◆◆◆
I sat at the table that was doubling as a conference table. Akemi had taken the kids to see Rage while I stayed back with Buzz, Nigel and Kristoff. Three days had passed since Santos woke me in the middle of the night. Kristoff was grinning manically, and Buzz and Nigel looked shattered.
“Talk.” I said.
“Pen Thera, Caucasian, age twenty-eight, mother dead, father a drunk and still kicking around in downtown Rapid City. Thera’s father is a serious bum. Abused the wife and kids, Thera has two sisters, both whores and one hooked on drugs. Thera is the abnormality, got himself educated, got a decent home, no wife, kids or steady girlfriend.
Lives with a dog, an attack trained German shepherd, got money in the bank, tune of sixty thou. Seems to be his earnings, and some carefully thought out investments. Drives a new car, black Mercedes, no criminal record, no juvie time, nothing, Thera’s as clean as a whistle.”
“What the hell does Santos want with Pen Thera?”
“Oh, Santos is gagging for him. Thera’s a witness to a murder, he identified one of Santos’s top lieutenants Chill, as the shooter. Thera identified Chill and did a bunk with the woman the victim was murdered over. Sister of a guy who owed Santos big bucks, the brother met with Chill and Chill insisted on taking the girl as part of the payback.
Brother objected, had a familial feeling for the girl and took shots to the head. Thera watched from across the street in his car. Did a U-turn, pulled up next to the screaming girl, yelled at her to get in. Drove to RCPD where they both gave a statement.
Chill got bail and Thera went into hiding with the girl. This isn’t provided by RCPD. Thera is hiding himself, and the girl and no one can get a trace. No one’s seen them. They call the police every day for thirty seconds, and that’s it, the only confirmation they’re alive.
Santos made two attempts on the girl and Thera while under police protection. Thera decided he’d handle his own safety better than the locals. Took the girl with him. Santos wants them both dead. One, so Santos can prove he takes care of his men, two, he can show no one gets away, and three dead men tell no tales, is a powerful lesson.”
I sat back and blinked. While I had no qualms accepting bounties on evil men and women, I never brought in an innocent. Thera was innocent. I wasn’t going after him. However, I wouldn’t put my neck out for Thera either.
“There’s more.” Kristoff said. I looked at him, not liking Kristoff’s tone. “Santos has put the word out on the street he’s got you as his personal hunter now. Word is you’re after Thera, and everyone knows who the fuck you are Artemis. People know you don’t stop until you get your man. Thera is running fucking scared.
Word must’ve got back to him. It’s all over the streets that Santos has something you want and Santos brought you to heel.” My mouth opened and closed. I struggled for a few moments to find the words. Now I’d put my neck out for Thera.
“Santos made a huge mistake. No one brings me to heel.” I said calmly. I looked at Kristoff who grinned like a maniac. “Pick up Thera and put him and the girl into a safe house. Guard them, Kris, with your life. Want them alive to testify.”
“Court is in four weeks.” Nigel broke in.
“Get them there, Kris and keep them alive. Buzz we have any locations for Santos?” Buzz smiled with unholy glee in his eyes.
“I’ll call Simone and Butch, get them to cancel their vacation, fuck this will be a vacation for them.” Nigel hissed in laughter as he picked up the phone.
Chapter Eight.
18th December 2014
On Thursday at six o’clock in the evening three days later, a warehouse belonging to Santos Holdings blew itself sky-high. Destroying several million dollars of expensive stock in it.
At a quarter past six on the other side of Rapid City, an apartment block blew up from the bottom upwards. Luckily, someone had hit the fire alarm, and the apartment block was empty when it lit up the skyline. The men who rented the apartments weren’t nice. It belonged to Miguel Santos.
At half-past six in Spearfish, a house that had been under investigation for drug-running mysteriously blew up. No causalities were recorded. Funny enough, the authorities noted it belonged to a Miguel Santos.
By six forty, various police forces were scrambling and communication lines, although slow, were beginning to open and information flow.
