I was furious with her for all the lies she’d told me, for all the shit I’d gone through on her account. But in the end, I didn’t want to see her go to prison. And if the DEA got me for exposing an agent, they were damn sure going to ask me how I’d found out.
No – the only option I could see was to take Lou down and pin it all on him, plus maybe a few others like Eyeball and Roach. After all, during the three years I was president, we were as close to clean as we ever got in the club’s thirty-year history. Maybe I could convince the government that Lou and a few cronies were to blame, not the rest of the Riders.
I shook my head in disbelief that it had come to this. We’d ditched the meth, the heroin, the coke, the gun running, the hookers, the extortion, the arson, and the occasional murder. And now, after all that, the DEA wanted to bust us for weed.
Legal weed, too – at least in the state of California.
Christ.
My options were total shit. I could do nothing and sit on my hands while everybody in the club got 20 years to life… or I could expose Eddie and be responsible for his murder.
Or I could do the one thing I would have never, ever considered before today.
I knew most of the Riders would say that no matter how bad Lou had fucked me over, it could never justify what I was about to do.
Jack Pollari, bad-ass motherfucker, former president of one of the most feared biker clubs on the West Coast, was going to work with the federal government to take down the Midnight Riders.
I was going to try to save the club by betraying it.
Fuck it. Maybe it would work. Maybe I could keep twenty or thirty guys out of jail.
Part of me asked why? Why stick my neck out for men who had gone along with Lou and stabbed me in the back, or kept their mouths shut out of cowardice? They didn’t fucking deserve my help. And even if I succeeded, all they would do in return was curse my name.
But when I patched in, I swore allegiance to the club. For me, that meant the men who belonged to it. Not the name, not some abstract idea. The club was the guys I rode with.
And when you looked at it like that, I didn’t really have much of a choice.
Sit back and do nothing, and watch them all go to jail… or do something horrible, and maybe save some of them.
“Do you think this is a good idea?” I asked Sid. “Going to the DEA?”
He shrugged. “It’s a gamble.”
“It’s a gamble going up against Lou.”
“Well, then, you know what they say: fight fire with fire. Unless you got water, that usually works better.”
I squinted at him, not sure if he had all 52 cards in his deck.
Fiona spoke up. “This has got to be your decision. You’re the one who’s got to live with the consequences if it goes bad.”
“So do you,” I pointed out. “If it goes bad, the DEA’s not going to let you walk away, either.”
Her face was calm as she said, “I’ve already decided.”
I hesitated… then finally gave in. “Make the call.”
36
Fiona
To tell the truth, I was terrified. I knew Eddie was going to rip me a new asshole for revealing his identity – in fact, he might even send the goon squad to come pick me up immediately.
“I should probably talk to him in private,” I said.
That immediately pissed Jack off.
“No – no more secretive shit. If I’m going along with this, then I want to hear every fucking word. No more surprises.”
I wanted to shout, What, don’t you trust me?
But then… why would he?
I didn’t really have a leg to stand on, so I agreed – with caveats. “I can’t put him on speaker or it’ll be a dead giveaway. So just stay close and don’t make any noise.”
“Fine.”
I looked over at Sid. “You want in on this?”
“Naw, just give me the score after the ballgame’s over.”
I dialed Eddie’s number.
A recorded voice answered. “The number you have dialed has been disconnected. If you feel like you have reached this number in error, please hang up and try again.”
“That’s weird… his number’s been disconnected,” I said.
Jack frowned. “What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. He told me it was a burner, so maybe he tosses them occasionally. Hold on, I’ve got another number.”
I called the DEA command center and got a doctor’s office message, just like Eddie had said. “You’ve reached the Lawrenceville Dermatology Center. Our offices are open from 9AM to 5PM. If you are hearing this message during normal office hours, we are on the other line or helping a patient. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911. If you would like to leave a message, wait for the beep and leave your name and phone number, and we’ll call you back as soon as possible.”
I left my number, no name, and hung up.
“How will they know it’s you?” Jack asked.
“Oh, they already know,” I said dourly.
My cell phone rang almost immediately. “Hello?”
A male voice I didn’t recognize said, “What?”
“I need to see Eddie.”
“Why?”
Real talkative, this guy.
“Do you know who I am?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you know why.”
“You can talk to me.”
“No. I only talk to Eddie.”
“He’s unavailable at the moment.”
“I need to see him.” I hesitated, then plunged ahead with as much information as I thought wise. “I’m going back to Richards to work on my cousin’s murder.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“I’ve got a lead, but I’m only discussing it with Eddie.”
“Where are you?”
“Los Angeles.”
“You going to be in Richards tomorrow?”
“Yes.”
“There’s a place outside of town. Mariposa Way – ”
“Yeah, I met him there when I left.”
“Great. Be there at 10AM, and don’t be late.”
The line went dead.
“Asshole,” I muttered.
“Well?” Jack asked.
