21. Cross-Hairs
Chapter 21
Cross-Hairs
Steel
While I wouldn’t go out of my way to spend time at Volt’s home, the dinner last night went much better than I’d expected. Even when Bobby was being nosy. Volt and I would have to coexist once the baby was born, because he wouldn’t turn his back on his grandchild.
Thoughts of Volt and other clubs brought Corrupt Chrome to mind.
I swallowed a sip of coffee while I leaned against the kitchen counter watching Simone eat a blueberry yogurt. “Is your dad an early riser?”
She twisted her lips in thought. “It depends. Most weekdays he’s up by seven. Why?”
“Was thinking of giving him a call. Got a club issue and crazy as it might be, I thought he might have an opinion.”
She shook her head. “Why not just ask Torque or Tie? And even though I haven’t spoken to them much, Jackhammer or Warden might have thoughts about it.”
I stared at her for a beat. “Let’s just say, I understand Volt has more direct experience with this sort of issue.”
Her eyes held an expectant look for a moment, then she focused on scraping yogurt out of the container. She knew I wasn’t going to share with her. For some reason, seeing that anticipation and then her turning away, it almost hurt. I still wouldn’t put her in the middle of this.
“Funny thing is, I’ve never heard him mention Corrupt Chrome before.”
I finished my coffee. “I’m not talking about them specifically, sweetheart. I love you, and keeping you and our baby safe is what matters most to me. That means keeping you out of the loop is for your own good.”
“I hear you, but why drag my dad into it?”
I took a deep breath as I deliberated my words. “Not dragging him into it so much as I’m asking him for references.”
She mulled that over. “Call me crazy, but have you considered that I can help you—” She held up her spoon when I opened my mouth to speak. “—on the down-low,” she finished.
“You’re crazy.”
She sighed. “I’m not trying to get your badass-man card revoked. I have a computer science degree, Steel. There are ways to cause Corrupt Chrome serious problems, and they’d never know it was you.”
Her getting involved – even remotely – was too risky. “No. If a company figured out their system was hacked, they’d bring in a government agency, but if Corrupt Chrome figured out someone – you – fucked with them using technology, they’d hunt you down. Either way, you would be on the hook. Not any different than you pulling the gun at Target.”
Her lips pressed together and she fumed.
I put my mug on the counter and approached her. “I like where your head is at, but it’s not happening. Besides, I don’t want them to have problems, I want them gone. Completely.”
“You’re going to k—”
I put a finger on her lips. “Stop. I didn’t say that.”
She took her yogurt container to the trash can. “I don’t see Dad being able to help you with that.”
A small smile crossed my face. “Funny, he convinced me to dismantle the Jacksonville chapter years ago.”
“Yeah, but it didn’t completely get rid of the chapter, seeing as that’s why you’re back now.”
I nodded. “That’s true, but that situation was different all around.”
“How so?”
My reflex was to shut this conversation down, but part of me wanted to share. “Volt was far more diplomatic about shit for many reasons. I confronted Knuckles and diplomacy isn’t going to get me anywhere with him.”
Her mouth dropped open. “When did you do that?”
Fuck .
And this was another reason I didn’t share with women. Too easy for me let shit slip that should have been kept quiet.
“Before I brought donuts back on Sunday.”
Her eyes went wide, she turned her head to the side, and then back to me. “Okay, no more of that.”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter if I tried. “Or what, sweetheart?”
She shook her head. “Listen, Raymond ‘Steel’ Reynolds, the last thing I want is to be a single mom because I’m a widow!”
“I’m not going to make you a widow.”
“You can’t promise that. Especially if you’re meeting with men named ‘Knuckles’!”
I fought off my laughter. “Sweetheart, you were fine with me setting the meet at Target.”
Her eyes widened again. “Yeah, because that gave you time to set up cover for yourself. Not leave it wide open to get ambushed.”
I closed the distance between us. “Pretty sure it’s easier for him to ambush me with that much time for planning.”
“Whatever. You were there alone – not even Rafferty or anyone knew where you were.”
