Chapter Nine
IONA DROVE IN silence, alert, and gaze shifting from mirror to mirror. So far, no signs of trouble. She didn’t tell Elias, but he’d scared her when he took on the biker president alone.
She’d probably scared him a time or two during their missions. Because they hadn’t been dating, he wouldn’t have said anything much, although his angry expression would tell the tale. Now that he considered her to be his, however, Elias Knight wouldn’t hold back if she risked her safety needlessly.
He should remember that she would hold him accountable for those same risks taken without precaution on his end, too. Nope, he wouldn’t like that at all. She had seen his previous behavior and recognized that Elias always pushed the edge.
She glanced at him and smiled. He was asleep. That’s exactly what she wanted and what he needed. Violet had pulled her aside before they left Elias’ house and told her how to help him the most. Sleep was at the top of her list. Even a few minutes would make a difference, according to their medic.
An hour later, the caravan stopped at the guarded gate to the Fortress compound. Seth spoke to the guard, then waved his identification card in front of the reader. The gates opened with a slow glide.
The five SUVs drove onto the grounds and into the underground garage. On the opposite side of the garage, five motorcycles waited for the operatives to use on their next operation.
Iona parked and turned off the engine. As she did, Elias woke up fully alert. “Have a good nap?”
He rubbed his face. “I did.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I never nap.”
Except today. She’d pat herself on the back later. “How is your shoulder?”
“A little better. Those pills kicked the pain level down where I can push it to the back of my mind.”
“Good. I hope you’ll take another nap when we leave here.”
“Depends on where the MC compound is located. I don’t want you to drive into an MC compound while I’m sacked out in the front seat.” He shrugged his good shoulder. “Wouldn’t present the right image.”
They exited the SUV and met at the front of the hood. Together, they joined the other operatives in the elevator and rode to the executive floor, where Brent had scheduled a planning meeting in the conference room.
When the elevator arrived, the silver doors slid open.
Zane, the communications and tech wizard, motioned for them to follow him.
“The boss is waiting.” He led the group into the large conference room and zoomed inside ahead of them, guiding his wheelchair to the computer terminal with multiple screens, a small version of his setup in the communications room.
Brent inclined his head toward the table. “Take a seat and let’s get started.”
During the next four hours, they studied schematics of the bikers’ compound on the Tennessee-Alabama line and discussed strategies and backup plans in dealing with the MC.
After long sessions of memorizing every fact Zane had put together on the key players in the MC, Brent said, “Do you have questions?”
“Just one.” Seth folded his arms across his chest. “In all this preparation, one thing has been glaringly obvious.”
“What’s that?”
“You haven’t told us the name of the MC we’re joining.”
“You’re right. I haven’t.”
“Why didn’t you tell us at the beginning of this session?”
“I had my reasons.”
Noah scowled. “Boss, the time for discretion and secrets is gone. We need to know what we’re dealing with before we leave this room.”
Brent inclined his head. “The target MC is the Blackthorn Riders.”
Elias stiffened. “Are you serious? Brent, they’re an affiliate of the Reckoners.”
His teammates exchanged grim glances.
When her teammates all wore the same puzzled expression, Iona twisted to face Elias. “Who are the Blackthorn Riders?”
“They’re a new motorcycle club associated with the MC I grew up in.”
No wonder Brent hadn’t spilled the news. If Elias had known the truth, he might have pulled the plug on the mission before they’d gotten started. “Is it safe for you to do this assignment?”
“I think so.”
She glowered at him. “That lame assurance isn’t good enough.”
“It’s the best we have, Iona. We can’t let the Blackthorn Riders sell the weapons or armor-piercing rounds. Too many people will die if they do.”
“Look, I understand how important this mission is, but I’m not willing to lose you.”
“She’s right.” Noah stared at their boss. “You knew about their connection to the Reckoners and remained silent. Why?”
“I didn’t expect Knight to take this assignment on as a lone wolf. I expected he would enlist the aid of his team.”
“Artemis and Echo are in this with Elias,” Seth said. “Brent, we have a lot at stake here. We won’t let Elias do this op alone. You should inform the FBI.”
“After the mission ends. I’m not convinced the feds have closed the information loop on this.”
“Yeah? What happens if the feds arrest us when they arrest the Blackthorn Riders?”
“We’ll send a shark of a lawyer to your defense and pay whatever fine law enforcement comes up with to earn a buck or two.”
