Knox Brotherhood

by Knox, Elizabeth

  That feeling in my stomach is back as he begin to pace back and forth with great bravado. He may have looked like a filthy shithead that was just some poor peon, but I knew him well enough to know Juan was nothing of the sort. He was a ruthless middle manager in a cartel who had a sadistic need to boss around all these young women. He had no respect, mercy, or remorse. He was a cold, hard criminal. I got the feeling that my Siren may have underestimated him. But I continue to keep my body calm and listen to whatever he has to say. I didn’t want to incite him before I knew what I was up against.

  “And I always do. I don’t give a shit what you do either, if you keep doing fair business with me, Juan. Look, what’s all this talk about? First, you have us meet you in this creepy abandoned town in an old warehouse, and then you send my boy out to get the girls while you say we need to talk. Just lay it on me, Juan. What have you heard?” I try to play dumb like I knew nothing, but there was no way this didn’t have to do with my Ol’ Lady and what she did for a living. I have been giving Juan’s girls new lives for years now, and he hadn’t cared before. Something had happened, and the FBI was probably going to need to know this the moment I make it out of that warehouse. If I made it out, that is.

  “See? This is why I like you, Reed. You’re straightforward. It’s why I wanted to talk to you instead of making my assumptions. It’s why I wanted to give you a chance to explain and handle things your way before I angered Rafael with this disturbing news.” Well, at least I knew we didn’t have the whole cartel on our ass, not yet anyway. But I didn’t like his tone, even though it was seemingly friendly. “That woman of yours, the one that is the president for the Vipers, there was something not right about her. I just knew it in the way she acted. At first, I just thought she was new to the game. She had obviously just inherited that renegade group from her ruthless father and wasn’t doing a great job filling his shoes. It happens. But when I dug deeper, I found out that my original instinct was right. And because we are friends, I thought you should know because if we go down, you will go down with us.”

  Shit! He was about to blow Elena’s cover. I just knew it, and I had to think quick, especially as he was giving me the chance to play dumb like I had no idea about her. But I couldn’t let this make it back to Rafael. I knew that. Anything was better than letting this cartel know Elena was with the FBI. She would be as good as dead to the cartel and to the government. I wasn’t naïve about how that shit worked. Once you fucked up, there was no more protection for you.

  “Why would either of us go down, Juan? Look, this chick is hot and great in bed, that’s all I know. I guess I should be more careful who I take home with me. But, really, how bad can she be?” I play it up, making sure he thought I didn’t care for her and had no intimate knowledge beyond what her pussy felt like. I was hoping the sleaze-ball would buy it. I had made a good sleaze-ball myself when I first became Prez. Surely, I’m convincing.

  “That woman is not who you think she is, Reed. She is an undercover agent for the FBI. She means to turn us all in for sex trafficking and who knows what else. My hope is that I told you in enough time for you to dispose of her before she gets too much information. I don’t want any trouble for having dealings with the wrong people, and I know you don’t ever want to meet Rafael.” There’s a threat in there somewhere. I could tell this Rafael person wouldn’t be happy with Juan if he had to come after two MC’s that Juan made deals with to save his ass. There’s a chance for me to get out of this unscathed and get to Elena before it’s too late.

  “You’re fucking kidding me?” I act angry, forcing myself to turn red with rage. “That fucking cunt!”

  “I know this must come as a shock, but she was chosen by the FBI for a reason.” I nod, acting like I was cooling down and becoming grateful for his information. I pull out my wad of cash for him and go to shake his hand.

  “Thank you, Juan, for giving them the chance to deal with this before it’s too late. I have an entire MC full of people she could put in danger, all because I was thinking with my dick.” Juan holds out his hand to shake, looking satisfied with my response, and that’s when I turn on him. It’s the fastest I have ever pulled out a gun in my whole life. I shoot him down in cold blood like it’s the fucking wild west and I run for my life back to the van, glad as hell that all the women were already in there.

  “Fucking drive, Seamus!” I scream. He looks at me with fear in his eyes. He had to have heard the gun shot. He takes off like a bat out of hell as we see Juan’s associate running into the warehouse to see what had happened. I get him within range and shoot him. I didn’t look back to see if he was dead or only injured. We had to get the fuck out of there.

  “Don’t ask any questions,” I tell Seamus. “get to the next town, and we’ll split up. You get these girls home and you put the bar on lockdown. The whole club needs their pieces on them always. Protect the women. All of them.” Seamus nods. I know I could count on him in this time of need. He’s a great friend.

  I pick up my cell and dial a number I had saved only for such emergencies as this. I call Kristie, Elena’s handler.

  “I just fucking killed Juan, Kristie. I shot his associate and took the girls. He knew who Elena was. He’s more cunning than we thought. It sounded like he hasn’t told anyone yet, but because I shot him, they’ll be after us soon. They’ll kill us. All of us.” I’m in a panic. “I’ve got to come for Elena. In the meantime, get your shit together and figure out what the hell we’re going to do.”