I shrugged. “This has to get resolved and I prefer to go straight to the source.”
She frowned. “I love the efficiency, but going to the source won’t matter if you’re dead . Just saying, I will make that man’s life hell if that happens.”
“No. Our son or daughter needs their momma. Not to be an orphan.”
“You’re right. But don’t underestimate me.”
“Are you sure you were born to be a president’s old lady? This comes with the territory. A year or two from now it could be some other club coming for me.”
She blinked and sighed. “I’m cool with it.”
“You won’t go back on that, right?”
“No, but what about Mom’s concerns? Would it be better for me to be your old lady? It seems like it would give me more protection.”
“Yeah, if there’s another threat, by then you’d be claimed and that should make you off-limits. Right now, my gut says it’s better not to draw attention to you like that. The shit Pump said about you at Target and especially the way he looked at you, Knuckles doesn’t give a damn about women or children and his brothers know it.”
She gave a slow nod.
“Besides that, you deserve more than me claiming you in a rush. Are you working from home all day?”
“Yes, sir. My brother might swing by for lunch, but that’s assuming he’s awake before eleven A.M.”
I nodded. “If you leave, take your gun.”
She grinned. “I always do.”
In the apartment parking lot, I mounted my bike and my phone rang.
Volt’s name lit up the screen.
“Volt,” I answered.
“Steel. You at the apartment?”
“Yeah, though I’m about to leave.”
“Do you have time to meet me at Platinum’s Gentleman’s club? It’s about five minutes from the apartment.”
“Sure. There a reason for this?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you at Platinum’s in ten minutes. Park around back.”
Ten minutes later, I had put the kickstand down on my bike and watched Volt ride his Harley into the lot, followed by another brother.
Volt sauntered toward me and I dismounted. Blood followed behind Volt, and I wondered what this was all about.
“Sorry, Steel. I didn’t want to do this over the phone. I don’t trust Simone not to eavesdrop.”
“I can understand that.”
“Blood got a call last night. Are you having problems with Corrupt Chrome MC?”
I glanced at Blood and to Volt. “What makes you think that?”
Blood glowered at me. “Does it matter?”
Volt shook his head. “I may have stopped breaking the law outright, but that doesn’t mean I ignore what’s happening around me.”
Since I hadn’t spoken to Rafferty today, there was a slight possibility he might have mentioned following Simone and confronting Scar and Pump. “What’s happening around you?”
“Why can’t you answer his question?” Blood demanded.
I locked eyes with him. “Because he asked for this meet, so clearly there’s an agenda. I don’t give up information freely, and my guess is, neither do you.”
Volt shrugged a shoulder. “I got word that Corrupt Chrome has an alliance with the Southside Slayers because they both deal drugs. The reason they forged this alliance was because they want to get the Devil Lancers out of the way.”
That didn’t warrant a response, so I kept quiet.
Volt dragged his hand along the back of his neck as though relieving tension, then he looked at me. “I ignored this information until I got a message late last night from a Riot chapter out west. Shit seems to be heating up between the Devil Lancers and Corrupt Chrome out there, too.”
Since he said ‘out west,’ I surmised that Volt was referring to their Vegas chapter. Shark, our Las Vegas chapter president, hadn’t called me. He might have called Torque… but even that should have gotten back to me.
While I debated how to respond, Volt said, “I don’t intend to get in your business, and really don’t care about this… except, I need to know if Simone’s in the cross-hairs. Especially since I called some other people, and word is the Devil Lancers are dealing with the same shit across the board.”
I nodded. “Those assholes are causing issues for me. I asked Simone this morning if you were an early riser because I wanted to call you.”
“What the hell for?” Blood asked.
I couldn’t decide if I liked or hated how protective he was of Volt.
With my eyes locked on Volt’s, I said, “You convinced me to dismantle a chapter a few years back. That won’t work with Knuckles. Did you have a plan in the event I didn’t agree to shutting down the chapter?”
Volt shook his head. “I’m not answering that until you answer my question. Is Simone in danger?”
Honesty was the only way to go here, and my gut clenched at the thought. “Not right now.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Blood asked.
