by K E Osborn
“He’s an old friend. Let him go, he’s fine to be here,” Brody assures.
Jones shoves me forward. I take a step stretching out my arm as I watch the guard walk out of the room without saying a word. I huff out a grunt. “Nice guy, that one.”
“He’s just doing his job,” Brody murmurs, his voice sounding like he’s in pain.
My eyes drift over Grier again. Grier’s out for the count, so I turn to Brody pulling up a seat next to his bed. He appears better than Grier, but still a little pale as he sits on the bed wearing a Chicago P.D. blue T-shirt with the bed sheets pulled over his legs.
He glances at me as I sit down next to him with a heavy sigh. “I’m so fucking sorry, man,” I tell him sincerely.
He grimaces, then his eyes wander over to Grier. “You know, we’ve been friends for so long, Aaron. Yeah, we lost touch for a little while there, but our friendship means something to me.”
I wonder where this is going. “Yeah, man, it means something to me, too. You’ve done a hell of a lot for me, for the club, and you don’t know how much I appreciate—”
“There’s a line, though. I don’t give a fuck about me. Not at all. I’ll fight for any cause you need me to, but Olivia…” he glances over at Grier, “… I ain’t ever seen her hurt like this, man. It fucking kills me.”
I lean forward staring right at him. “I can’t apologize enough. This is on me. She was there because of me. I needed your help. Shit hit the fan, and Grier was the unlucky victim in all this. If you need to pull back from the club, I get it. Trust me, I get it. This shit is real.” I point at Grier. “That right there is some fucking bullshit. She should never have been caught up in this. Grier’s amazing, and to be honest, with the kind of cop she is being so straight-laced, I’m surprised she even deals with us.”
Brody rubs the back of his neck. “It took some convincing to bring her in, but she saw you guys weren’t the bad in all of this, Ace. Don’t think you are.”
I scoff. “But we are, Brody. If it weren’t for me, for us, the people we’re associated with, this shit wouldn’t go down the way it does.”
He exhales, licking his lips like he has no comeback for that. “How’s Neve? Tell me this wasn’t for nothing.”
Hearing her name sends a shockwave through me. My stomach tightens, and my muscles clench that this was all in vain as I will probably never see her again. Especially after everything that’s gone down. Everything Brody and Grier have been through, everything they are still going through to protect her.
“Neve’s okay. She made it out. The problem was caused by her father and his associations with the Ossani Mafia famiglia.”
Brody glances out the window like he’s trying to keep his composure. “So, it had nothing to do with the club?”
“Not this time. It was more to do with Neve’s father’s gambling debt and Sal Ossani’s gripe with Enzo Andretti. Ossani pulled Defiance in as he knew we would protect Enzo.”
Brody’s lip curls. “This city’s going to ruin.”
Raising my brow. I don’t half think he’s wrong. With so many underground affiliations running around the streets of Chicago, it’s no wonder we have such a hard time trying to keep the reigns on everything. But I don’t like the way he’s talking. He sounds defeatist.
“You doing all right, Brody?”
He turns back to me with a heavy sigh. “I just don’t know if this shit’s worth it, man. You try to do the right thing, what I think is my version of the right thing, anyway, and I end up with a bullet through my femoral artery almost bleeding out on my way to the hospital. Another three bullets scattered throughout my legs, a bunch of sore-as-fuck bruising on my torso from the bullets that smacked into my Kevlar, and my partner with her jaw wired shut for the next God only knows how many weeks until she’s healed. I just… fuck, I don’t know if this is all worth the fight?”
I sit taller. “You wanna give up being a cop?”
He sighs. “No. But maybe transfer to another location. Chicago is killing me.”
I can’t even imagine what the hell this city would be like not having Enzo or the cops on our side.
“Maybe sit on this, I mean… your family’s here.”
“You gonna miss me, Ace?”
I tilt my head. “Fuck yeah, man, you’ve been with me since I was a shitty little kid.”