At a quarter to seven, several containers blew up in Deadwood and firemen and police reported they contained weapons. A kindly tip-off informed them of that fact, they stayed well back out of range of any bullets getting hot and firing. The containers were on a piece of land registered to Santos Holdings.
At seven o’clock, a second smaller warehouse caught fire sending around five million dollars of drugs into flames. Sturgis Police found Miguel Santos was the owner of the warehouse.
At five minutes past seven, Rapid City and local towns braced. Calls went out, ten minutes later, to a house on fire suspected of prostitution and money laundering. And three million dollars in cash burnt itself into the ground. Police didn’t even bother looking for the owner, Miguel Santos owned it.
At seven twenty, everyone around Rapid City and the surrounding towns was keeping a watchful eye on everyone and everything around them. Therefore they didn’t miss it when the offices that Santos owned in Rapid City, blew themselves sky-high in flames that could be seen for miles. The miracle was, the damage was only limited to the Santos holdings.
All attending police officers reported a burning bow and arrow set into the pavement at each of the explosions. Ramirez and his colleagues knew in Rapid City, a message had been sent, and war declared.
◆◆◆
I picked up the phone and didn’t speak as I listened to the angry breathing. It was hard to suppress a grin, Santos was freaking fuming.
“Are you fucking insane?” Santos snapped at last.
“That is a matter of public opinion, but yes, as far as you’re concerned, I’m insane.” I said agreeably.
“I’ll fucking kill you, skin you alive and make you eat your entrails.” Santos hissed.
“Ah, how melodramatic. I’ve been threatened by that before. Little archaic but if it rings your bells.”
“This is war!”
“Really? You declared war when you tried to get me to hunt an innocent man and hand him over. You declared war when you put it on the streets, I worked for you, and you held my leash. That’s a declaration of war.
This was my reply. You’ve no idea where I am, who I am, who I work with. You know nothing about me. However, I know a shit load about you, buddy. So back off or I escalate.” I growled.
“Your kids enjoy having a mother?” I gave him silence for a few seconds and then calmly and slowly began rattling off addresses. Beginning with his son, then his mother, next his two sisters, his three younger brothers. Santos’s aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews, his cousins. I ended with business legal and not so legal that we’d found so far. Silence met me.
“You will not touch my son.” Santos hissed.
“You will not touch my children.” I hissed back. Silence met me again.
“Between us, no innocents.” Santos snarled.
“No associates either.” I said, and I hung up on him as an answer. Akemi had taken the children to Rage again and returned with a message that Ace needed to speak to me. I shook my head. Akemi told me Drake had demanded to talk to me too. I shook my head again.
This war was going to escalate and escalate quick, I’d the upper hand, I’d made sure of that. Santos would hit back, Rage could be caught in the crossfire. Phoenix already had paid a high price. No more. If Santos came for me, asshole came for me, and I’d be ready.
◆◆◆
On Christmas eve, Ace paced the inner sanctum. Tomorrow was Christmas Day, and Akemi was bringing the kids to Apache’s home at two o’clock. To add to that, Artemis was letting Ace have the twins overnight for the first time. Ace was excited about that but worried about hi
s woman.
His gaze slid to Hawthorne, who was updating Drake on the situation that was hitting the streets. Artemis had declared war on Santos and Ace was worried, no scratch that, Ace was fucking terrified. His and Drakes requests to see or speak to her had been denied by Akemi.
Akemi diligently brought the twins every day for a couple of hours, but all Ace got was a grunt when he asked about Artemis. Artemis had fired her warning shots a week ago, and Santos had fired back, but his shot missed by a mile. Artemis responded by tipping the police off on a movement, which led to the arrest of three of Santos’s men and a shipment of arms. It’d be funny if it wasn’t Ace’s woman involved.
Santos scrambled changing schedules and movements, and Artemis responded again by burning another whorehouse and a strip joint. Blood hadn’t been spilt, but it was only a matter of time considering how hard Artemis was gunning for Santos. Artemis was a ghost and Santos had put a seven-figure bounty on the streets for information that led to her.