Volt’s jaw shifted and he jerked his head toward Blood. “What he said. What the fuck does that mean?”
“They followed me and Simone the day she moved. We went out to eat, and then to get groceries. Two assholes made an approach.”
“An approach?” Volt asked.
I nodded. “Your daughter pulled out her gun, though she did it with subtlety. Problem was, later they were hanging around her SUV and only left when a cop pulled into the lot.”
“So, she’s in the cross-hairs,” Blood said.
I shook my head. “I don’t refer to her by her given name in public. Even the night I met her, I called her Jade. Being with me comes with risks and I do my damnedest to lessen those.”
“That’s not much help,” Volt said.
If the tables were turned, I’d feel the same way, but I kept that to myself. “She’s got good instincts, and can handle herself.”
“How would you know that?” Blood asked.
I decided I hated how protective he was of Volt and Simone. My eyes locked with his. “She didn’t fully bring out her gun, which kept another customer from seeing it. Might have kept the in-store cameras from seeing it, but I doubt it. Bottom line, she’s shown she has grit.” I looked at Volt. “You won’t like this, but she says she was born to be a president’s old lady.”
Volt slowly turned his head away. “You’re right, I don’t like that.”
“Since we’re talking about things you don’t like, there have been a couple cook houses that blew up in Riot cities.”
“Riot didn’t have anything to do with that,” Blood said.
If he hadn’t responded so fast, I might have believed him.
I ignored Blood, keeping my gaze on Volt. “One of those was here and authorities pointed to the Southside Slayers or faulty cooking methods, but neither of those explanations ring true.”
Volt shrugged a shoulder. “Why not? Cook houses blow all the time.”
“Not all the time, and the Slayers aren’t into explosives.”
“Neither are we,” Blood said.
I looked at him and back to Volt. “The other house is in Biloxi. And rumor has it one of those brothers is good with explosives. I’d like to talk to him.”
Blood shook his head. “Those rumors are exaggerated. He launches fireworks. He can’t help you.”
Volt kept his eyes pinned on me. “Let’s say he has time to chat. What’s in it for us?”
“A marker to start.”
“That’s not worth much since we’ve cleaned our act up,” Blood said.
“What are you planning? You want to burn down cook houses in twenty cities where you have chapters?” Volt asked.
I shook my head. “Clubhouses, not cook houses, and it would be more like thirty.”
Blood’s head reared back. “Why clubhouses?”
If Torque were here, he’d tell me to shut up and move on. Maybe being involved with Simone was marring my judgment, but I trusted them enough to share. Not to mention I might need their help beyond just information.
“Corrupt Chrome wants all of our business – one type of business – but even if I give into that bullshit, where does it stop?”
“But clubhouses? That’s extreme,” Volt said.
I nodded once. “They want to take over. I want to take them out.”
“That’s gonna bring a shitload of heat,” Blood said.
I shook my head. “My club only has chapters in twenty cities. Why would we go after those other ten?”
Volt shoved his sunglasses on top of his head. “What does all this do for you? They can rebuild – it’ll take time, but that doesn’t get rid of them.”
I dipped my chin. “You’re right. But it makes them more vulnerable.”
Blood turned his head and took a deep breath. “You’re gonna go after those assholes in their homes.”
I turned my hands out in question. “How am I gonna know where they live?”
With an arch of his eyebrow, Blood said, “Wouldn’t be you doing the dirty work.”
Volt shook his head. “I don’t think you need help from Roman with this. If you want to burn down their clubhouses, then have someone set a fire and be done with it. Explosions are going to get even more unwanted attention.”
He was right, but part of me wanted to send a message. Not just to Corrupt Chrome, but to any MC thinking of fucking with the Devil Lancers.
I nodded. “Thing is, Biloxi is one of the cities where the Lancers don’t have a presence, but Corrupt Chrome has a chapter there.”
Blood’s eyes widened. “You can’t expect our Biloxi brothers to do you a solid.”
I shook my head. “I only need information and to talk to… Roman, was it?”