This wasn’t right. Elias didn’t want his teammates in the thick of things if it wasn’t necessary. Putting them in jail was a bad idea. None of them would tolerate bullying or abuse by other inmates. Talk about causing problems.
“Brent, I can help with that issue,” Zane said.
“How?”
“Since I’ll be providing tech support for this mission, I can send all the information needed to clear Echo and Artemis to the local police and the FBI as soon as Seth tells me to deliver the information. I’ll put the packets together and have them on standby.”
Brent looked at Seth with his eyebrow raised. “Satisfactory, Dixon?”
“Yes, sir.”
He shifted his attention and question to Elias. “Knight?”
What more could be done? He didn’t enjoy taking the people he cared about into the heart of danger, but that would mean Echo and Artemis would never take a mission.
This solution would work. He just hoped the information was quick to filter down quickly to the right places.
He nodded, promising himself that he would talk to Zane about sending the packets to people with authority who were involved in the case.
“Excellent. I’ve ordered lunch to be delivered here in an hour. After that, you’re free to leave for the compound. Zane told Dutch to expect you later this afternoon. I expect reports every six hours. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Watch your backs. If you run into more trouble than you can handle, bail. Finishing this mission isn’t worth losing even one of my people. Iona and Elias, with me.”
What now? He’d already had a nasty surprise this morning. He’d rather not have another one. With no choice, Elias got to his feet and held out his hand to help Iona to hers. They followed Brent from the conference room to his executive suite and into his office.
“Have a seat.” The boss circled his desk and dropped into his chair. He watched them a moment, then focused on their clasped hands. “That’s new.”
“Yes, sir.” And not up for discussion. As much as he loved his job, no one would tell him he had to break up with the woman of his dreams.
“It’s a distraction.”
Elias waited.
“Will you be able to stay focused?”
“I will, the same as I’ll ignore the pain in my shoulder.”
“How bad is it?”
“Enough that I can’t forget about it.”
“Do I need to find another operative to infiltrate the Blackthorn Riders?”
“Do you have two teams available with one member who grew up in an MC?”
“Not to my knowledge,” Brent admitted.
“This is the reason the feds want me to go in. Echo and Artemis are a bonus to me. Since I have my team with me and I have a shoulder wound to sell my story, we have to use it. No one could have orchestrated a situation better than this.”
“Are you sure? You’re risking more than your own life. From the looks of things, Iona won’t leave your side if the situation gets hot in that compound.”
“You’re right, sir. I’ve already promised her and Seth that I would pull the plug on the operation if I saw it was going sideways.”
“I’m depending on you to keep your word about that and the relationship, Elias. If you’re too distracted to focus on the job at hand, I’ve given Seth orders to pull out immediately. I’ll handle the fallout with the feds.”
“Is there anything else, sir?” Iona asked.
“Are you sure about this, Iona?”
“About the mission or Elias?”
“Both.”
“Yes.” Direct, just the way Elias liked answers to be.
Brent studied her for a moment, then gave a slight nod. “All right. Keep your phone with you and let us know if you need anything. I’ll make sure you get it, then bill the feds.” He grinned.
“Yes, sir.”
“See Zane when you’re ready to leave. He has the keys to each of the vehicles set aside for this mission. Elias, don’t get caught up in club politics. You know how dangerous that can be, so don’t let them drag you into a fight that isn’t yours. Dismissed.”
After they left Brent’s office, Elias led Iona to the comm room where Zane was back at his console.
“What’s up?” his friend asked.
“When you put those packets together, send them to the power players. I don’t want any of us in the pokey for long. If the power players have the information about our teams being undercover, they’ll confirm and move on it pretty fast.”
“You hope. Don’t worry, Elias. I’d already planned to do that. I know the power player feds assigned to this op. I’ll find out who was assigned the case by local law enforcement. I’ve got this covered, all right? Focus on finishing your mission and getting out in one piece.”
“I’ll try. Thanks, Z.”
“Swing by here on your way out. I have your keys.”
Elias and Iona returned to the large conference room. Conversations dropped off when Elias shut the door.
“Everything all right?” Seth studied both of them.
“It’s fine.” Iona sat at the table. “The boss wanted to hear from our lips that we could handle the distraction of being in a new relationship and Elias’ shoulder wound.”
“Can you?”