by Paula Cox
“We’ll sink it,” Zeke answers quickly. He takes a seat in one of the recliners, rubbing his hands on the velvety microfiber. “But that’s not the only reason why I am here. We can handle the van tonight while they struggle with the elements. What I wanted you to know is that we found Riley.”
“What?” I ask, my voice dropping at least an octave. “How the hell did you manage to find him? I thought we’ve been looking for weeks now with not even a lead and now we managed to trace him?”
“It was Anna’s plan. We stationed guys in beater cars outside the convention, and they followed anyone that fit Anna’s description. Vernon found him over on the east side of the Watertown neighborhood living in some rundown mansion he managed to squat himself and the rest of his club in. We’ve been doing intel on the place all night.”
“What’s the protection like?” I ask as I sit across from him back on the couch. He’s managed to get my full attention now.
“That’s the thing. We think that those five guys you managed to take out were probably some of his best riders or enforcers. We’ve had several guys out there all night, and they’ve seen lots of panic. Guys running in and out, no one stationed at the front or back entrance, no lights or security systems anywhere. We even sent some of our girls in to see if they could slip in undetected. They all came back reporting the same thing—the place is falling apart.”
“So what are you saying?”
Anna appears in the hallway wearing an oversized flannel shirt and nothing else. “He’s saying that we have to go now and get Riley, right?” Her eyes glow wide and large as they dart between the two of us.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying,” Zeke replies without looking at her. “If we’re going to make our move on him, it’s going to be tonight, and she’s going to have to come with us.”
“No,” I say firmly. “I did this already today, and I am not going to put her at risk again. She’s not going to be bait for that madman. It’s too dangerous. We’ll go, and Anna will stay behind.” I can barely stand to look at her because I’ll know what I’ll see—resistance. She wants to take down Riley as much, if not more, than I do, but the stakes are higher for her. We both know what he’s capable of doing to get his hands on her.
She walks towards me, ignoring Zeke’s presence all together. “What did I tell you earlier, Mack? I’m not leaving you ever again. And you’re not leaving me behind either. We’re in this together—me and you. You’re just going to have to do your best to keep me out of trouble.”
“That’s easier said than done, Anna. I’m not going to be able to protect you when it’s us walking into their den. Sure, they say it’s unguarded, but we don’t know what kind of stash they’ve got built up in there or how many guys are actually members of the Knights now. Let’s just give it a day to tally things up.”
“No, Mack,” Zeke interrupts. “Anna is right. If we’re going to do this, it has to be tonight, and it has to be now. Sending the girls in was one thing, but they’re going to catch on that we’re scouting them and it’s going to go downhill from there. I already talked it over with the rest of the Dragon’s council and they agree. We’ve got to leave.”
Anna walks back towards the bedroom she exited from, her hand held up as if we’re going to disappear without her. “Let me grab my pants from the dryer.” She turns and runs, leaving Zeke and I alone.
“I’m not going to risk her life, Zeke. You don’t understand.”
“You don’t think I see it? The whole club saw it weeks ago when you first brought her in. She’s not just some side piece for you. We get that. And the club is going to treat her like she’s one of us, especially after today. No one, especially not me, wants to put her in danger. But if she could get us one step closer to Riley where we could get a clean shot and end this all today, wouldn’t that be worth it?”
He has me stunned. Have I been this blind that my damn club saw me falling for this girl before I did? And more importantly, am I being selfish by not taking into consideration the rewards of taking down the one man compromising my club’s territory and place of power?
More focused than ever, I stand up and walk quickly towards the window. Just outside, I spy Zeke’s car with its engine still running. Anna’s voice floats over my thoughts. “Are you ready to go, Mack?”
“Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 16
“You’re not coming in, Anna. You can wait out in the car.” We’ve been fighting about this for about fifteen minutes now, and still Mack hasn’t let up and faced the facts that I’m not letting him go in there without me. “Zeke will tell Riley he’s got you a few blocks away, and I’ll do the rest.”
“No,” I answer back swiftly. I’ve already explained my point at least ten times and Zeke has agreed with me as well. Riley isn’t going to fall for a bait and switch. Either I come in and show him I’m ready to deal and play along or we don’t go through this at all. I understand Mack’s side of it too. Hell, I’m shaking worse than I was this morning before the tattoo convention. The idea of being back in the same room with Riley and on his turf is more terrifying than anything.
What’s worse is that it’s not about me. While Mack is hell-bent on trying to keep me safe, I’m more worried about him. I can’t just let him go in it alone. This whole thing started because of me, and it’s going to end with me. Mack isn’t going to lose any more blood because of how he feels for me or because he’s tying it into his dad’s revenge. I have to be there to keep him equally safe as he could keep me.
Mack doesn’t have a chance to argue with my reasoning. Zeke slowly pulls the car over to the side of the road. Like the Dragons’ headquarters, Riley’s home of the Knights isn’t anything to really look at either. An old, faux-Victorian style home, it probably looked amazing in its prime. But tonight, even in the city’s damp fog, I can’t get past the black towels dangling from windows as makeshift blinds or the pile of empty beer bottles lining the barbed wire fence. Even the front door has signs of wear and tear well beyond just regular aging. Parts of it have been kicked in and splintered so that it only locks by the handle.
