Gloria’s hand instantly shot up to cover the hint of the scar. She was always self-conscious about it, and now this man had turned it around on her. Vinny was right. While she was an expert on blackmail, she still put herself in harm’s way every single night. More so, she put Jordan in the line of fire, as well. Having someone like him around to expand her business and to protect her assets seemed like common sense. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of it before with other men she scammed.
Knowing he had her attention, he continued with his proposition, “Three months. I’ll give you three months of my time and services. It’s easily worth that to you.”
She surprised herself as she relented, “Fine. Friday night. One A.M. Meet me at that same booth. We’ll begin then.”
Vinny nodded and then stood slowly as he grabbed his clothes off of Gloria’s bed and floor. As he opened her door to leave, she left him with one parting warning, “Vinny? Just know that if you screw up, if you get me in trouble or compromise my business, I will get you killed.”
He didn’t bother to turn around. Instead, he walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and out towards the parking lot. She had won this round, but he wasn’t about to let her take him down without a fight.
Chapter 8: New Schemes
His first assignment as bodyguard for Gloria was pretty minor. All he had to do was sit next to her as she accepted an envelope from some bald headed man who frequented the tavern. Neither said a word to each other as the transaction took place. He just sat down, took a sip from his beer, and took the envelope out of his shirt pocket to slide across the wood table to her. She counted the money quickly and then nodded to him as a dismissal.
Vinny was frankly impressed. Gloria wasn’t just some scammer with a side trade going on. She was organized, calculated, and a damn good businesswoman. When the man left the table, she pulled out a printed spreadsheet and made notes next to her “client’s” name. She then divided the money in several wallets, pockets, and even tucked some away in her bra for safekeeping. Two of the wallets were locked to the inside of her purse and another was strapped to her jeans.
It was a precaution he certainly could understand. He had made rookie mistakes as a runner before when he was younger. He bragged about his job, corresponded too frequently with the sellers, and paid the price when both backfired on him with a robbery in a darkened alley. He beefed up after that, even taking some boxing lessons so he could defend himself.
But more importantly, Vinny learned to never, ever trust anyone. Sure, he was part of a brotherhood, a fraternity of men. But that didn’t mean anything to him when the bottom line was his own life. He protected what was his fiercely and he played the game to win. No one in his life, no relationship, could ever be worth compromising that.
What he saw in Gloria was something eerily similar. She couldn’t care less about the situations of the men and women that came to her table with their offerings. Some occasionally pleaded with her for mercy, for a bit more time for the money. But instead of listening or compromising, she would instead pull out her spreadsheet and make a note with a red pen signaling that their relationship had ended.
After a woman sobbed about how unfair Gloria was being, she turned to her coldly and replied with, “Life is unfair. I don’t need to be fair.” She then took out her cellphone and begun dialing a number she had written in one of the columns of her pages.
Instantly, the crying woman perked up as she quickly and urgently whispered, “Who’re you calling, Gloria? You’re not calling him! You cannot call him! Gloria! Put down the phone!” As Gloria started to speak into the receiver, the woman screamed out, “No! I’ll pay! I’ll pay! Don’t tell him!”
Gloria calmly hung up her phone as Vinny shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The desperation he had just witnessed was familiar to him, but he was usually in Gloria’s seat. Now, looking in on it, he couldn’t help but to feel a bit disgusted at it all.
As the woman left and Gloria packed up for the night, he turned towards her, boxing her into the booth. “Why do you do this? I mean, how’d you get started?”
“I don’t know, really. I guess there is an advantage to not being seen or heard. When I was younger, no one paid me any mind. Never got much attention from my parents or my friends. Comes in handy in this trade. Really, no one suspects me until they know me. And then when they know me, they don’t want to.”
Vinny found himself speaking too soon, “I noticed you.”
Gloria burst out laughing, “You only noticed me because you needed me.”
“What’s wrong with that? No one notices anyone until they need ‘em to do somethin’.”
“I s’pose you’re right. Hell, I don’t notice nobody ‘til I see their worth—and then when I see it, I can never unsee it.” Gloria thought back on all of her clients, her relationships, and the people she actually trusted. None of them were without strings or obligations. But luckily for her, she held the upper hand in every single one.
As she finished making her last note, the one next to Vinny’s name, she returned her attention back to him. She had spent the last few weeks thinking about how best to utilize her new employee. Now it was time to start phase one. “Listen, Vinny. It’s time to take this bigger. I need you to assist me. There’s a man, the man who gave me my scar. I want revenge, and I want it now. And you’re going to make that happen for me.”
Vinny’s mind raced. Whatever she had in mind, he couldn’t exactly say no to it. But he couldn’t imagine that the new scam she had thought of could be that dangerous that she would actually need him to assist.
“There’s this dealer. Real slick guy known as Carl. He used to do his business here, but he’s gone now. He was my first attempt at scammin’. But he left me with the scar, and I ain’t seen him since.” Just uttering his name had made her cringe. The memories of that night flashed her back to that rush of fear and the pool of blood.
