Finally, Bullet says, “Leave Cryos to me. Sniper, will Milk talk to you without being suspicious?”
Sniper’s eyes narrow slightly. “Yes, but what aren’t you saying?”
Bullet doesn’t answer for a moment, his eyes sweeping quickly over us, as if trying to decide whether to tell ussomething or not. Shit. Finally, he replies, “I have someone looking into Cryos.”
“Why?” King asks, sounding surprised.
“Because Cryos is the only one who hasn’t been looked at,” I state, catching on quickly to what Bullet is implying. From the look of shock and then understanding on their faces, I think it’s dawning on the others, too. “Cryos looks into us and everyone else, but he’s the only one that no one has ever questioned because we just inherently trust him.”
“And who has better access to get information and skew it to throw us off his trail,” Bowie finishes. “Damn it, why did none of us think of that before?”
“You think he’s been working with Dagger this entire time?” Frost wonders.
“No,” Bullet finally says. “If anything, this is recent, if he’s involved at all. I’m not saying it’s Cryos, but I got thinking and reached out to someone I know and trust with the skills to get past whatever firewalls and other computer shit that he has going. I haven’t heard back from them, but I won’t assume that’s because of anything bad, but more that they have to take their time and be careful.”
“Maybe we should prod them, considering what’s now going on,” Viper suggests grimly. “Especially now with the Misfits about to be a major pain in the ass.”
Bullet nods. “I’ll nudge them, but I won’t rush something. For now, we act as if Cryos is on our side and not involved. Too many variables are going on here, and we need to be smart and careful. I know in my gut that Vlad is going to strike soon, and we need to be ready for that, but keep an eye on our own backs. Shadow and Stone are both on their way back now, and when they get here, we’ll be back up to full speed.”
“Both of them are going to shit bricks when they find out everything that’s been going on,” Viper predicts.
“I’ve been keeping them apprised,” Bullet assures him. “They know what they’ll be walking back into.”
“Have you heard how their women are? And Macy?”
“Shadow said Macy is alright—just scared. Peyton’s friends are going to stay with the family and act as guards until we get everything here sorted out. Macy’s resilient and already taking bribes from the guys for her pictures,” Bullet adds with an amused smile. “Pretty sure that one’s going to be a hustler the minute she’s old enough to understand what it means. As for Syn, she’s been cleared and the hospital sent her home. She’s on bed rest for a few more days, but the baby’s heartbeat is strong and there are no signs she might miscarry. Brady and Carter Lane have called in help from some of her former Fed clients to keep an eye on her. They’re playing this off as someone trying to eliminate anyone connected to a local Fed case that unfolded in her area during her time there—and the Feds seem to be buying it.”
“At least we know they’re all safe,” Sniper chimes in.
“Just a quick question, though, and don’t take this the wrong way,” Torque suddenly asks, “but if we’re worried that Cryos might be dirty, are we sure having this conversation in a clubhouse where he has numerous cameras and audio equipment all over is a good idea?”
Shit.
Bullet shakes his head and pulls out a device in his hand. “When everything was going on with Dagger, Cryos made these, and I kept one. It blocks out all video and audio, and before I called you all down, I did a quick sweep for any devices and unplugged any equipment in here. I also made sure to send Cryos out with Twigs to work on making sure all our security stuff is working, so he’s not around to be listening in.”
We all relax, but I still have a bad feeling in my gut. Cryos is our security person. If he’s dirty, who’s to say that he’s notfucking us over on our security so Vlad and his men can get on our land without us knowing? And making sure patrols are set so no one would be around at that precise moment?
Fuck. This is bad. We’re vulnerable in ways that we’ve never really considered or faced before.
Even if Cryos isn’t dirty, then we are going to have to look at how we run things after all this shit is sorted.
“So what do we do now?” Torque asks. “We can’t keep the Misfits locked away forever, and we still need to question them about them working with Vlad.”
“How long are we going to let them stew?” King asks. “Last I checked before coming in here, they were all arguing and fighting amongst themselves.”
“Maybe we should talk to those guarding them first,” Bowie suggests. “See if Timber, Titan, or Carson has heard anything.”
“But should we talk to them separately or at the same time?” I question.
Before anyone can answer that, there are shouts and screams, the sound of gunfire reverberating through the air. Shit.
We race for the door, but it’s locked—like something’s blocking it from the other side.
I let out a low snarl, rear back, and slam into it with everything I’ve got. The door cracks, and whatever’s bracing it shifts—but it doesn’t give way completely.
“Let me, brother, or your woman’s going to kill me for letting you hurt yourself again,” Viper says, pushing me aside before ramming himself into the door.
Twice more, and it finally gives. Whatever was blocking it crashes to the floor.