I smiled nervously. “We’ve got a date with destiny at 10AM tomorrow.”
“Make sure you take a rubber,” Sid advised.
37
Before we headed to Richards, we went over the final details. We gave Sid the address of the Seven Veils, the Roadhouse, and pictures of Lou from Jack’s phone.
“That looks like a grade-A prime piece of asshole right there,” Sid remarked.
Once everything was set, I got my stuff – all the things I had taken with me to Richards, and which were now stored in the back room – and put them out in my car. Sid did the same with his own gear, a bunch of metal cases and canvas bags that he put in the trunk of his 30-year-old Oldsmobile Cutlass.
“You’re welcome to stay at my place,” Jack offered as Sid finished up and locked the office.
Sid looked over his glasses at me. “You gonna be there, Fee?”
I looked at Jack. “I don’t know – am I?”
“…yeah,” Jack said, though he didn’t seem overly enthusiastic about it.
Jerk.
Sid padlocked the metal accordion gates over the front of the shop. “Then nope, I’ll stay outside of town somewhere.”
“Why not?” Jack asked. “We’d be able to stay on the same page – ”
“If you’re worried about expenses, keep your panties on. There ain’t exactly a buncha Ritz Carltons out there. ‘Sides, it’s a bad idea. Your place might be under surveillance. Not a good idea for your buddies to see me there, then catch me tailin’ ‘em later in the day.”
“Should Fiona be there, then?” Jack asked – which annoyed me.
Sid waved a hand dismissively. “Eh, they already know you’re bonin’. They’ll probably just figure you
couldn’t stay away.”
“We’re not ‘boning,’” I said.
Sid shrugged as he shuffled towards his Oldsmobile. “I don’t care what you do, I just don’t wanna hear it.”
“You wouldn’t hear anything, because nothing’s going on.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Sid said.
“That’s all over,” Jack insisted.
Ouch.
I could say it, yeah – but when he did, it hurt like hell.
“Whatever,” Sid said as he got inside his car. “Like I always say, a schlong in the bush is worth two in the hand.”
Then he closed the door, cranked the engine, and drove away.
“…what the fuck?” Jack muttered.
“Never mind,” I said. “Let’s just get back to Richards.”
I got in my car and watched as Jack swung a leg over his Harley – a very muscular leg. With a spectacular ass.
Which got me to thinking about what else he was packing under those jeans.
I had to snap out of my daydream and rush to catch up when he pulled out into traffic.
38
The ride to Richards was long because of rush hour traffic, but otherwise uneventful. I followed him the entire way there in my car.
Once we pulled into Jack’s driveway, he got off his bike and helped me carry my suitcases inside. Not a word was said – at least, not until he set down my bags outside a door off the main hallway.
“You can have the spare bedroom. The bathroom’s at the end of the hall.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“I haven’t got anything to eat except frozen dinners.”
“Fine.”
“I’ll go and pop a couple in while you wash up.”
“Okay.”
He walked away.
I have never had such a stupid, mundane conversation that was so filled with sexual tension.
Dinner was just as bad. We sat there eating nuked lasagna and nursing a couple of beers, not saying a damn thing… but I watched him out of the corner of my eye all the same. I hadn’t seen him for two weeks. Not only was I starved for the sight of him, but all that absence had made me forget how scorching hot he was. How muscular, how handsome, how fucking sexy.
He didn’t seem to have the same problem, though. He mostly just ignored me.
“Are we going to talk?” I finally asked.
He glared at me. “Nothing to talk about.”
“Look, we’ve come this far – ”
“And that’s as far as it’s going to go,” he interrupted. “You help me get the club back, I help you find out who killed your cousin, and we’re square. Got it?”
Bastard.
“Yeah,” I said icily. “I got it.”
We went back to our meals and beer.
Though I still kept checking him out on the sly.
39
Jack
Fuuuuuuck.
This was absolute torture. I wanted her so bad – that bangin’ little body, those eyes, that mouth – but I wasn’t about to go down that road.
She’d already done enough damage. No need to let her do any more.
And yet…
She was hot as hell sitting there across the table from me. I’m a simple guy, and simple things do it for me. A sexy chick in a wifebeater drives me wild for some reason. Maybe it’s the bare shoulders. Without a bra is best, so I can see her nipples poking against the cloth – but if she’s wearing a bra, I like it to push her tits together. If I can see her bra straps outside of the shirt, even better.
Well, Fiona had ‘sexy’ in spades, and she was wearing a wifebeater… with a bra that showcased her great rack… and I could see her bra straps at the edges of both bare shoulders.
My dick was hard throughout the entire fucking dinner.
I waited until she got up from the table to grab something, then readjusted myself so she wouldn’t see.
Watching her tight, round little ass in those jeans didn’t help matters any.
“What do you want to do tonight, watch a movie?” she asked as she sat back down.
“No. I got work to do.”
“Oh. Okay,” she said, and took a long swig on her beer bottle.
