Chapter 40
FORTY
“Fuck!” I roar, turning to storm back into the clubhouse as I shove my gun in my holster.
My pulse thunders in my ears, and boots crunch over broken glass and splintered wood behind me, as everyone follows me into what’s left of our clubhouse.
Bullet holes scatter across the walls, furniture is tipped over, the mugshot wall is fractured into jagged pieces on the floor…
and in the middle of it all stands Cade, with eyes wide as if he’s still trying to figure out where he even is.
I head right for him and pull him into me, wrapping my arms tight around him. And only when I feel his weight against my chest do I pull in a full breath.
“You alright, baby?” I murmur into his hair.
He nods against my shoulder, but he doesn’t say anything.
Fuck.
I took him from safety… from his family. And I dragged him right into the middle of chaos that could have ended with his blood on the floor… and all over my hands.
The feeling of eyes on me pulls my gaze to the other side of the room. And it lands on Maple, watching me with watery eyes and a tight jaw.
But the fury I expect her to unleash on me doesn’t come. She doesn’t storm over to me and point a finger in my face, blaming me for the destruction and fucking everything up, and putting lives at risk. She just lets a single tear fall, and holds my gaze with something that feels heavier than anger.
I think it’s fear.
“What the fuck!”
I turn towards the doorway as Donnie strides in, in full uniform, scanning the wreckage. “The entire fucking neighbourhood’s calling in shots fired at the King’s garage,” he says, eyes flicking between me and Kurt. “You’re about to have a swarm of cars here. Start talking. Now.”
“You already know who this was.” I release Cade and turn to fully face Donnie. “I’m assuming the Dominion Sons heard the RCMP are on them for killing one of their officers.”
Donnie gives a tight nod. We all knew his sergeant wouldn’t sit on that for long.
“And they’re not too happy their rat was murdered, and that they were framed as the ones who did it,” Kurt adds.
Donnie closes his eyes with a heavy sigh, and sirens sound in the distance.
“Get rid of them,” I say. “The Sons are in town, and they’re trying to shift this back onto us.”
Donnie nods and turns to the door as the sirens grow louder. He grabs his radio, talking into it as he heads outside. “Dominion Sons spotted fleeing the scene, heading south down Bay Street. All units report to—”
The door bangs shut behind him, and we stand in silence as we listen to his sirens start up and fade down the street. And the rest of the sirens fade away, too.
I sweep my gaze across the room to take in all my brothers, making sure they’re all in one piece. And I’m relieved to see them all breathing and untouched.
Then Wingnut waddles out from under a chair, and I release a heavy sigh.
Thank fuck.
“Caz,” I say as my eyes land on him. “Watch them.” I point at Cade and Maple, then turn and head for our meeting room. And it takes everything in me not to look back at Cade.
Because we need to sort some shit out… and if I take one more look into his eyes, I’m not sure I’ll be able to leave his side.
The club follows me into the room without a word, and I drop down into my seat with determination quickly building inside me. And the second the door clicks shut behind Dom, I begin.
“So are we finally ready to get our shit together now?” I ask, looking around the table.
Kurt leans forward and glares at me. “And what the fuck does that mean?”
“You know what it means,” I snap at him. “We wasted time waiting on an option that the Sons bought right out from under us. Now, one option remains. And we’re taking it.”
I look around the table, waiting for disagreement. But it doesn’t come.
“They want war,” I say. “But we’re not giving it to them.”
Mac lifts his chin and meets my eyes, and Cory and Trip shift to face me. I feel the energy change in the room with those words, and I know, without a doubt, they don’t want war either.
“It’s time to go big,” I continue. “We need to be exactly who we are, do what we do best, and make this club stronger than it’s ever been. “We need to keep these fuckers out of our province, and away from what we’ve built.” I pause and pull in a breath. “And we need help.”
Dom leans forward and folds his arms on the table. “Help from who?”
“Clubs they haven’t touched yet,” I say.