Brody laughs under his breath. “You were a shitty kid.”
I roll my eyes. “Well, whatever you decide, I’ll help you. Least I can do.”
He stretches glancing over to the other bed in the room. “I just want to do what’s right for Olivia. When she heals, if she wants to transfer, I’m gonna follow her. She’s the best partner I’ve ever had. I can’t imagine working with anyone other than her, and after this… I just don’t know where her head might be at.”
I glance over at her again. She’s a fucking hot mess, beaten to a bloody pulp. If she needs a change of pace, I won’t hold it against her. Shit like this changes people, even strong-willed women like Grier. She may have been strong as fuck going into this, but coming out the other side, who knows what she’ll be like. This might have broken her, and I’m the person responsible for that.
“I don’t like the idea of losing you as a member of our team. I don’t wanna lose the both of you, but I understand, Brody. You do what’s right for you. Defiance will make it work. But I’ll damn well miss you if you go.”
“Not like you to get all sappy.”
I grunt. “Shut up, or I’ll punch your leg.”
“Yeah, yeah… I’m glad you came.”
“Me, too, man. Me, too.”
I sit back in my chair getting comfortable. I’m going to spend some time with an old friend, and then I’m going to pool all my resources into finding Eric Forsythe because if that investigative journalist knows about my past, then he will have no qualms in telling other people if given the right motivation. So, I need to get to him before anyone else does. Find out how much he knows and deal with it in whatever way I can.
Damage control—that’s my middle fucking name.
ACE
Twelve days.
Twelve fucking days it took me to figure this shit out. To track this asshole down. Eric Forsythe is one tricky bastard to get a hold of. He’s a slippery sucker, and that only tells me one thing—he’s good at what he does, which makes it all the more imperative we find him and get every shred of damning evidence he has on me. Because a man this hard to find is surely a guy with contingencies in place.
As soon as I found Eric’s location, I informed Torque, and he set up a team. Small but concise. Just the right amount of men for the mission at hand.
The lookout—Chains.
The level head—Sensei.
The enforcement—Trax.
The reason—me.
And the leader—Torque.
Now, as the wind whips at my face in the dimness of dusk, the sun setting over the horizon after a long and tedious day, the longest stretch of asphalt calms my nerves. My brothers riding alongside reminds me that these men are my family. Though I know they’re doing this for me, I’d drop everything to help them out in a heartbeat if they needed it too. It’s what we do. We know what we’re riding toward, the task we might have to carry out. Anyone of us are prepared for it, we’ll avoid it if we can, but some things are simply inevitable.
Life.
Death.
You can’t have one without the other.
How tonight will pan out is anyone’s guess. We could screw this up entirely. Eric could have a panic button which could, in fact, release a whole bunch of shit on demand.
I have no idea.
It’s a risk we need to take.
The ride isn’t too far. The ping had his cell located at his holiday home in Lake Geneva. The guy has a mansion on the lake and does his writing there sometimes. Guess some people have a lavish lifestyle.
I raise my brow thinking of Neve. She probably has holiday homes too. She’s wealthy
enough. A pang of regret flows through me. Fuck! I miss her like hell, and knowing what I’m riding into is only cementing the fact I’m no good for her. But I need to do this. I must get all the information he has on me, every copy, every file, every tidbit, there’s no other way.
The sun finally darkens as the blackness of night descends, the twinkling of lights glistens in the silvery sky above making the night seem colder than I remember it being out here.
Chains pulls into the main street of Lake Geneva, and my heart races a little faster. I know we’re almost to the start line but nowhere near the finish.
We ride in formation down West Main Street, turning into South Wells Street until we reach the corner of Campbell. Then we pull up in the parking lot and turn off our rides in the most shadowed part of the lot. My heart races while the roar of the bikes turn to silence as I pull off my helmet and glance around to see no one taking any notice of us. It’s quite common to have bikers riding through, so we’re not commanding any attention by being here. I reach into my saddlebag and pull out my frequency detector to scan the area. Torque watches me closely as I monitor the readings coming back.