A few had tried and had been intercepted by either Rage or Hawthorne’s. The information they had was shit. It led nowhere. Ramirez was strangely quiet on the whole matter, and the cop was staying out of their business for now. Everyone knew eventually he’d have to get involved.
Ace figured it was one of those situations where you were damned if you did and damned if you didn’t. Artemis was taking out illegal places, illegal shipments and drugs, and so on. No one had yet been hurt. Yet, in the eyes of the law, Artemis was committing crimes. Ace could understand why Ramirez was stalling. Artemis was single-handed, taking out Santos’s criminal empire.
Something Ace knew the police and feds had been chasing for ages. Yet this tiny slip of a woman was taking on one of the biggest and nastiest crime lords in South Dakota. And kicking his ass while doing so. Artemis had cost him millions, sheer millions and showed no sign of slowing. Which meant Santos was cornered and fighting back, that meant people could get hurt. Namely, Ace’s girl.
“Artemis can’t be found, she’s not been seen. Santos will change tactics, blood will be split.” Hawthorne said.
“Not hers.” Drake mused.
“No, if he can’t find Artemis, Santos will go after those he knows Artemis had contact with.”
“The twins.” Fear clutched at Ace’s heart at the thought of the twins in danger.
“Protected. That’s the word on the streets, no one touches the kids. They’re safe. Artemis has something powerful on Santos that ensured the kids are safe. Can’t get a bead on what Artemis has, but it’s powerful.”
“Sounds like our girl.” Apache mused. Ace shot Apache a sharp glare.
“Artemis is in danger again, dad.”
“I know son, but Artemis has firepower I don’t think we can match. Not even we can provide the power Artemis has at her back. Artemis is a weapon in herself.” Apache replied thoughtfully.
“Could decimate this entire city. She’s capable of it.” Hawthorne said and pushed a file he’d been toying with at them.
“What’s that?” Ace asked, stopping his pacing and looking at the file.
“Some information I think you need. What we talked about before was mild.” On that note, Hawthorne stood up and left the inner sanctum. Drake pushed the file at Ace. Ace picked it up and flipped it open. And began to read.
◆◆◆
The day after boxing day, I looked across at Simone who was idly cutting her nails with a sharp blade. I could have rolled my eyes at the pretentious action and sniped but held my tongue. Simone and Butch had flown in a few hours ago and were up to date. We’d a few jobs which I’d sent Kristoff and Angel out to complete. First was a bounty we’d a lead on, and the second, a rescue.
Nigel was working the data side with them, and I was receiving hourly updates on their status. Angel had a more dangerous job with the rescue. It was a woman whose husband was a real estate mogul. Our information had led to the facts her brother was severely in debt to the darker side of Rapid City. The asshole had kidnapped his own sister for the ransom to get debtors off his back. His brother-in-law, the sister’s husband, had called the Artemis line for help. Poor guy didn’t have a clue who he’d really called.
Nigel was keeping in constant contact with Angel and updating me every two hours. I wasn’t as worried about Kristoff who was bringing in a drug dealer bounty out in Ohio, but Nigel was keeping tabs on him too.
The war escalated between Santos and I, with me firing more direct shots than Santos. I ordered my people to check in more frequently. Master Hoshi called in once a day. Akemi refused to leave the twins side, sleeping in the same room.
Buzz and Nigel didn’t leave the cabins, so they were safe enough. Our security had been triply checked, and we’d get an early warning if we needed it. Multiple escape routes had been planned. If attacked, it’d be costly and bloody while we escaped free and fell back to Camp Two. Those maniacs you read about and see on TV where they rig their camp? That was Buzz. Attackers would be dead before they made the second circle of defence.
Simone and Butch had finished their case, and Nigel informed them of the stunts I’d been pulling. They hustled their asses back to Rapid City to partake in the fun as Simone put it. Simone loved chaos, Butch revelled in creating it. Good partners to have for this.
Butch entered the room and crossed to his partner and dragged a chair out next to her and sank into it. Butch lent towards Simone and then moved back. That was all the emotion he’d show. He was relaxed and yet alert.
