She nods and when she says nothing else, I take that as my sign to head out.
I give the twins love before heading for my bike.Rage churns hotly in my chest as I toss my leg over the seat and bring the engine roaring to life.
There’s so much shit I have to say to Birdie, but I don’t want it done in a fit of anger.I’ve always been so careful in the past to make sure I never came at her with it.Everyone else?I don’t give a fuck if they caught the sharp edges of it, but never my little mama.Never my queen.We fought.It was hard not to when two dominant personalities came together, but nothing that burned either of us too harshly.
Not until the Steel Slayers MC started their war with us.
I fly through the streets, letting the freedom of the road cool my anger.It doesn’t go away completely.There’s still something that pierces sharply in my chest.I’m almost at the club when I understand what it is.
Hurt.
Her keeping the kids from me hurts me.Now that I can identify the emotion, I realize that my anger is a front for what I truly feel.
Scowling, I rub at my chest, demanding the feeling to go away.I don’t like it.
Cypher better fucking have something for me because this restlessness in my soul is about to break free.I don’t give a fuck who’s going to get caught in the crosshairs when it does.
I give Kraken a two-fingered salute as I ride through the opened gate.
My phone rings as I’m climbing from my bike, Cypher’s name flashing over the screen.I send it to voicemail as I stride inside.
“Tell me you got something for me,” I demand when I join him at the bar.
“That’s what I was calling for.Found some fucked-up shit and a possible location.”
As soon as he tells me that, I give a sharp whistle and call for my council members to meet me in church.Not all of them are here, so their proxies step in for them.Malice runs his toy around the room, searching for bugs.He gives me a nod, letting me know we’re in the clear.When the table is full and Tomcat has the club computer in front of him to record the minutes, I call for the club meeting to begin.
“What do you have?”I ask Cypher.
“Frankie is one nasty motherfucker.”
“Already know that.”
“Right.Since Birdie told us about the conversation she overheard that day, I put some feelers out on the dark web and the underground networks.Frankie Sullivan has his hands in some very rotten pies.Not only is his entire business a fucking front for a trafficking ring, but it’s one that has caught the eyes of Venatori Nocturnus.”
Curses go around the room as Cypher says the name.They’re less notorious here in the States than they are abroad, but they’re widely known in our circles.Their identities have always remained anonymous, and the dark web is the only way to reach them.Cypher has said that even then, it’s not actually them you’re put in contact with.Information about the people under the masks is scarce.What we do know is that is there are always five of them and they hunt the dark dredges of society.Human traffickers, mostly.
“They’ve not caught them yet, obviously,” I state.
“No, but it won’t be long before they do.”
“I want Frankie.I don’t give a fuck who gets the other pieces of shit he’s dealing with.”
“Thought as much, which is why I reached out to my contacts for help.It’s going to cost us.”
I shrug.“Pay whatever they request as long as they get us Frankie.”
His fingers fly over his keyboard and his brows furrow in concentration.Seconds later, his laptop pings.His eyes move across the screen before peering back up at me.“Fifty K up front.We’ll pay the remaining nine-hundred and fifty thousand within twenty-four hours if they produce satisfactory results.”
Pretty Boy nods when I ask him silently if we have it.“Business is booming, baby.We’re good to go.”
I give Cypher the go ahead.
Cypher accepts their price and leans back in his chair.“I’ve got two locations.The home he shared with Birdie.I don’t know if he’d be dumb enough to stay there, but we should probably check it, anyway.He hit at an address on the border of Georgia and Florida, too.”
“Right.Joker, get us a run organized.Let me know if we’ll be dealing with any other clubs, so I can see if we have contact with them.Malice, rotate everyone’s bikes through Saint’s Garage and make sure they’re ready to roll.Cyanide, Manic, and Butcher head to the armory and check our inventory.Crate everyone’s preferred weapon and whatever others you all think we might need.Monster and Basilisk, since you all are sitting proxy for D-Bag and Gavel, make sure you fill them in on what they need to know.You’ll be riding out with us along with them.Basilisk, I don’t want to put you in a cage, so pick two people to ride in it for you.”
“Understood.Blackjack and Ducky can take the cage,” Basilisk says.