“Jesus. This ain’t what it used to be,” Zeke says as he peers up and over the steering wheel, studying the place. “I remember when this home was the most feared in the city. No one got near it with the guards outside and the lines of bikes parked in the street. Now…”
“It looks like a damn drug den.” Mack finishes his observation. He too leans his head out the window to get a better look at two women just slipping out through an elevated basement door looking worse for wear. They adjust their shimmering, skin-tight dresses and rub their hands up and down their arms. Neither look at the other, their eyes fix onto the ground until they are well around the corner.
Jesus Riley, I think to myself, what the hell have you gotten yourself into here? I can’t believe that I’m feeling pity for him, but this is a pretty big hole to fall into for a guy who was relatively well put together just months ago. The old boyfriend I knew and actually cared for was long gone with the shot out windows of this place.
“Are we ready to go in?” I ask, breaking up the chatter in my head that’s forcing me to remember the times with Riley in which I didn’t feel like killing him. “We can’t sit in this car all night, and I’m not arguing anymore about the plan.”
“Wait a minute,” Zeke says as he pulls out his cellphone from his pocket. “I need to check with the backup that they’re close by and in position. If we’re all going in, there better be a rescue team just in case.”
Mack looks back at me, huddled in the middle seat of the car. His chin slides back and forth before he stiffens himself up and hands me a small, black and silver gun. I don’t take it. After the run in at the tattoo shop, I’m not exactly eager to be packing. If I can go my whole life without seeing another gun, I’ll be happy.
“Take it. I’m not letting you in there unless you’re protected.”
“Then give me a knife or something. I am not
carrying a gun. Plus, it’s not like I have a purse or something to put it in.”
He clicks a button the side of the gun and then forces it into my lap. “The safety is on. Tuck it into your bra or stuff it down your waistband. Like I said, you’re not going in without the damn gun.”
“But I don’t understand why I ha—”
“Anna!” Mack shouts. Zeke stops talking and places the phone down. We all stare ahead, away from the other as he calms himself down. After a few deep breaths, he says through gritted teeth, “I know you don’t know how the fuck this works, but I am the Dragon's president, and I have done nothing but protect you and keep you safe. Now I’m telling you that you’re going to take this gun and use it if necessary. And you’re not going to fucking question me about this ever again. Do you understand?”
I peer out the side window, doing my best to avoid making even a half-second of eye contact with him. While I entirely understand his point, it doesn’t mean that I have to even pretend to be happy about his trying to control me like this. I’m not some kind of sock puppet for him to put his hand up my ass and move me around on a stage. I’m a fucking person—I have the full capability to make up my own damn mind. Still, I take the gun and slide it down the side of my pants, using the flannel shirt I tossed on at the cabin to cover it up. Mack spins back towards the front and pulls out something from the glovebox. The light catches as he reaches over his shoulder, still not looking back at me.
“You said you want a knife, Anna. Here you go. Put it in your bra just in case Riley tries something or someone tries to grab you.” More grateful than before, I take the small paring knife from his hand. It’s not the sharpest one I’ve ever seen and the beat up and worn wooden handle gives me a hint that it hasn’t been used all too often in recent memories, but it weighs me down less than the gun sitting between my stomach and hips.
“Are you set? We need to move now in case this is only part of their gang. The boys are ready to go. They’re sitting on four corners of the block. Their ETA inside is about three minutes give or take, so if we need to stall, you know how long you’ve got to talk Riley out of it.” Mack looks back at me and then over again at Zeke. So this it. We’re doing this—again.
Mack opens his door first and then mine. I slide out of the car quietly, unsure if I should duck and cover or stand proudly and walk in like a warrior with her tribe. I choose the latter, with my chin held high into the air and my feet pounding into the ground. If I’m going to go down, I’m going to go looking out into the world.
Zeke’s intel is spot-on. There’s practically no one around headquarters to stop us from just walking through the front door. The only concerned look we get was from another woman exiting the basement door. She looks straight at me, dazed and bewildered. A warning is smeared all over her bruised face and tattered clothes. I nod at her slightly, recognizing her pain and suffering. I know what kind of monster Riley can be.
Mack looks towards the door, studying the lock. Back and forth, Zeke and Mack whisper low to themselves until Mack declares, “I’m going to bust it. Get ready.” He stands back at level with me right at the first step of the porch, but before he can ram his body into that shabby piece of wood, I grab hold of his arm, spinning him down towards the sidewalk again.
“No!” I nearly shout, getting the attention of both my men. “We’re not going in that way. It would be an ambush and we’d be dead before we got ten feet in. Have you noticed that the women are getting in and out that door towards the basement? We go in through there and pretend to be junkies and whores. It’s the best way to make sure we come out alive.”