When she did, a drop of condensation ran down the glass and landed plop right in her cleavage.
“Dammit,” she muttered, wiping her chest off, making her breasts jiggle slightly.
Jesus.
It was going to be a long night.
40
I went back to my office and dicked around on the computer for a couple of hours, paying bills for my house and the body shop. Anything to keep from looking at her.
She watched something on TV in the den. I couldn’t tell what it was.
I figured I should let Kade in on the plan, but I didn’t want to do it over the phone. Call me paranoid, but I wanted to do it in person in case the fucking lines were tapped. I knew that was highly unlikely, but I still wasn’t about to take any chances.
“Did you find her?” Kade asked.
“Yeah. She’s here right now.”
“…huh.”
That ‘huh’ spoke volumes without saying anything at all.
Like, So what does that mean? Are you two good now?
Are you going to fuck her, or what?
None of which I felt like replying to, so I just said, “Can you come over?”
“You two are that bored already?” he said in a deadpan voice, though I knew it was a joke.
“Ha ha,” I said, not laughing. “Just get your ass over here.”
“Be there in fifteen.”
When I heard his motorcycle out in the driveway, I left the office and walked into the den. Fiona was standing there holding her .38, looking nervous as hell.
“It’s Kade,” I said, and opened the door.
“Oh,” she said, embarrassed.
“Keep watching your show,” I said as I opened the front door. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
I walked down the driveway just as Kade was getting off his bike.
“What’s up,” he said.
“I thought I should fill you in on the plan.”
“Okay,” he said, not bothering to comment on my paranoia.
“I hired Fiona’s boss to help out. He’s staying somewhere outside of Richards, so Lou won’t know in case his guys are watching us.”
“He’s good?”
“He seems pretty sharp – although he also seems like he’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”
“Sharp how?”
“He thinks those two fake Santa Muertes were hired by Lou.”
Rarely do I ever see any hint of emotion on Kade’s face. This was one of those times. He raised his eyebrows slightly – which for him was the equivalent of shouting What the FUCK?!
All he said, though, was “Really?”
“Yeah, and I gotta agree with him. It makes sense.”
Kade looked off into the distance and frowned. I could tell he was thinking it through. He finally said, “Except for the part about shooting Benjy, and not you and me.”
“Yeah, that’s the only part we can’t figure out. But I think the old man’s probably right.”
“Okay.”
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Before all that shit went down at the Roadhouse, Fiona was blackmailed into being an informant for the DEA.”
Kade’s eyebrows went up even further. He was really overreacting today.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yep. Remember that night Roach disappeared? The DEA got him.”
“How do you know that?”
“Fiona saw it go down.”
Kade’s eyes flickered towards my house, then back at me. He wasn’t a Sergeant-at-Arms anymore, but he still thought like one.
He’d cleaned up some particularly nasty shit for me when I first became president. He’d never done anything I hadn’t done myself back in the day, back when the Midnight Riders were outlaws and cr
iminals. The difference was, Kade had done it so I could take the club legit. He’d pulled the trigger a couple of times when I wasn’t able to, mostly because of politics and appearances. I couldn’t exactly preach to the club about staying inside the law and then go out and do some of the things Kade had done on my behalf.
I could tell he was thinking along the same lines now, although he and I both knew the reasons I couldn’t pull the trigger were vastly different. This time, it was all about emotional attachment.
Do you need me to take care of this for you? he asked with a glance.
“It’s fine,” I reassured him.
He raised one eyebrow like, You’re sure?
“Fiona and I are… we’re working on it. But there’s something else.”
“Really,” he said in the driest voice imaginable. Sort of like, I’m not sure I can take any more.
“Eddie Deacon’s an undercover DEA agent,” I said.
Kade leaned his head forward and his entire forehead wrinkled, his eyebrows shot up so high.
I wanted to joke, Don’t have an aneurysm, man, but now really wasn’t the time.
“You’re fucking with me,” Kade said.
“Nope.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah. And we’re meeting him tomorrow morning at ten to see if we can work with him.”
Kade stared at me. Anybody else would have thought he was just caught off guard and looking at me blankly, but I knew that expression was his version of unmitigated horror.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked after about ten seconds of silence.
“No. But if I don’t do anything, he’s going to take down the entire club. According to what Fiona said, Eddie hinted that Lou’s doing something we don’t know about – probably some sort of drug operation. And the DEA wants to hang all of us for it.”
“What if we exposed Eddie?”
“No. We do that, and Lou would kill him. And if not Lou, somebody else.”
“Not like he wouldn’t deserve it.”
“Maybe, but I don’t want his blood on our hands. I know I asked you to do a lot of shit three years ago, but we were trying to cut ties and get on the straight and narrow. We’ve been clean for over two years now, and I’m not going back on that just to save our hides. Not to mention the DEA will come after us even harder if anything happens to Eddie.”
Midnight Obsession: A Midnight Riders Motorcycle Club Romance Part 4 Page 10