Volt crossed his arms. “This might be the perfect time to clean up your club.”
“You aren’t serious,” I said, laughing.
Volt nodded. “Very. You got a kid on the way and anything you do is going to earn retaliation from them.”
“That goes both ways, Volt.”
He cocked his head to the side. “How do you know you aren’t being played by the cartels? I assume you get your drugs from a larger supplier.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What do you know about cartels, Adler?”
He chuckled. “Plenty. It was a big part of why I joined the Riot. I wasn’t patching into a club where I could be someone’s pawn. It seems to me that your club and the Corrupt Chrome MC are just middle-men. If their cartel forces CCMC to shove your club out of the trade, then that cartel makes more money.”
I nodded. “Or they could be doing this on their own because Knuckles is a cocky motherfucker.”
Volt’s head wobbled side to side. “Either is possible, so why not look into legitimate enterprise?”
This was turning into a waste of my time, and I dug my keys out of my pocket. “That won’t fly with my brothers. I appreciate your concern for Simone. She knows about the threat. I’ve already told her to be vigilant when she leaves the apartment, but I’ll make sure she gets the message again.”
Volt glared at me. “Anything happens to her, I will end you.”
I nodded once. “Something happens to her, I’ll deserve that.”
At a quarter after eleven, Torque and Tie rode through the gates of the Jacksonville compound. I shook my head, wondering why they hadn’t texted me that they were on their way down today.
I strode to where Torque had stopped his bike. “What the hell? I’m riding up to Augusta tomorrow morning. Could have saved yourselves a trip.”
Torque shook his head. “We came down here to discuss the ongoing problem we have, and I’m not talking about that shit over the phone.”
I glanced around the property. The general contractor had pulled permits and had a full crew of half a dozen men here to start the renovations. I tipped my head toward my bike. “Follow me. It’s almost lunch time, we’ll hit a hole-in-the-wall diner.”
Fifteen minutes later, we sat at a picnic bench outside with our food.
Torque launched right in. “We gotta deal with this problem. Greco found Flip and Mug outside the house of one of his customers. Luckily the customer wasn’t home.”
I shook my head. “Why is Greco visiting a customer when they aren’t home?”
Tie looked over his shoulder and back to me. “Because a female customer called him and said Mug and Flip had just been to see her. Told her she had to do her business with them.”
“Did they force her to call Greco?”
Torque and Tie shared a look.
“Didn’t ask that,” Torque said.
I stroked my chin. “That would be good to know. They might have done that to ambush Greco.”
Tie nodded. “Thing is, we got calls from six other chapters and they had similar shit go down today.”
“It’s time to take a stand, Steel,” Torque said.
“I agree. My plan was to level their clubhouses and take those assholes out in their own homes.”
Torque shook his head. “That’s too much. Grabs too much attention.”
“Killing off Corrupt Chrome members in twenty different cities is going to draw attention also.”
Torque sipped his coffee. “Are we giving up to them? If we aren’t, that needs to be clear.”
I sighed. “Someone suggested letting them have the drugs and going legit.”
Torque’s angry expression could have melted wax. “Your new—”
“Don’t finish that, and it wasn’t her. The idea of us turning legitimate is ludicrous.”
Tie shrugged. “Doesn’t have to be. We’d have fewer legal fees, that’s for sure.”
Torque glared at Tie. “And that’s all we’d have, Tie. Almost all of our members live for the thrill that comes from getting away with the things we do.” He glanced around the area to be sure we weren’t being overheard. “We get out of our current business, we’re gonna lose a ton of brothers.”
I finished my pancake. “Is Corrupt Chrome still sending members to Player’s Palace?”
“Yeah, what are you thinking?” Torque asked.
“Have Bella and Tessa offer them lap dances in the back room.”
“Are you sure about that?” Tie asked.
I nodded.
Torque grinned. “They’ll get more than a dance, if I’m reading you right.”
“Call the other chapters facing the same issue. If they have Corrupt Chrome members in their titty bars, implement the same set-up – but reinforce those dancers have to be girls who can be trusted.”