Zeke looks at me, stunned. Each way has its risk, but mine is way worse off for me than it is for the guys to slam through that door and pray no one’s waiting for them on the other side. Both of them communicate silently, eyebrows arched until Mack concedes. “Fine. But we’re going in that way with you. I’m not sending you in there alone to meet up later.”
I reach over towards him, pulling up the hood of the brown sweatshirt he borrowed from the cabin’s stash of relatively clean laundry. “Cover yourself up,” I say as resist the urge to run my fingers through those soft tendrils of curls. “You don’t want to get yourself killed right away.” The palm of my hand rests on the back of his neck, rubbing softly as if to remind him that it will all be okay—this is my choice.
I too pull up the hood of my own sweatshirt and unbutton the flannel shirt just so the tops of my breasts show. The knife slips between the strap and my arm, out of sight for now, but I can still feel the tip of it dig a tiny hole into my flesh. I then take the lead, trying to remember those girls’ gates, the way they sashayed their hips tiredly and rubbed their skin back to life. I couldn’t be too sexy or play it too drugged. I just had to fit in.
The door to the basement is wide open—a rush of warmth runs towards me as I casually slide inside. No one notices me or the men standing a few feet behind me. The group of three men continue counting their cash on the table while a fourth strokes the backside of some hooker’s ass out in the open. He slaps her hard across the darkened skin as she lets out a small yelp of surprise.
He’s the first one to notice me, licking his lips while the girl presses her head into his shoulder and the wall they’re leaned up against. “What you here for, honey?”
I lower my voice to nearly a whisper. “I’m here for Riley. He sent for me.”
“You don’t look like his usual girl, and who are those fuckers you brought with you?”
“I’m not… I’m not his girl. She sent me to come since she couldn’t make it tonight… something with her mom. She said he’d like me enough. And those guys came with. They wanted to—”
“Crystal,” Mack interrupts. “Our friend told us you all had crystal. We came to buy from Riley.” He lies much easier than I can. My voice shakes while his plays the part expertly. He doesn’t give the guy any time to even register. And luckily for us, he’s too distracted by the woman spreading her hand down the front of his pants.
“Mmmm…” he grumbles to himself, the woman’s charm taking over him. “The president is in the next room to the right, but I doubt he wants to see you fuckers tonight.” He looks directly at Mack and Zeke as he adds, “He’s had a bad day with pisspoor plans. I wouldn’t negotiate with him anyways.” He reaches over towards the door and opens it with one hand. The other pushes the woman’s hand further down his pants, showing her how he wants to be stroked. I look away as I pass by and move out towards the dank and dusty basement hallway.
One light flickers overhead. Zeke goes through first, following shortly behind me. He spins left and right, surveying the area, but there’s little to see. Besides the men we passed, too occupied with pussy and money to bother too much with us, there’s not a soul to be seen. All that we can hear are the men’s groans and the sound of Riley shouting at some faceless person.
“Five of our guys, Charlie! FIVE OF OUR GUYS! How the fuck did he pull that off? Now we’ve got to answer to the cops when they get their plates read and IDs done. Do you know how much we’re going to pay for this fuck up? I should have your head on a fucking platter! And what about that tattoo shop owner? How the hell did he manage to survive? I told you to kill him and whoever else showed. Instead, I get a guy with his arm clear shot off by our mark!”
“With all due respect, Riley, maybe we should just drop this hunt for that girl. The Dragons are too large of a force and Mack knows what the hell he’s doing with this kind of thing…”
“And you think I don’t!” All three of us lean in closer to the opened door, watching his shadow pace back and forth on the cement floor. He approaches the second shadow and unleashes a punch so hard that the man flies off of the chair. “Don’t you fucking dare question my ability to lead this group again! You hear me, you sonofabitch!?”
“Yes, yes sir,” he answers, picking himself up. Mack counts the shadows on the floor, and holds up his hand towards Zeke. It’s three against three. If we’re
going to go, it has to be now, while he’s distracted and low numbered. But neither of us move. We’re completely frozen in our places—Zeke trying to listen in, Mack looking for an alternative route, and me completely unsure of what to do next.
But someone has to move so again, I take the lead. Knocking on the outside of the door, I lower my head and press my hands to my hips. “Hello? Riley?” Behind me, Mack whispers no over and over again, realizing what I am doing, but I’m too far gone to go back now. “Your girl sent me.”
I don’t dare look up at him. I just keep my head down, and my breasts up and out. I know him well enough to know that he won’t resist a girl like me, even if I’m not his regular piece of action. “Miranda sent you?” he asks me, standing up a bit straighter. I watch as his boots come a bit closer to me. “You look like fresh meat to me. You new at this? Does Angelo know that you’re here?”
“No one knows I’m here. I’m not part of Miranda’s gang,” I lie, moving myself closer into the room. “But I don’t have much time. I’ve gotta get out of here soon to go back to my job.” I hook my hands in the belt loops of my jeans, revealing more of my skin and hip bone. Riley flicks his fingers and the men slowly gather their things, pushing past me with loads of second glances and once overs. I move to the side of the wall, knowing what would have to come next.
