“What I should be doing is finding this motherfucker before he gets the chance to come after them.I made a promise to your fucking sister and I’m going to keep it.”
Cyanide’s eyes widen at the rage in my voice, but understanding flashes in his eyes.“Understood.”
Monster, Munch, Giblet, and Devious are passing by us when they feel the tension in the air and stop.
“Everything okay, Prez?”Munch asks.
Since others pick up on the unease and I’m still struggling to figure out who the fuck helped, I speak in a code that only the ones who were guarding Frankie would understand.These men, except Devious, have been here long enough for me to trust them explicitly.Hell, Monster, Munch, and Giblet were born into this life with Cyanide.They live and breathe this lifestyle as much as we do.
“Yeah.Just had some meat go sour at the slaughterhouse.”
Heads tilt, eyes flash with different emotions, and bodies tighten as they understand that something is fucked.
“What do you need from us?”Monster asks, placing his hand on my shoulder.
“Nothing.Just keep an eye on the people around here.Make sure everyone stays safe.”
They walk away, and I watch them go for a few seconds before turning back to Cyanide and Manic.“We have to make this quick.”I let out a sharp whistle, grabbing the attention of the members in the common room.“Whatever council members are here, you’re needed in the chapel.Now.”
Everyone but D-Bag is here.
“Where’s Monster?D-Bag is at work, so we need him here.”
“Right here, Prez,” he says breathlessly, rushing in as Kraken closes the door behind him.
“Frankie has escaped,” I say, diving right in since we’re short on time.“Tonto and Biggie are dead.Someone we trust has helped because we’ve been careful about who knew he was there.We don’t have time to come up with a plan.It’s all-hands-on-deck as we scour this fucking city looking for Frankie.I want him found before he comes after my family.”
“We don’t know who the fucking rat is yet?”Gavel asks, his fist clenching on the table.
I peer at Cypher.“Anything?”
He shrugs.“Didn’t have time to grab my laptop.The meeting was short notice.Once we head out of here, I’ll pull up the ones you had me install.”
“What is he talking about?”Pretty Boy asks, his words uneasy.
I tilt my head, staring at him.“The cameras I had him install on the low.”
The room breaks out in a fit of anger, and I hold my hand up for them to quiet down.
“Let me explain.Birdie came to me before I met up with Frankie.She said that she felt as if someone in the club had been watching her in a way that was uncomfortable.There were things she picked up on when we kicked out Spunky that I didn’t catch.Birdie has been gone for seven years.That gave her an advantage that we don’t have.We’d lay down our lives for every motherfucker here because we trust them.This club lost her trust in the past, so she was more observant.She noticed Spunky was scared of someone, but she couldn’t figure out who.
“The cameras were only an assurance that we’d be able to catch them.We haven’t had time to bring it up to you because we’ve been dealing with Frankie’s shit.You all can have the chance to speak your mind about this, but not right now.We have an enemy on the loose that is out to harm us.We need to get him back before he has a chance to retaliate.”I blow out a breath and turn my attention back to Cypher.“See what you can find on the cameras.The rest of you will be heading out with me to search while the other brothers stay behind for protection.”
There’s still anger in some of them we’ll have to address at a later time, but they understand how important it is to find Frankie and whoever helped him.
Five minutes later, Cypher passes out the earpieces as we gather around our bikes.“I’ll be in the cage with Devious.He’s cleared because he was with Gavel during the timeframe we believe Frankie escaped.I’ll guide you from there for as long as I can.I’ll also be digging through footage.”
“We’ll start at the Slop ‘N’ Chop,” I tell them, tossing my leg over my bike.“Cyanide, you got men on my family?”He nods grimly.“Thanks.Let’s ride out.”
We’re almost at the slaughterhouse when Cypher’s voice comes through my earpiece.“I’m running through the footage at the clubhouse.I’m starting from the night I installed it.It’s a lot, so it’ll take some time.”
Hannibal is standing outside when we pull in.
I’m climbing from my bike when Cypher’s curse comes through and causes my body to tighten.“What is it?”
Devious flies into the parking lot, tires squealing as he comes to a stop.Cypher jumps from the cage, his eyes running frantically through the men shutting down their engines.
“Where’s Monster?”he asks.