Giving Torque a quick nod, I glance up. “We’re clear, no cameras anywhere near us.”
Torque slides off his ride, then pulls a jacket out of his saddlebag and throws it over his cut. We all do the same then I reach in and grab a giant Cubs jacket and fling it on over my cut. Trax, Sensei, and Chains all pull on jackets of their own which look nothing like your typical biker apparel. That’s what we’re going for, right now—blend in with the crowd down here as we walk the streets.
“Right, we do this quick with as little noise as possible and we get back home. No fuckin’ about. Got it?” Torque advises as he looks directly at Trax.
Trax rolls his eyes. “Why do I feel like you’re talking directly to me? I haven’t even done anything yet.” Trax chuckles making me shake my head.
“Just keep your shit together in there. We have a task, that’s the main priority, not beating him senseless and getting your thrill from causing pain. Remember that, brother?” Torque reminds Trax.
“I know, I know. This isn’t like the usual shit. I got it. I’ll be good. Want me to pinky promise?” he quips.
Torque groans as I roll my shoulders, and Torque glances at me. “You good, Ace?”
I exhale. “All good. Just need to get everything done without a damn hitch.”
Torque nods. “Right then, let’s go do this.”
He signals for us to start walking down Campbell Street. There’s a breeze in the air making a slight howling sound echo through the trees. It’s ominous like the trees are crying like they know we’re here in their town to cause havoc and mayhem. It’s unnerving. It’s daunting. And as we turn down South Lake Shore Drive—his street—my anticipation grows. I know we’re coming in with little weapons but with a hell of a lot of preparation. We know what we’re going to do. We simply have to hope everything goes to plan.
We stick to the shadows walking together quietly. No one is out on the streets, which is good. No witnesses to place us here is exactly what we need. We begin to move into the bushes as we get closer to Eric’s place. Lucky for us, his house is set back from the road more toward the lake. You can’t see inside his house from the road.
Torque signals for us to slowly edge up the long path. The hedges provide great cover as the pebbles beneath our feet crunch ever so slightly. But the sound of the water moving slowly in the breeze is masking it to outside ears.
We reach the front porch and notice the lights are on in only a couple of rooms. I’m pretty sure from all my research he’ll be here alone, but you can never be one hundred percent sure so, for now, we have to assume there’s more than just him inside.
The sound of the television can only just be heard as we slowly creep up onto the porch. Torque reaches around, pulling his gun from the back of his jeans as do my brothers while I glance around double checking none of the neighbors are around. There’s far too much greenery for them to see jackshit.
We’re good to go.
Torque, signals to Chains, who moves over to the end of the porch and peers in through the window. He gestures that Eric’s in the room which has the light on.
It’s go time.
I pull a lock pick set from my back pocket and quickly and efficiently get to work. I feel the lock move in my hands as Chains keeps watch. The telltale clicking sounds make me hold my breath. I glance up at Chains who gives me a cheesy smile with his thumb up. Relaxing, I turn the doorknob, slowly easing the door open. Then I place the pick set in my pocket, and quickly grab at my gun.
The entryway is dark as I enter. Trax is behind me, Sensei behind him, and Torque at the rear. Chains remains outside to keep an eye on things. My heart hammers frantically in my chest as Torque quietly closes the door behind us. Needless to say, we have gloves on, this isn’t our first rodeo. I step quietly through the mansion which it has a coastal vibe about it. You can tell he’s from wealth. I also understand why he comes here to write. This place is inspiring if you’re into that kind of thing. It makes me think of Neve and how I could see us spending time in a place like this together. But I have a task to do, and thinking of her now will only make me falter.
Eyes on the prize, Ace.