  She responds in as calm of a voice as she could, and I hear Elena in the background with John. Thank goodness, she’s with them and safe right now. “Alright, we’ll do all we can to keep her safe. We’ll see you soon.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Reed

  Every time I cross the border of the next state or stopped to fill my tank, I find myself looking over my shoulder. It was only a matter of time before the fucking cartel got wind of Juan’s death, and they were not going to let it go unpunished. Even if I had succeeded in taking out the associate and only witness on Juan’s side, they would surely figure out who he had made his latest deal with.

  There was nothing that got past the leader of a cartel like that. They were all-seeing and all-knowing like a God, which is why I hated that the FBI had gone from getting Elena involved with a hard ass MC to making her give up sensitive information about a cartel. This cartel had a reach that was fucking miles long. They dealt with more than just women, and I knew it. Juan was only a small piece in a larger operation, and I’m scared shitless right now.

  I had just won a woman that could stand by my side as an equal, and be in my bed each night without fail. I wasn’t ready to lose her yet. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to let her lose me. She has gone through enough in her life. I was here to make sure it was better from here on out.

  I was finally approaching Cincinnati, driving so fast other motorists probably thought the devil himself was on my back. That’s what it felt like as I navigated through the heavy morning traffic of the city. The highway was backed up to the point that I had little choice but to fly through the shoulder and passed all the traffic to make sure I got to her.

  I had left Elena to her own devices long enough, and I wasn’t about to make her wait any longer to get to safety. I had a slight idea of what the bureau was going to have is to do. They would be giving us new identities of some kind and putting us into hiding.

  It would mean that our MC’s would have to be run by the VPs for the time being. I didn’t know how I felt or how my club would feel about that. I had never had to do that for more than a day before.

  I knew that Dmitri would take care of things for Elena. He had been doing it most of the time anyway, even keeping the Vipers sane under Jimmy’s iron fist all these damn years. I could only hope my boy, Max, would pull through for me and keep my friends and family safe. My main priority is worrying about Elena and myself right now.

  I sped up to the building where we met Kristie and
John in the past. I wasn’t sure if Elena was there or if she was at her house or staying somewhere else entirely. I feel a bit out of the loop. So, I calm myself and pick up my phone, turning it on for the first time since I had hopped on my bike an hour out of Laredo. I had kept it off because I didn’t want anyone, government, cartel, or otherwise to be able to use the thing to track where I was going. Every decision I had made from the moment I shot Juan was to give us enough time to get out of there safely.

  I dial Kristie’s number, unsure if Elena’s phone would have been changed out by now. If anyone else in the cartel had found her out, who knew what other information they had on her. It was a good thing Kristie had convinced her to come to Cincinnati to meet to discuss the cartel instead of talking over the phone about it

  “Reed, is that you?” It’s Elena’s voice that picks up the phone, and I have never been so relieved to hear it. I’m overcome with emotion, but right now isn’t the best time for break down. I could do that once we get to our destination.

  “It’s me, Siren. I told Kristie I was coming for you. I’m in Cincinnati, and I need to know where to find you. Are you at your apartment?”

  “No,” she answers, sounding distressed. I doubt she has been able to sleep since Kristie gave her the news in whatever way she saw fit. For all I knew, Elena hadn’t even known for sure if I was alright. “They let me go back there last night to grab a few things and then that was it. I am staying at Kristie’s now, and there have been armed agents around us pretty much the whole time. You need to tell me what’s going on. They’ve told me almost nothing.” She’s more in panic mode than I am, but the answers would have to wait.

  “You’re going to have to wait for that, babe. We need to get the hell out of here. Text me the address, and I’ll come for you. Get the plan from Kristie because we need to fly.” I hang up because time is of the essence here. I wasn’t’ going to hang around and wait for them to find us in her hometown. I take off down the road, glad that the address comes through quickly. It isn’t too far, and I find myself at a large downtown high rise in five minutes flat.

  I take the elevator up to the tenth floor and find 1021, the unit that Elena had said Kriste lived in. I could see several well-planted people with guns if I looked hard enough, but they weren’t pointed in my direction. The FBI probably knew every time I took a piss at this point, so I had nothing left to worry about there.

  I knock on the door, and Kristie’s the one that answers, pulling me in quickly and bolting the door behind her. “Fuck, Reed, it took you long enough,” she huffs, and I could chortle at that. Off duty, I kinda liked her.

  She leads me into the depths of the luxury apartment where I find a distraught Elena waiting for me. I take the time to meet her embrace and kiss her reassuringly before we get down to business.

  “Now, what the fuck’s the plan?” I ask, looking at Kristie and the two black-suited agents that had made themselves at home there for the time being.

  “There is an armored vehicle, completely unmarked, waiting outside in the lot for you. You get three bags of luggage altogether, and they are already packed inside the vehicle. One of them will contain your new phones, identities, and anything else you need to change your appearance once you reach your destination.

  “Both of you are to lay low and to go into hiding. We will keep your motorcycle safe, Reed, and there will be a car waiting for you where we’re taking you. I highly suggest you don’t leave once you’re there. The two agents that are taking you will also stay with you for protection until the bureau gives the all clear. The only contact you will have is us. I want you to understand; this is no vacation.” I nod my head at her, totally understanding everything she’s saying. I look over at my Ol’ Lady’s pursed lips and knew she didn't like the way I was being talking to.

