be an issue. What do you have in mind?”
“Link has been through those tunnels, the new one too, and he didn’t find shit,” Crank said.
“Well, he damn well missed something. How long would it take to get a crew together to empty it out?”
“Shit, man, I don’t know, a lot of the guys are out, but if it’s blown and safe, maybe a couple of days.”
“You have two hours. Call everyone in and have them get started. Give me your phone, I need to make a call.” Crank didn’t question him just handed it over. It only took one ring for Caine to answer. Tuck was short and clipped, “You get settled?”
Caine had been a nomad for years before he left the Vultures. Tuck told him to make some roots that a time would come they needed to join forces to bring these fuckers down, plus, a few more rats on his list. He had also asked him to discreetly look into some of the newer RBMC members. He would talk to Crank and Link about that later after he got the information he needed.
“It’s like living the fucking dream, Hazard is one hell of a great town, big brother.”
Tuck had been to Hazard, and it wasn’t anything close to a dream. Caine had always been sarcastic, this time was no different. Tuck let him talk for a while, he knew Caine was sussing things out, trying to make sure Tuck was really okay without asking. They had played this game for as long as he could remember.
“They put the welcome mat out for us and all that shit. The PTA even brought over a fruit basket, Axel about shit his pants,”
“I’m sure he did,” Tuck said. “Axe has always been a little afraid of those housewives. The time has come. Round your boys up and meet me at the Clubhouse.”
“Gotcha,” Caine said, then asked, “You doing okay?” Tuck knew it had taken a lot for his brother to ask that question.
“I’m still breathing and talking, brother, so I guess that means I’m okay.”
“Yeah, I guess so. See you in a couple hours.”
Tuck hung up and made another call. This one wouldn’t be as easy. When the other line connected, he didn’t waste any time.
“Shade get your boys together and meet at my Clubhouse two hours.”
“No-can-do, brother, you know my boys can’t be seen at your club, too much shit going down right now,” Shade said.
“Yeah, tell me about it. I just spent a couple months at club V, wasn’t my cup of tea, so I decided to get the fuck out.”
“I heard about that, even took a few drives by the place just to see if my information was correct, but you know how it is.”
Yeah, Tuck knew exactly how it was, he knew what Shade was trying to say without saying it. He had tried to help, but his hands were tied, adding another layer to this cluster fuck but he didn’t waste any time with that right now and got straight down to business.
“Have some information you boys will want to hear, only saying it once, so if you don’t show, that shit is on you.”
Shade wasn’t part of any known MC, but he was part of a black ops team that had formed their own Club. They didn’t wear colors or cuts, but they lived by the motto Live free and wild, just like the RBMC did. The only difference, they were deeper into the law enforcement end and had to watch who saw them, it was a thin line. Tuck had always had respect for those guys. The RBMC worked for the government but didn’t have to toe any lines. It was known if they got caught, they were on their own. Shade’s group didn’t have that luxury, they had to play within the confines of the law because most of them were in law enforcement and wore the badge to prove it.
Tuck was getting more tired and stressed as the seconds went by. Dialing once again, he waited for the last man on his mental list to pick up the phone.
“Talk to me.”
“Hey, Kit, any chance you and your boys could head down to Defiance?”
“Well, I’ll be damned, is that Sargent Major Masterson I’m hearing? Thought I’d be called down to go to your funeral, old man.”
“Yeah, sorry to disappoint you this time, KitKat, still alive and kicking.”
“Ah, not disappointed, exactly, just kind of surprised. You must have some cat blood in you, Sargent Major.”
“Nah, I think it’s that four-leaf clover you stuck in my boot back in the day, man, had it with me for years now.”
“Can’t speak for the rest of the boys, but I can be there. When do you need me?”
“Yesterday,” Tuck said.
“Anything, in particular, you looking for?”
“Everything you got, man. It’s time to dish out some payback and find some fucking answers.”