“Carl Delaney?” Vinny swallowed hard. It couldn’t be any other Carl. He knew all the other dealers and sellers in the area. And Carl had a reputation with his switchblade. No doubt in Vinny’s mind that he knew exactly who did this to Gloria.
“I think that’s him. Bald head, dark features, tattoos on his neck?” The image of the man was seared in her memory forever. She couldn’t forget his name. It was all that she saw most nights she went to sleep.
For Vinny, Gloria’s recognition sent him in a tailspin. The man she described was, in fact, Carl Delaney. But more importantly, Carl Delaney was the Vice President of the Horsemen. Fear shot through him as the scenario played itself out. “I can’t do it, girly.” He suddenly stood as he reached into his wallet and pulled out some bills. He tossed them her way. “No envelope, but this is all I got. It’s a couple hundred. I’ll be back on Tuesday with the rest.”
“What the fuck?” Gloria lost it. His abrupt change had caught her totally off guard, “You gonna tell me why I’m gonna have to get you and that kid killed by the Devils?”
“You’re smart. Figure it out. Why would a guy like me not want to play your bitch anymore?” Vinny began to walk away, but Gloria followed closely behind, trailing each of his long strides with three or four quick steps of her own.
As they reached the parking lot, she grew bold and grabbed his large arm before he could hitch himself to the saddle of his motorcycle. “You motherfucker! Don’t you dare leave me.”
“Leave you? Who do you think I am? I’m not one of those weak fuckers beggin’ for you. You can go and tell on me if you want. But I’m out. I ain’t doin’ your little assignment.”
“You’re really testing me here? You don’t think I have the balls to fucking call the guard on you?” She took her phone out of her pocket and began dialing.
“Cut the shit, Gloria!” Vinny shouted as he revved up his engine. “I know that trick. So shut the fuck up. You’re gettin’ your hush money. What else do you want?”
“Why are you backin’ out of this? Who is Carl?” Her mout
h put together his reasons before her brain could catch up. Obviously, the change in attitude came when she ID’d Carl and laid out her scheme to Vinny. He had to be a part of this.
He turned off his bike and stared fiercely at Gloria as she looked to him for an answer. He didn’t owe her anything, at least now that he had broken the deal. But he still found himself answering, “He’s the VP. I’m not betraying him.”
Gloria should have known. How she had missed this bit of information, she couldn’t be sure. She knew most of the leadership of both rival gangs. She had heard of Benni and his counterpart Ezra. She had met most of the enforcers, the runners, and the retired members as well. Yet Carl never came up, never was mentioned.
Gloria seethed with anger. Vinny had obviously no idea how much exacting revenge on that man meant to her. “I’m not lettin’ that son of a bitch walk away. With or without you, I’m gonna bring that motherfucker down.”
“No, you won’t. Carl is untouchable. He’s got men guardin’ him day and night. You couldn’t get close to him if you tried. Besides that, how would you even begin to blackmail someone like him? He’s got nothing to hide.” Vinny tried to get Gloria to see his side to this. Some part of him wanted to protect and shield her from the dangerous territory she was blindly stepping into. Carl was a landmine just waiting to blast off and Gloria was tiptoeing right around his field.
Gloria sighed discontentedly. “When I got him, he was dealin’ with some guy from a quarry. I was going to go to the police with the info.”
An alarm went off in Vinny’s head. The detail about the quarry was something familiar, something important. “What do you mean the quarry? What man?”
Gloria was taken aback. After all that she had just said, he was focusing on that insignificant detail? “I don’t know. When I was trying to run the game on him, he was gettin’ his supplies from the quarry. Some guy at Lancaster’s, if I remember right. It was a long time ago.”
“The quarry is where the Devils get their stash. That’s where Junior went the other night with the guys. He was trying to get information on another supplier at Cattleman’s Ranch for us, but they brought him there instead.”
“Look, all I know is that he was definitely workin’ with some guy at Lancaster’s Quarry. I don’t know much more about him other than that.” Gloria thought about it for a moment until a bit of inspiration struck. “You think he’s workin’ for the Devils?”
Vinny growled back, “No. He’s not, Gloria. And you best shut your goddamn mouth with those accusations. He’s a Horseman, tried and true.”
“Obviously not if he’s working with the quarry guys...” Gloria knew she had touched a sweet spot for Vinny. He was not allowed to question MC leadership, let alone let an outsider question one of the integrity of the second in command. He was not about to let her continue on like this.
But Gloria didn’t care. She had landed on a goldmine of information. What she got was way better than anything Vinny could begin to provide her with. Without another word, she strode off and headed back into the tavern. She grabbed the bag she had left behind and used the back exit to get to her beater of a car.
She fumbled with the keys a bit. The adrenaline was settling in, making her sense go mad with excitement. Before she could find the right gold key on the chain, she felt a hand reach behind her and grab the metal pieces away from her. She spun, turning her body to face the person. Vinny pressed up against her, pushing her back against the car door.
“Get off me!” Gloria screamed. Vinny did not relent. He just slipped the keys into his pants pocket. “I’ll call for help!”