Tie frowned. “Someone’s going to report them missing.”
I smiled. “Prospects will wear their colors, get on their bikes and take them to where the CCMC does their dirty work. Pretty sure all the CCMC chapters have places outside of town. Prospects leave the bikes there, and have the prospects get a ride back with a stripper.”
Torque’s face lit with his smile. “That’s what I’m talking about. Thought you’d lost your touch, brother.”
“No, but this shit is getting old.”
Tie’s eyes widened. “Are you stepping down?”
“No, but I wouldn’t mind downsizing our involvement in the business that got Circles in trouble.”
Torque shook his head. “Dancing can only bring in so much money. The bars tend to feed that operation.”
“And maybe it shouldn’t any more.”
“Maybe you should step down,” Torque muttered.
“Maybe. But not right now.”
Tie swallowed some soda. “Are you gonna make Jackhammer or Warden a president down here?”
“No. Neither one of them wants that and neither of them has real leadership potential.”
Tie shrugged a shoulder. “They got a decent hang-around somehow.”
I chuckled. “They didn’t do that, I did.”
Torque nodded. “And a hang-around isn’t the same as a prospect.”
“Right, so the next six to nine months, I’m gonna be here. A couple of members are down this week from Raleigh. They aren’t sure if they want to make the move.”
“Can’t blame ‘em,” Tie said. “It’s not cheap to move and we’ve only had bad shit happen here.”
I put my fork on my plate. “We get enough local interest we should be able to build a decent chapter.”
“And you’re here until it happens?” Torque asked. To anyone else, he had hidden his dissatisfaction, but I’d known him for eighteen years. He was very unhappy about this.
“Until December. Do you expect that to be a problem?”
Torque kept quiet for a long moment. “It will be a problem if Knuckles leaves to follow you down here. You don’t have as many of us here to help you – and even if you did, none of us would know where the hell Knuckles is staying or even where to begin to look for him. Until he’s dealt with, it’d be better if you were in Augusta.”
Tie leaned in and lowered his voice. “Or if he gives the order, we eliminate him outright. Gives Steel an airtight alibi since it’s over four hours back to Augusta.”
Torque’s eyes slid to Tie. “He’s gonna want that for himself.”
I gave a small head shake. “Not if it means I watch my kid grow up from the wrong side of a Plexiglass prison window.”
Ever the pragmatist, Tie asked, “Do you have a timeframe in mind? The way these assholes are fucking with us, I don’t think we can put this off very long.”
“I’m thinking another three weeks or so.”
Torque stared off to the side. Then he turned back to me. “Why three? We go with two, everything goes down during the Masters.”
I shook my head. “In Augusta it does, but that doesn’t help the other chapters with what they’re facing. Besides, along with the extra tourists comes extra police presence. We don’t need to do this shit when that’s happening, Torque.”
He grimaced. “Yeah, you’re right. I just figure it’s easier to have two members of their club go missing during the Masters since we have so much extra business.”
“It’s better to keep the dancers focused on all the tourists. We make a killing that week, and we need everyone on their toes.”
“So really, we’re looking at four weeks from now. The Masters starts three weeks from this coming Monday,” Torque pointed out. “It doesn’t wrap until that Sunday, which means you got three more weekends of coming back to Augusta.”
I dragged a hand down my face. When he put it like that, it gave Knuckles and his crews plenty of time to fuck with us further. Yet I didn’t want other chapters going into this half-cocked.
Torque leaned on the table. “It’d be better if you came back for a week. What are you really accomplishing here? You got the building moving on the right path. Other brothers are here and can recruit new members.”
“Not happening this week,” I said.
“Why not?” Torque asked.
I glared at him. “I have a baby on the way, man. The ultrasound is next week and I’m gonna be there.”
Torque’s lips pressed into a thin line as he turned his head to the side. He looked at me. “I liked it better when you didn’t know how to get in touch with her.”
Tie narrowed his eyes at Torque. “That’s cold. How the hell do you get bitches all the time with that attitude?”
Torque smirked. “The bitches want my dick and they don’t give a fuck about my attitude.”