Chapter Nine #2
She scowled. “Not you, too. If we couldn’t handle both distractions, we would have admitted it. We’re not kids who can’t evaluate themselves with honesty.”
“If anything changes, I need to know about it yesterday.”
“Agreed. Look, Seth, I care about my team as much as you do yours. I won’t risk either team.”
He gave a slight nod. Seth turned back to the rest of the operatives. “We have about 30 minutes before lunch arrives. Let’s go back to work.”
By the time lunch arrived, Echo and Artemis had finished planning their approach to the mission plus multiple backup plans in case something went south and they needed to pull out in a hurry.
After polishing off their food, the operatives policed their trash and made a trip to the sub-basement to restock their supplies from the vaults. When they finished, the operatives went to the comm room to pick up their keys from Zane.
“Watch your backs,” Zane said. “Remember how you reacted when you were cops faced with an MC. If you need anything, I’ll be here.”
From there, the operatives went to the changing rooms at the far end of the hall and put on their MC clothes.
Less than ten minutes later, they reassembled in the garage. Elias scowled at the full-size pickup truck he and Iona would take on this mission. “I hope someone thought to provide a ramp to load the bike into the bed of the truck.”
Iona peered into the truck bed and smiled. “Zane forgets nothing. There’s a ramp back here.”
Good. At least that was one problem off his mind. “I don’t suppose you know how to ride a motorcycle, do you?”
Iona held out her hand for the key. “Let’s find out.”
“Babe, this isn’t like our SUVs.”
She wiggled her fingers.
Elias clenched the keys for a moment, then opened his hand and dropped the keys into her palm. He turned. “Seth, will you set the ramp up for Iona?”
“Sure.” His team leader lowered the tailgate and pulled the ramp from the truck bed, set it up, and made sure the ramp was secure. “Want me to ride the bike onto the truck?”
“I’ve got it.” Iona sauntered over to the bike, climbed on board, and cranked it up.
Elias watched as Iona circled the garage and lined the bike up with the ramp.
She revved the engine a little and gave the bike enough gas to go up the ramp with no problem.
Once she turned off the machine, Seth and Noah strapped down the bike so it wouldn’t shift while they traveled to the compound.
“Where did you learn to ride?” Noah asked.
“Sand Box. My buddies in my unit taught me. Now, I ride on weekends when we’re stateside.”
“What kind of bike do you have?”
“A Honda Rebel 500 and a Harley Davidson Street Glide.”
The men stared. “You ride a Harley Davidson?” Seth’s expression was blank.
Elias was as surprised as Seth, but he was smart enough not to act as if he didn’t believe she could handle a Harley.
Iona folded her arms across her chest and glared at Seth and Noah. “You think I’m lying?”
Noah cleared his throat. “Uh, no. I’m just surprised you wanted a bike that weighs as much as a Harley.”
“Have you ever laid it down?” Seth asked.
“The first time I rode her. It took the help of strangers to get the bike upright again.” She shook her head, amusement in her eyes.
“Now that I look back, it was funny. One man told me I needed a smaller, more lightweight bike. I didn’t need a smaller bike.
I just needed to know my Harley. After that, every weekend I rode the bike for hours until I was as comfortable with the Harley as I was with my Honda Rebel. ”
“How long did that take?”
“About 2,000 hours. It was the best 2,000 hours I ever spent with a machine.”
“Elias is fortunate you know how to ride a motorcycle. He’ll need a driver until his shoulder heals.”
She grinned. “I’ll remind him of that later.”
“You ready, Elias?”
“Yes, sir.”
Seth turned his head and uttered an ear-splitting whistle to get the rest of the operatives’ attention. “Load up. We leave in five minutes.”
Elias raised the hatchback of his SUV, hauled out his Go bag and transferred it to the cab of the truck.
Within minutes, all their gear had been stowed inside the cab.
He grabbed his phone and sent a text to Zane, asking for someone to transport his ride to Bear’s place up in the mountains of Tennessee for a paint job.
Zane responded within seconds, promising that by the time he returned from this mission, the paint job would be finished.
Right. He didn’t want to say if he returned, but that was the question. Elias had to admit, at least to himself, that he was at a disadvantage on this mission. He was afraid this bullet wound would make him more of a liability than a help to Iona and their teammates.
Elias scowled. How was he supposed to protect her when he could barely protect himself? He’d have to find a way because he wasn’t losing Iona.
Riley approached them. “Do you need a driver? I’d be glad to help.”
He shook his head. “We don’t need help with the driving, but we could use a hand in another area.”
Andre joined them and wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Do you need help?”
“We need Riley’s computer skills.”
She rubbed her hands together. “Great. What do you need?”
“Run down the Reckoners. Find out everything you can about them, especially where they are holed up for the moment.”
Andre’s eyebrows soared. “Wait a minute. Don’t they have a compound?”
“They do, but it’s not permanent. Dad makes friends with community members and with local law enforcement. He bribes them.”
“Why?”
“He believes that tactic makes him look stronger in the eyes of everyone around them as well as his own people. Dad believes in beating his people into submission, and if you don’t kowtow to him and his demands, you’ll probably end up dead.”
Riley frowned. “I wouldn’t like your father.”
“You’re in good company. I don’t like him either.”
“Are we likely to run into him?” Iona asked.
“I hope not.” If they did, Elias could count on two things. One, he’d be captured in a heartbeat, and two, he’d endure hours of torture. No one betrayed his father without serious repercussions.