Chapter 16
Irub my eyes when my cell starts to vibrate on the passenger seat and I see Tawk’s name flash up.
“You ready?” he checks when I answer.
“‘Course I’m fuckin’ ready. I’ve been out here since 10 pm,” I remind him as I look across the street. The iron gates that enclose the motel and clubhouse, our Long Beach charter runs out, have started to roll open. When the black cage pulls out the yard and takes a left, I sit up a little straighter in the driver’s seat and start the engine of the rental I’m driving.
“I got eyes on them now,” I assure Tawk, flicking up my hood and pulling out two cars behind them.
“Don’t lose ‘em,” he warns.
“What kind of idiot d’ya think I am?” I shake my head and laugh at him.
“The kind that knocked up Mel,” he points out.
“Nice to see you found a sense of humor in the Golden State, did ya get your girl yet?” I bite back.
“Just focus on what you”re doing. We got a lot riding on this,” he reminds me, sounding real tense before he hangs up the phone and leaves me to follow the cage Rex just pulled out in. I didn’t see any sign of Cliff in the passenger seat but that doesn’t mean he’s not with him. I remain a safe distance back, managing to follow them all the way to the docks and then park in the shadows so I remain undetected.
I take the fancy camera Maddy sent me here with, and use the zoom to check out what”s happening. Then I take some surveillance shots of the black town car that”s parked in front of the storage unit where the cage has pulled up. The chauffeur gets out from behind the wheel and opens the back passenger door for Phillip Lambroni to step out and I take more snaps before he straightens his suit and shakes hands with Rex.
“Come on, Cliffy, don’t be camera shy,” I whisper to myself as I watch Rex drag open the storage container door and start to unload the wooden crates into the back of his cage. I keep on snapping the photos Prez says his agent needs for evidence. He made it clear that none of the pictures can have Rex or Cliff in, which is hard since Rex is doing most of the carrying, but despite me having a clear look at the cage I’m still not seeing any signs of Cliff.
My phone starts to ring again and this time when I go to pick it up I see that it’s Prez who”s calling.
“How’s things your end?” I answer.
“Storm, tell me you got eyes on Cliff.” The strain in Prez’s voice answers my question and sets me on edge.
“I got eyes on the cage Tawk said him and Rex were in. I followed it all the way here. I got Lambroni and his drivers. But no Cliff yet. Why?”
“Shit.” He sighs heavily and when I hear something smash in the background, I know it ain’t the answer he wanted.
“Prez, talk to me, what the fuck is goin’ on?”
“We busted into Cliff’s apartment and it’s lookin’ like he ain’t comin’ back to it. His safe is open and empty, the place is a mess. It looks like he left in a hurry.”
“Is your agent friend on her way? I got what she needs but I don’t know how long these guys are gonna hang around. If she wants to catch ‘em in the act she better get here fast.” I can sense we’re running outta time, Rex and Lambroni’s driver are packing up the back of the cage pretty fast.
“She’ll be there,” he assures me.
“Soon as Consuela makes the arrest, I’ll call ya,” I assure him, hanging up the phone and getting fidgety in my seat when Rex closes the back door of the cage and starts shaking hands with Lambroni again.
I quickly scroll through my contacts to Squealer and hit call.
“Yello,” he answers.
“You and Screw in position?” I check because I have a feeling this is heading toward the plan B scenario. I can’t see any sign of Consuela yet, and for her to make a bust these guys have to be caught with the supply. Right now, all we got is my photos of crates that could contain anything.
“Ready for the action. And no sign of Consuela yet,” Squeal informs me.
“She must have been held up, we’re gonna have to go with plan B,” I inform ‘em.
“Plan B? No one told me ‘bout a plan fuckin’ B.” He sounds confused.
“That’s because there wasn’t one. You and Screw block the entrance with the cage you”re in. Do not let Lambroni past ya,” I explain, watching his driver start to reverse and make his way back toward the entrance.
“And what about Rex and Cliff?”
“I got that covered.” I place my cell back into my cut when I see the cage’s reverse lights come on then, keeping my headlights turned off, I start my engine, revving the shit outta the gas pedal and screeching forward. I brace myself for impact as I travel at top speed right into the back of the cage, forcing it into the storage unit in front of it and crushing the back doors with my hood. Pain wracks through my body, but I haven’t got time to worry about broken bones and bruises. I fight with the inflated airbag and manage to smash open the door, then taking out my gun and my cell phone I head straight to the cage”s driver door. Tearing it open I press my barrel into Rex’s temple.