  “So, where are we going?” she asks, standing up and putting her arm in mine. She looked as ready to go as ever.

  “You know we aren’t going to tell you that. We can’t risk you calling someone on the way and putting them and yourself in more danger. The FBI is extending this protection to you because of the contact we have with you and your long-standing successes,” Kristie explains, flinching at her own formality. “They won’t be so forgiving if you decide to ruin this for yourself.”

  I get the gist of what she meant. If we stepped out of line, we lost our protection and possibly our lives. Elena would certainly lose her job. I wasn’t planning on breaking any rules right now, no matter how bad-ass I think I am.

  “Yeah, I get it,” Elena grumbles. I could see tears welling up in Kristie’s eyes. Elena had told me that Kristie was much more than her handler. They were best friends. I was finally getting a tiny glimpse of that.

  Kristie comes up and throws her arms around Elena in a tight hug. “Be safe,” she whispers to her, and Elena hugs back and nodding. I didn’t feel a whole lot of confidence coming from Siren at this moment, and I hope our long trip in the car would be able to give me a chance to change her mind. If she lost confidence now, then all was lost. There would be nothing left there to save.

  “It’s gunna be okay, Siren,” I tell her, kissing the side of her head as the two agents lead us out of the apartment and down the elevator. It feels a little bit like the walk to death row, but I thought better of voicing my opinion out loud. I knew that being whisked away by the FBI was no guarantee of anything, but I had to hold out hope that we would find a new and safe life for now and that they would be able to bust the cartel quickly.

  “If you say so,” she says, as we were led to the parking lot and towards a large, black Infiniti that’s waiting for us. The agents show us that there are two bags packed in the trunk and one sitting in the middle of the back seat. That must have been the one that had our new phones in it.

  We reluctantly hand our own phones over and get in the vehicle with lightly tinted windows. A male and female agent are dressed in casual clothes in the front seat, ready to take us to our destination. I couldn’t help but wonder where our home was going to be for the next several weeks or months until the cartel is no more.

  I reach out and hold Elena’s hand as we take off, squeezing it with love. There are no words right now that would make any of this go away, so I would have to wait for the right ones to come to me later.

  In my mind, I say my goodbyes to Seamus, Daisy, and all the others back at the club. My family’s going to have to get on without me, and I just hope that my leaving with Elena would mean they could do so in peace.

  CHAPTER 18

  Elena

  I look around nervously even though I knew that there were two fully armed agents standing only yards away and that Reed and I both had our weapons on us. We stop at a pay phone not too far from the hotel. We’re outside a gas station with only two pumps. We needed to call the MC’s and let them know the condensed version of what has happened and what they need to do right now. I still wasn’t at liberty to reveal that I was with the FBI to anyone, and I knew how close I was to being retired and losing my protection if I broke or even bent one rule. This was certainly not the time to be bad ass, rogue, Elena. I needed to follow the rules, and so far, I had, right down to cutting my hair. I felt strange and I keep reaching out to grab the long locks but I’m met with only air, however we needed to look different, and that we did.

  I had been given what I could only describe as suburban mom clothes; midrise jeans and jean jackets with shirts in bright colors that only showed mild cleavage. That plus the more conservative cut of my fiery hair makes me appear to be even older than my actual 27. Although on an average day I was used to still looking like I was in my early 20’s despite my scars.

  Looking at Reed was hard to stomach right now for me. When he took his clothes off, I was sure he would still turn me on like always. They couldn’t take away his ripped chest or the taste of his skin and lips. But they had made him dye his black hair to blonde and completely get rid of any sign of facial hair. He looked quite uncomfortable in his cl
othes that made him resemble the kind of guy that would take meetings at work by going to a golf course. If we weren’t in such a dire situation, I was certain I would laugh.

  I wait my turn to use the phone patiently, as Reed tries to communicate with the MC without giving too much away. I feel bad for bringing him into all this. This wasn’t his responsibility, and he was having to act like he was an agent himself and entrust his whole MC to a man who has never really had control over it before. I knew that my girls would help hold things down at the club and help the women Seamus had brought back to the bar on starting on their new lives. I could just see Daisy taking charge in my mind’s eye.

  Reed finally hangs up, and I could see the strain on his face as he backs up out of the booth so I could take over with the phone. I look back at the agents that were our 24/7 babysitters, and I could see that they’re getting impatient. Their names, as far as we were told, were Sally and Ronald, and they were both in their 40’s. They seemed nice enough, but I knew protecting another agent who had probably fucked up was not the most glorious job in the universe for them. They probably thought they were getting this job because they were getting old or out of shape. To think I was around a decade or so from that fate is a scary thought.

  I get up to the phone and dial Dmitri’s number, not sure what to expect on the other end. I hadn’t got much of a chance to have a conversation with Dmitri and get to the bottom of whether the Vipers were aware of my job with the FBI. Jimmy obviously knew, but how many people had he revealed that information to?