“Nova Scotia and Newfoundland,” Kurt says thoughtfully, looking down at his fingers as he runs them along a groove in the table.
I nod. “The only other MCs in Atlantic Canada. And they haven’t pushed on them yet, because they have to go through us first.”
Trip watches me carefully for a moment. “What are they going to help us with? And why would they?”
“You heard Frank,” Dom says. “They control the borders to the US and Quebec. We’re stuck.”
I shake my head. “Newfoundland and Nova Scotia have different borders.”
Kurt looks up at me with his brows drawn together. “You want to go overseas?”
“No.” I lean forward and fold my arms on the table. “I want to bring European cars in.”
All eyes land on me, and my heart picks up its pace.
“European cars will make our auctions more lucrative and more desirable,” I explain.
“Limited runs and rare models push prices up and force competition. Buyers will come from across Canada and the US.” I look around the table.
“If we bring the Black Tides in Nova Scotia and the Torngat Wraiths in Newfoundland with us, we build an auction pipeline with mutual protection and shared profit.”
Silence settles in around the table as I let that hang, and the need inside me grows. We fucking need this… I have to get them on board.
“They both have safe shipping routes…” Mac says thoughtfully. “And the Black Tides already move contraband through Halifax and smaller docks.”
I nod. “They also have laundering routes through fishing boats and shipping companies.”
Rex turns to me. “The Torngat Wraiths are isolated and fiercely territorial, Alder…”
“Which is perfect,” I reply.
He arches an eyebrow and shakes his head, but I stop him before he can say anything else.
“Newfoundland is built for this. They’re isolated from the rest of Canada, and the only land access is a ferry from Nova Scotia.
The Wraiths built their entire business on keeping others out, with protection rackets, extortion, and small arms deals.
They have rugged terrain, hard-to-access land, secure storage, and enough manpower to hold it all.
Which is perfect for warehousing and discreet shipments. ”
Rex nods slowly. “There will be a shootout just to get in.”
I shrug. “That’s fine.”
“So what’s in it for them?” Boot asks. “Why would they do this with us if they already have their own operations? We’ve never worked with them before… why join now?”
“They’re not joining us,” I say. “We all remain independent, and we all keep our own things going. But we share high-end car flows, keep drugs out, and combine regional power to shut out the Dominion Sons. Because if the Sons run us into the ground… they’re next. And they know this.”
A heavy silence falls over the table again, but I don’t give anyone the chance to object.
“The Basin Kings bring contacts and infrastructure,” I continue.
“We become the auction home base and primary warehouse, and we provide the transport fleet. We move from single-site events to a rotating circuit between provinces, so RCMP has a harder time tracking us. Buyers see a controlled, professional network and feel safe bidding big. And Newfoundland, being so remote, will appeal to clients looking for absolute discretion.”
Kurt lifts a hand and thoughtfully rubs his chin. “With the Black Tides, we could launder all inventory inside Atlantic Canada,” he says slowly. “We can legalize cars and make them disappear as they arrive… then move them across the country to buyers, untraceable…”
My heart thumps as I nod.
“The Basin Kings, the Torngat Wraiths, and the Black Tides would control all ports and ferries, denying the Dominion Sons and their product any entry,” I say, taking in the intrigued looks aimed my way. “If the Sons can’t nail down reliable routes, they can’t move into Atlantic Canada.”
Mac smiles at me from across the table. “We make Atlantic Canada unstable, unprofitable, and too high-risk to invest in. While we expand.”
I nod. “Exactly.”
I look around the table, taking in the faces of my brothers, and seeing the hope in their eyes. Hope that hasn’t found its way into this room in a long time.
Kurt leans forward. “A vote to move ahead and seek collaboration with the Torngat Wraiths and the Black Tides.” He looks at me, and the corner of his mouth lifts. “Aye.”
And one by one, the vote travels around the table, each one my brothers voicing their agreement.
Kurt lifts the gavel and brings it down on the table. “Looks like we're paying our neighbours a visit.”