“Yeah? And who’s gonna come get you? You ain’t got a friend in the world in there besides your guy Jordan. I know more people who’d rather see you dead than alive.” Vinny spat the venom of his words into her face. His breath brushed up against her cheeks as his chin leaned down to whisper into her ear.
“Fuck you! You don’t know me. You don’t know anything about me.” Gloria hated to admit that he had pegged her. He was right: friendships didn’t exist in Gloria’s world.
“Here’s what’s going to happen tonight I’m going to give you back your keys and you’re going to walk away. You’re not going to go after Carl. Hell, you’re not going to think about him anymore. If I hear that you even so much as asked about him, I will kill you.”
Gloria panted as she struggled in vain to break away. But his chest against hers, his thighs pushing up against her the seams of her tight jeans was making it hard to really put up a good fight. After a few minutes of wriggling, she exclaimed defeated, “What a great bodyguard you turned out to be.”
“This wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t such a stubborn bitch. You picked the wrong man to mess with.” Vinny found it hard to defend Carl, especially with Gloria’s evidence in hand. “Now, you going to play nice and follow my rules now so I can let you go home and count your money?”
Gloria softened her look purposefully and let down her fight, “Yes. Let me go.”
Vinny smiled, satisfied. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He handed her the keys as she remained in place. “I feel bad it had to end this way. I actually enjoyed watching you work. You’ve got a solid business here, Gloria. To make it up to you, I’ll pay my debt like I said I would.”
“That’s fine.” Gloria’s mind was a blank. She wasn’t exactly interested in hearing whatever condescending dribble Vinny was laying on her. Instead, she interrupted him as he began to talk further. “I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you later.”
She avoided his glare as she took the keys and unlocked the car door. She slammed it shut, allowing it to automatically lock behind her. As she started the car, she looked back up at Vinny who had yet to move a muscle. With a wide grin, she peeled out of her spot in the lot and headed out onto the town’s main road. Her cellphone in hand, she had a couple of calls to place while she drove to her destination.
Vinny watched her go, carefully monitoring which way she turned. She was headed home, he was sure of it. But he was still feeling as if he was missing something about their exchange. He headed back into the tavern for a quick drink. He needed something swift and strong to take his mind off of everything that had just happened.
Sitting at the tall stool, his back facing the rest of the crowd, he watched eagerly as Casey poured him a tall, dark colored beer. She tossed him another shot from the far end of the bar to chase it down with.
His racing mind was interrupted by the sound of his cellphone buzzing away in his pocket. He pulled the slick black phone out of his pocket to check his messages. The newest one was from Benni’s number. It simply read, “Clubhouse. 2am. Bring the kid.”
Chapter 9: The Summons
It wasn’t unusual for him to be called up so suddenly like that. Being an enforcer required tons of last-minute assignments where he’d essentially have to follow his man into battle no matter what the time or place. But after everything that had happened with Junior earlier in the week and now with Gloria out on some scheme against him, he couldn’t help but feel anxious and unnerved. He could only hope he wasn’t going to be walking in to his own death trap by following orders.
And if it weren’t Gloria behind his suspicious call up, Junior had to be the reason. By all accounts, Junior had done his job. Everything he had said at his first shakedown about Johnson, Cattleman’s Ranch, and the quarry sellers was correct. Not a lie in the bunch. He even proved himself as a great spy. He had miraculously attracted no attention or suspicions his way as Junior had been trusted in running from the quarry to several seller’s homes, he also got to do another pickup at the Cattleman’s Ranch. While there, he took pictures of the signature red boxes and even recorded a bit of the conversation between Jason, Pedro, and Johnson about their schedules.
Vinny couldn’t have been more pleased with the young man’s gumption. It took real guts, or at least a healthy fear of death at the hands of the Horsemen, to go that deep with the plan. He had proven his worth to Vinny,
at least. Now it seemed like he was up for discussion with the rest of the club’s leadership. If it were simply a meeting to decide Junior’s fate in the Horsemen, Vinny had nothing to worry about. It would be an in and out, and he’d be back home safe to live another night.
Shooting a quick text to Junior to meet him at the spot at two, Vinny hopped on his bike and sped off towards Jackson where the headquarters for the club was located. Members met in an inconspicuous brick building that used to be part of a larger factory. Now the men had slowly begun to remodel the place for their needs. Round tables were set in the main, smoky meeting hall. On Saturday evenings, patch wearers occupied each chair. But tonight, the room was completely empty, giving the space a ghastly appearance.
Vinny could see a single light illuminating the space. It was on in the leadership office, but he knew better than to approach it or to try to enter without an invitation. Instead, he slowly walked towards the open door and cleared his voice loudly to alert whoever was inside of his presence.
From his spot, he could hear Benni arguing with a faceless man angrily, his voice rising and falling in rage. “The fuck, man? Do you know who I am?” There was a long pause as the sound of someone screaming incoherently back on the phone’s speaker. Benni interrupted as he began again, “You get your ass over here, and we’ll deal with it then.”
Taken by Lies (Black Horsemen MC Book 1) Page 6