“Motherfuckers.” He remains static and smiling as I search the cab for Cliff, then stretching over him I look through to the back in case he’s hidden in there.
“Where’s Cliff?” I press the gun deeper into his skull, and as Rex starts to laugh I hear the sound of sirens getting louder.
“Cliff’s gone.” He looks up at me. “You think he didn’t know that Jimmer wanted him dead? He knew you were coming.”
“Where the fuck is he, Rex?” I punch him in his face to show that I ain’t playing games. The darkness surrounding us starts to fill with blue flashing lights and the smile on the smug bastard”s face quickly drops.
“You called the cops?” He stares at me in confusion. “You called the fuckin’ cops?” he yells.
“You betrayed your club,” I remind him, dragging him out from behind the wheel and slamming his front first into the side of the cage.
“Thank you,” a female voice comes from behind me and when I glance over my shoulder I see the woman, who I’m assuming is Agent Consuela, standing with another officer. She nods her head for him to step in and take over from me.
“You manage to get Lambroni?” I check, searching around the shipping yard for any signs of Screwy and Squealer.
“With a little help.” She gestures her head behind me and I see both the Temper Twins marching across the asphalt, each detaining a man in cuffs. I’m pleased to see that one of them is a very pissed-off-looking Lambroni.
“My brothers will see that you pay for this. Our men will find you and you’ll be fucked over and over like a dog before you die!” He calls out his threat to Consuela, and Squealer shuts him up with a set of knuckles.
“Now, that ain’t no way to speak to a lady,” he reminds him as Lambroni watches the cop, who’s cuffed Rex, load him into the back of a police van. I step up to Mr. Lambroni and stare him over.
“Your brothers ain’t gonna do jack shit.” I take out my cell and call Skid, who I know will be with Jessie.
“How’s things goin’?” Jessie answers, and I can tell from the sound of his voice that he’s got what he wants.
“No Cliff, but we got Rex, Lambroni, and some dumb-assed driver.”
“Well, we got ourselves a Lambroni too, he’s tied to his desk chair, and we’ve found some very interestin’ things in the family office.”
“Is it what we suspected?”
“Hell, yeah.” I watch Phillip’s face drop when Jessie answers me. “These boys better wear a jumpsuit as good as they wear a three-piece,” Jessie tells me.
“We’ll see ya back at the clubhouse.” I hang up and focus on Lambroni when another cop car pulls up beside us.
“When you get into that interview room, you better keep the Souls’ name outta your mouth. Or your time in prison will be very uncomfortable.”
Phillip shakes his head. “It’s not mine. It’s not ours, none of us are?—”
“We’ll take care of that evidence for you. Call it insurance. No Soul was involved with this enterprise, or those pictures of ya that Jessie has won’t just be turned over to the law. We’ll make ‘em fuckin’ public. You know what they do to your kind in jail.” I spit in his face because knowing what I know repulses me.
“Looks like ya ride’s here.” Squealer shoves him forward when another patroller shows up and an officer gets out the driver”s seat. “He’s your problem now.” Squeal hands him over, before checking out the damage I did to the hired Sedan.
“You know that was a rental, right?” Squeal points out. “Prez’s gonna be pissed.”
“Where’s Cliff?” Consuela interrupts us, looking worried.
“Prez says he ain’t at his apartment and he wasn’t in the cage. Accordin’ to Rex he knew somethin’ was goin’ down. I figure he’s taken this as his opportunity to run. He wasn’t part of the deal anyway. No Soul is.” I stare at her, reminding her of what her and Prez agreed.
“No, he wasn’t, but I know how badly Jimmer wanted to make him pay.” She almost looks as if she cares before she remembers where she is and snaps herself back into professional mode.
“Did the others get what I need?” she asks under her breath, with the stern look back on her face again.
“Yeah, sounds like Jessie got you enough to take the Lambronis down. And enough to ensure the Souls don’t get mentioned in your interviews. What you need will be left at the residence, untampered with, you just need to get a warrant to make findin’ it legit.”
“And the other two brothers?” she checks.
“Jessie and Skid have the one at the mansion, Thorne and Hayden got eyes on the other. He’s at a party none the wiser to what’s goin’ on until you show up and arrest him. The one Jessie has is being taken to Burlusconi.”
“No. That wasn’t part of the deal.” Consuela shakes her head and suddenly looks real fuckin’ pissed.
“We’re just followin’ orders, you better take that up with Prez.” I hand over the camera and follow the Temper Twins back to the cage they drove here in. I’ve done my job for the night, now it’s up to Consuela to do hers.