“Well, damn brother, it’s about time, count me in. Have to make a few calls, but I should be there by tonight. Fast enough for you?”
“Works for me, and Kit, this is on the down-low, tell only the people you trust with your life. Get me?”
“It’s how I live my life, Sargent Major, wouldn’t have it any other way. Too much shit out there to come back and bite you in the ass if you know what I mean.”
“Understood,” Tuck clipped and hung up the phone. He knew what Kit was saying without saying it. Kit had a way about him, he only gave so much information but was always watching and was one of the best intel people Tuck had ever encountered. That man had pipelines in the pipelines, but his loyalty laid with the people he considered family, and Tuck was lucky enough to be one of them.
“You calling everyone in, Prez?” Crank asked after a few minutes.
“Nah, man, just the people I trust.”
Crank nodded his head but didn’t say another word. Tuck handed the phone back to Crank.
“Call in all the guys not working on the tunnels. Tell them Church is in two hours, mandatory for every patch, no excuses. I even want the guys who can be pulled back in there. Call Tal, have him arrange it and tell him I want a meet as soon as we hit the door. I want him to have all the info ready for me to review on the Perez cartel, Senator Jeffers, his fucking kid, and anything you guys pulled together while I was gone.”
“Shit, Prez,” Jinx spoke for the first time since Tuck had gotten in the cage. “That’s a lot of info, it will take you days to go through it. No way you can get through it in a couple hours. I helped Tal gather some of that shit.”
Tuck realized Jinx was right, but he and Tal had worked out a system years ago—Tal would give him the highlights—so it shouldn’t be a problem. Now that he got that sorted out in his mind, his thoughts instantly went to Katie and Maddie—his girls. He could deal with Katie right now, but Maddie would have to wait just a little longer. He hated to do it, but he needed to look less like a beat-up mess when he met his daughter for the first time; he didn’t want to scare her. Crank was already on the phone, making the calls he had ordered when Tuck interrupted him.
“Have Doc come to the clubhouse early and meet us. I want him to look Katie over and make sure she’s okay. Give her something to sleep if he has to. I don’t think she has slept for more than a half hour for over the last two or three days.
“Already on it Tuck,” Crank said after hanging up the phone. “But I think you need Doc more than Katie right now.” Crank looked down at Tuck’s stomach and leg. Tuck followed the movement with his own eyes, noticing the blood seeping through his borrowed clothes. Shit, that wasn’t good, but he didn’t have time to deal with that, he needed to plan and get ready for Church. There was too much shit to do to worry about a little blood. He would soon find out that
was a huge mistake.
Chapter Twelve
Katie woke up and looked around. She wasn’t in the car anymore and had no freaking clue how she had gotten to this room. For a split second, she thought it had all been a dream, and she and Tuck were still in that place with the Vultures, but as she looked closer, things got a little more familiar. She hadn’t stayed in this particular room before but had stayed in one like it. They were all similar, just different colors, so Katie knew she was in the guest hall at the RBMC Clubhouse in Defiance. Well, that answered another question. If Tuck had wanted her near him, he wouldn’t have had her placed here. She would have been in his room or on the third floor where the officers’ rooms were.
When she sat up, her head started to spin, and it took her awhile before she got all her bearings going at the same time, and she could swing her legs over the edge of the bed. When she did and tried to stand, she fell back quickly, realizing that her current predicament had less to do with being tired and hungry and more to do with the fact that someone had given her something to make sure she kept sleeping.
Shit, Katie was pissed, but she wasn’t going to act irrationally just yet. There was a slim possibility they were just looking out for her best interest although it was very slim because drugging someone against their will was wrong. Then she remembered and wanted to scream. Tuck was paying her back, she knew it. It took several minutes for her to stand without wobbling all over the place. When she noticed some clothes on the dresser, she grabbed them and headed for the attached bathroom. Righteous indignation be damned, she wanted to feel clean right now. Then she would get her bitch on, and it would be directed at a certain biker, maybe a couple.
Tuck Page 8
