Chapter Seven Lake
CHAPTER SEVEN: LAKE
I untangle myself from Olivia without waking her. She burrows deeper under the covers, snagging my pillow and burying her face. Smiling, I duck into the bathroom for a quick shower before heading downstairs for Church.
I find Abra and Pirate filling their mugs with coffee in the kitchen. I take the pot once Pirate’s done and pour myself some. I have a feeling I’m going to need it today. Olivia’s nightmare kept me awake for hours after I fucked her into unconsciousness. I want to find those bastards who scared her and gave her that fucking nightmare.
“You look rough,” Pirate says after I take a few chugs of coffee before topping off my mug again. “Bad night? Did Olivia have nightmares?”
I nod and tell him what I overheard her crying out in her sleep as she thrashed.
“Fuck. Poor thing. Hopefully, when we find and end these assholes, she’ll sleep better.”
“I found out some things that could help us. Although, they might freak Olivia out more,” Abra adds.
“Ready?” Hex asks, poking his head into the kitchen.
The three of us follow him to the meeting room, where we hold our meetings. A table with our club logo etched in the center dominates the room. The six of us take up only half the space. Hex has plans to expand our ranks now that Dixie has struck a lucrative deal with Sigil.
Sigil is a private organization that offers assassinations for a hefty price. Dixie has worked for them his entire adult life. A fact he only shared with us recently. When Sigil contacted Dixie about a hit on Hex’s brother, Vladimir, Dixie came clean with us. We helped him fake Vladimir’s death. When Sigil learned of this, they called Dixie back to Ireland. We went with him as backup, but we were unnecessary.
It turned out Sigil didn’t mind that Dixie faked Vladimir’s death. Although, they didn’t explain why. Groups like theirs don’t have to explain. If I had to guess, they didn’t want to lose Dixie as an operative. Especially since belonging to an MC, Dixie gains added protection and a layer of anonymity most assassins would, well, kill for. Sigil made us an offer we couldn’t refuse. Assist Dixie in his tasks, and Sigil will keep our coffers full. Something that makes me particularly happy since I’m the Treasurer.
Once we’re all seated, Hex starts the meeting.
“We’ll get to the heavy stuff in a minute, but let’s go through the basics first. How are we looking?” He directs this question to me.
I haven’t had much time to work the books since we landed back in the States, but luckily, I had caught up on the plane ride home.
“Sigil came through with their first payment. It’s in the books as a deposit for a security consultant. The account they use to pay us is a personal security business. They’re producing paperwork to prove they’ve hired us as temporary security guards, which they’ll use as needed. It should be enough to fool the IRS. The bar, the tattoo parlor, and the auto shop are all in the black.”
“We need another business or two,” Hex says. “Know we don’t have the manpower, but as we bring on more prospects, I want businesses for them to work in.”
“We could start a security business,” Pirate suggest. “Byte and Smoke make bank in San Diego with theirs. It would help if we found a prospect like Maestro.”
Hex snorts. Maestro, a prospect with the main Chapter of the Demon Dawgs, is a computer savant. Finding him was a stroke of luck for their club.
“Reaper started a gun club. We could do that here. We could start small and build up as we take on more prospects,” Abra adds.
We don’t have to wait until we get more prospects,” Zip chimes in. “Nora’s close to graduating from culinary school. We could set her up with a restaurant that she could run. Maybe offer her a partnership?”
“A good idea. I’ll talk to Nora. We could use the money from Sigil to get her established if she’s interested. In the meantime, Jack has asked his brother to come out here to give us a bid on converting the old slave quarters into a guest clubhouse. Jack thinks some of his brother’s guys would be interested in prospecting for us,” Hex says.
As Secretary, Pirate documents the plan before we move on to the next topic—the attack on Olivia and the missing women.
“Pirate, did you see who messed with Olivia’s car?” Hex asks.
“No, I can’t get through the hospital firewall. If I can get inside the hospital, I can put in a backdoor. I tracked the van after you scared them off. They drove into a neighborhood, and I lost them. Figured I’d drive around the area and hack into doorbell cams to see if I can spot them.”
“Did you find out anything?” Hex asks Abra.
Abra nods. “Yep, same MO that they used to sabotage Talia’s car. This method is effective. They knick the radiator hose just enough for the liquid to drain out slowly. The car starts fine, and the driver gets about three blocks before the car conks out. I have some feelers to local chop shops to see if anyone snagged the doctor’s sweet ride. I think that’s why the cops couldn’t find it. My guess is they follow this pattern. The question is how they gain access to the cars without anyone being the wiser.”
“If they got into the locker room to grab her phone, maybe they grabbed her keys, too.”
“Olivia had her keys,” I remind them.
“Once I have access to the security feed, we can find out what happened,” Pirate says.
“We’re still no closer to understanding why they targeted these women. They all work in obstetrics. Could that be the link?” Dixie asks.
“Just because we know about the kidnapping of these three women doesn’t mean they are the only three. Have you checked the police database to see if they’ve found a link to other victims,” Hex suggests.
“I’ll make it happen,” Pirate says.
“How is Olivia? Did she remember anything else to help identify the men?” Hex asks me.
“She had a nightmare,” I tell them about her seeing blood and surgeons. “She didn’t recognize their voices, although she thought they weren’t from here but the Deep South. She made a good point about how they dressed. As someone in the medical field, she knows surgeons don’t typically wear their gear in public. But, even as a medical professional, she first thought they might have been from the hospital. She almost gave up her cover to wave them down. Imagine if these guys approached a layperson?”
“They’d assume the men were trustworthy. Shit,” Abra says. “Clever. Beats the hell out of black clothes and a ski mask.”
“Whoever they are, they have access to the gear. They also feel comfortable walking into the nurse’s locker room to steal their victim’s phones. This was a well-thought-out plan. They knew which car belonged to Olivia.”
“They also knew she had a brother. So, they know their victims. I just don’t know how she got on their radar,” I say.
“She transferred over to Omega from Tulane, like the other victims. Maybe that’s the connection?” Zip offers.
“I can access the staff records for Omega. I can check for anyone born or living in the south before moving to Louisiana,” Pirate says. “I’ll do the same when I get into Tulane’s records. Maybe someone targets recent transfers because the staff may think they just took off?”
“We’re looking at someone familiar with both hospitals and their staff,” Hex confirms. “We’ll start our search there. Anything else?”
“Yeah, I’ve got something. I know the timing is bad, but my brother called. He needs me to come home and provide medical assistance to the tribe. Someone destroyed their clinic and roughed up the doctor who operated it. They have two pregnant women who need ultrasounds and exams, along with kids who need vaccines. I can try to postpone for a few days if you need me to be around. However, Olivia is off for the next four days. I was thinking of taking her with me. Maybe a change of scenery will help.”
“Plus, it will keep the assholes from finding her,” Abra says.
“Good idea,” Hex says. “You’ll only be a few hours away if we need you back here. Who took out the clinic? Kids or someone causing trouble for the tribe?”
“I don’t know. I plan on asking Toff about it when I see him. He didn’t tell me much over the phone, but I know him. He sounded worried about something.”
“Let us know if there is more going on than just an isolated case of vandalism,” Hex says. “We may have our hands full with these assholes kidnapping women, but the tribe is your family, too. We’ll be there if you need us.”