With my gun aimed high, I round the entryway into the living area. It’s massive with a wood fire crackles and burns against the middle of the wall lighting the room. The ceiling is high, but there are low beams running along the roof giving it a more open-warehouse feel. There’re oars lining the walls with ropes and pulleys waiting to be strung up. It looks like he’s still decorating. The sofas and television are all there, the giant desk with his computer facing the massive glass doors looking out over the ocean. It’s just the walls that are left to be decorated.
I glance around to spot Eric, and I see him sitting at his computer typing away at something. His back is to me, and I smile loving that we can just walk up behind him so damn easily. I glance at Torque to get the go ahead, and he nods, so I step out into the living space and start to edge toward Eric.
Slowly stepping, we make our way over to him, guns drawn ready to let him know we’re here.
“I know you’re here,” he calls out, then swivels his chair around to look at us with a look of annoyance on his face.
I stand taller aiming my gun right at him along with Torque, Sensei, and Trax. “Eric Forsythe—”
“That’s my name. I’d ask who you are, but I doubt four men with guns are going to tell me, right?” It’s like he’s not even slightly frightened by the fact that we’re all aiming right at his forehead.
I narrow my eyes at him, but it’s Torque who answers, “If you don’t know who we are, then how did you know we were here?”
He chuckles. Tilting his head to the giant glass doors. “It’s called a reflection, and to be honest, you’re not the first cowboys to come to me wanting me to pull a story, or write a story, or whatever the hell it is you want from me…” He has the audacity to roll his eyes. “I’m an investigative journalist, this is kind of the territory. So, if you think you’re scaring me right now… I’ve seen worse than you come after me. Whatever you want, you can have it, just let me get on with it. I have an editorial due in the morning.”
I scoff at his blasé attitude. Obviously coming in without our cuts has put him a little too at ease. I glance at Torque who tilts his head and stands a little taller. “We need all the information you have on Aaron Carver, on his past, on his associations with Neve De Villa, anything and everything you have on him. Every copy. Then I need you to wipe any traces you had of whatever you had.”
Eric’s lips turn up into a small smirk. He folds his arms over his chest and shakes his head. “You’re not just any random guys, are you? You got cuts on under those massive jackets?”
Trax narrows his eyes. “Does it change things if we do?”
Eric smiles and then suddenly stands from his chair, the atmosphere
in the room changes in an instant as his smile drops, and he suddenly goes to run. Trax is on him quickly grabbing Eric from behind and wraps his arms around him stopping him from going anywhere. Eric goes to call out, but Sensei swoops in with a rag and shoves it in his mouth as Torque and I walk up to the struggling man.
“This will go a lot smoother if you co-operate,” Torque suggests.
Eric struggles against Trax while I grab for his desk chair, and Torque looks around for something to tie him down with. Torque notices it the same time I do. He picks up the rope that was meant for decorating his walls, he comes back over, but instead of placing it around Eric, he throws it over the beam along the roof. My stomach knots, but I go along with it as Torque ties it in a slipknot. Trax seems to know where this is headed as Eric struggles in Trax’s grip.
Torque gestures for me to bring the chair under the rope. I do, and Trax hoists Eric up on the chair, then they loop his neck around the rope while he struggles in their grip like a man possessed. He stands on the chair, but it moves with his struggling as Trax stands behind him holding his hands around his waist.
Eric looks scared shitless.
Sensei strides back over, and with a nod, Torque gestures for Sensei to take out the rag.
Eric coughs and splutters as his mouth is freed. “What the fuck is this?”
“You said you have the information?” Torque asks again.
“Look, do I have the info on Aaron… yes. Can I give it to you? Yes…”
I step forward. “What’s the cost?”
Eric glances at me, and his eyes open wide as he assesses me. He grins like it’s clicked into place. “Well, Aaron, the cost is you let me live. I know how these transactions work. You get the information you need, make sure it’s all good, then I disappear. That’s not going to happen. The world needs me, and the way I see it, we could be a good team. So, if you want the information, you have to swear to keep me alive and to keep me protected if I need it.”
I scoff as Torque chuckles. “You drive a hard bargain, Eric.”
