Page 5 of Saint's Preciosa
Ghost takes his seat at the head of the table, solid as a mountain and twice as immovable. To his right sits Blade, our VP, his tactical awareness as sharp as the knives he always carries. I’m on Ghost's left in the enforcer's traditional position. Around the table sit the other officers and senior members: Hawk, our Road Captain; Cipher, our intelligence officer; and several other brothers who've earned their seat at the table.
Ghost wastes no time on pleasantries. "Kovalev's operation is expanding," he begins, his deep voice filling the chapel.
Ghost “nods at Cipher, our resident tech genius, who opens his laptop. The blue glow illuminates his face. "Surveillance picked up increased activity at several locations we've been watching. Particularly the Golden Touch Day Spa."
"What kind of activity?" I lean forward in my chair.
Cipher pulls up surveillance photos on the table's central monitor. “Facial recognition got a hit on this guy seen entering the establishment.”
The screen shows a balding man with a thick neck exiting a black SUV outside the spa. "Anatoli Petrov," Cipher continues. “Known associate of Kovalev. Has connections to human trafficking rings in Eastern Europe."
A cold weight settles in my gut as I study the image.
"We think they're moving girls through the place," Ghost says. "Using the massage parlor as a front for prostitution at minimum, possibly a full-scale trafficking operation."
Blade taps his fingers on the table. "The owner's a piece of work too. Mikhail Popov. Russian national, got a sheet for assault and extortion. Served three years back in 2016."
We've been watching Kovalev for months, trying to figure out his operation. At first we thought he was just a small time gangster, a two-bit loan shark. Now we know better.
My jaw clenches so hard my teeth might crack. I hate fucking traffickers.
Ghost leans forward, his massive forearms on the table. According to our intel, this day spa is integral to his growing network. A hub, if you will.”
"What's our play?" I ask, scenarios already unfolding in my mind. "Surveillance for now," Ghost replies. "We need more intel before we move. Cipher will continue monitoring electronic communications. Hawk, I want eyes on that spa around the clock. Rotating shifts so we don't draw attention."
Hawk nods. "I'll set up a schedule."
“Our ultimate goal is to completely disable the operation.” Ghost scratches his jaw as he speaks. "But we move carefully. Kovalev has connections we don't fully understand yet. Could be cops on his payroll. Could be worse. We rush in half-cocked, people get hurt."
Ghosts dismisses church but asks the handful of officers to remain.
"Any leads on the rat?” Blade asks, his eyes hard as he surveys the table.
Ghosts voice drops lower when he answers, “Still nothing."
A heavy silence falls over the chapel as brothers exchange wary glances. The presence of a traitor in our midst is infuriating. Trust is everything in an MC. We’re nothing if not a brotherhood.
Cipher ’s expression is grim. "First the arms deal in August, then the stakeout at the pier last month, now the warehouse. Too many coincidences."
"Could be one of the hang-arounds," Hawk suggests, shrugging.
“We need to consider every possibility." Ghost agrees. “Someone's playing both sides, and I want to know who the hell it is before they get one of us killed.”
Silence follows his statement, tense and loaded. The weight of suspicion is an ugly burden, but not as ugly as what happens when treachery goes unchallenged.
“Continue to sweep for bugs," I remind the others of the increased security I set up. "Change security protocol. Keep your eyes open. Watch what you say, who you say it to. Need-to-know basis only.”
When Ghost bangs the gavel to conclude the meeting, I'm the first on my feet.
Blade catches me at the door. "Saint.” He slaps me on the back. "I need a favor, brother.”
I pause, nodding for him to continue.
“Sophie asked me to deliver supplies to her workplace. I can use a hand.”
Sophie—Blade's old lady—works at the local veterinary clinic, a job Blade helped her secure after rescuing her from an abusive home situation.
"Supply run? Ain’t that prospect work?”