“Santos is scrabbling. The seven-figure sum on you just doubled.” Butch said with a grim smile.
“Santos doesn’t understand it’s not just me.” I said. I believed that Santos thought I worked alone.
“His info which is fed by us makes him believe it’s only you. Santos scratching his fuckin’ head tryin’ to work out how you timed those bombs to go off. No timer was discovered at any site and Santos and the police are troubled.” Butch confirmed.
“Yet Santos is operating under the mistaken belief I work alone. I don’t understand how on earth the asshole thinks I can be in all those places and yet operating alone.”
“Fuck knows, the man is a prick. Don’t think we should under-estimate him, Santos wouldn’t be where he is today if he was stupid. And yet he’s stayed out of police hands. For years law enforcement has watched Santos, and he escapes each time.” Butch said.
“There’s no whisper of anyone being linked to you. Santos is literally scratching his head.” Simone confirmed. I felt a bump of unease.
“I think Butch is right. No whisper of you working with anyone and yet it’s obvious you must be working with someone. Not even Akemi is mentioned in relation to you, and yet Akemi is the one person you’ve been seen with. Santos is holding his cards close to his chest, or he’s clueless.”
“We’ll go with holding his cards close to his chest. Akemi’s on guard. I got a feeling.” I broke off. My trouble bump was pinging. Santos was up to something, I’d yet to discover what.
“One of those feelings?” Butch asked. Butch had learnt not to ignore my gut.
“Go back out and keep digging. See what his next move is. Santos won’t back down. Santos still has Thunder, and we’ve a lead on that.” Buzz said, rising to his feet. I gave Buzz a nod and left the room to sort through two case files that had landed on my desk.
◆◆◆
Ace cornered Akemi as soon Akemi dropped off the twins. The man watched Ace march towards him with purpose in his strides. Ace’s face as blank as Akemi’s but Akemi could sense the emotion raging behind the expression.
“Where’s Artemis?” Ace muttered, looking over his shoulder at the twins entering the clubhouse.
“Safe.” Akemi replied. Akemi realised this man worried about his sister. Akemi knew the man was deeply in love with Artemis and he’d never stopped loving her.
“Where?”
“I cannot tell you.” Akemi said regretfully.
“Need to see her, know she’s okay. Tel
l her, tell Artemis it’s killin’ me. I need to know.” Ace said allowing some of his emotion to leak. Akemi gave him a sharp nod.
“As always I’ll pass your message on.” Ace gave him a chin lift and stalked back to the clubhouse, pissed off anger in every line of his body.
“Tell Artemis we have her back, we’ve taken several people off the streets who thought they’d information on her. They had shit.” Ace growled over his shoulder.
“I will do, Tomodachi.” Akemi promised.
Ace felt a small hand grasp his dick hard and then a mouth pressed against his. Barely awake, he responded to the demanding kiss, and his hands grasped Artemis’s ass. Artemis nipped his lip as Ace tried to take over the kiss and forced his arms above his head. Artemis moved before Ace was fully awake and he found his hands tied above his head.
Ace’s eyes narrowed, and Artemis dropped kisses down his throat and to his chest, and she kept working his dick, Ace was rock hard in her hand. Artemis held him in a tight grip and traced kisses back up his chest. Ace realised she was naked and then she sank herself down onto his straining dick. Ace pulled against the ropes tying him to the bed, but she’d tied them fast.
An hour later, I’d untied Ace and was sprawled on his chest sweaty and tired. Ace stroked my hair with one hand, and his other held me to his chest.
“Wow.” I muttered. I couldn’t move, I felt boneless and relaxed and sated. Ace dropped a kiss on my head.
“Hi, baby.” Ace whispered, and I began to laugh.
“Hey, Ace.” I whispered back.
“How you doin’?” Ace asked. I dropped a kiss on his chest.
“Far better now.”
“This shit with Santos…” I put a finger over his lips.
“No Ace. You’ve no voice in what my team does. Stay out of my business.” I told him. This is what I worried about. That Ace would try to control me.
The Hunters Rage Page 15
