Chapter Twenty-One
ELIAS FROZE. DOUG? Dutch was his cousin, Doug?
He scowled. How was that possible? He certainly didn’t recognize him.
Then again, he hadn’t seen his cousin in about twenty years.
Doug had belonged to a different MC from the time he was eighteen years old, despite Eddie inviting him to join the Reckoners.
After Elias joined the Army, he’d lost track of his extended family until he returned stateside.
Although he had worked in law enforcement for a decade, he had little to do with his family except for the occasional family reunion where he spent most of his time with his mother and grandmother.
They were the only people who cared about him.
Elias had questioned his mother more than once about her habit of attending the Knight family reunions since she was no longer married to Eddie. Her answer remained the same throughout the years. She attended so they could connect with his grandmother.
Annalise Knight, a woman of extraordinary strength of will, chose the family reunions as a public stand against the Knight family’s demand that she disown Elias, as the rest of the Knights had done.
The Knights didn’t know that Elias had cultivated a friendship with the pastor of his grandmother’s church, and his friend drove Annalise to a prearranged meeting spot a few times a year so she and Elias could talk.
He dragged his attention away from those painful memories and back to the puzzling problem at hand.
Was Dutch his cousin? If so, did Dutch recognize him?
No way that he didn’t. Elias had changed little, although life in the military and law enforcement had hardened his muscles.
Fortress had honed his skills and taught him more than he’d thought possible about combat.
None of that, though, had changed his face.
“Did you confirm this, Riley?” Seth asked.
“Yes, sir. Two different sources. I’ll look for another source if you want me to.”
The scowl on Andre’s face told everyone what he thought of the idea.
Seth turned to Elias. “Is it possible Dutch is your cousin?”
“Maybe. He looks nothing like I remember, but I haven’t seen him in at least twenty years.”
“That means he’s had surgery to change his face.” Riley rubbed her hands together, eyes sparkling. “I can work with that. Let me see if I can find the medical records to prove it.”
Iona gave her a nod of permission.
Riley took off like a shot with Andre hot on her heels. If anyone could find this needle in a haystack, it was Riley.
Elias dreaded the answer. He had a gut feeling that Riley was right. Although he hadn’t known her long, the computer whiz’s track record rivaled some of the best computer experts on the Fortress payroll.
Seth continued to watch him for a beat. “What does your gut say?”
He flinched. “It’s him.”
“What’s his game?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?”
Noah frowned. “What’s the answer, Knight?”
“If I knew, don’t you think I’d tell you? Doug and I haven’t seen each other in two decades. I’m not the same man, and neither is he.”
“You said you have changed little. Why hasn’t he called your hand on it?”
“I don’t know, and that’s what worries me.” Elias swallowed hard. “If I were the only one at risk, I’d handle it.”
“You’re not. Our wives and your girlfriend are also in danger.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Leave. The situation is too dangerous, and I think Maddox would agree.”
“Let’s find out.” Noah grabbed his phone and made the call.
A moment later, Brent said, “Yeah, Maddox.”
“It’s Noah. You’re on speaker with Echo and Artemis.”
“Sit rep.”
Elias, Iona, and Seth took turns updating their boss. When they finished, Maddox growled. “We need Riley to either track down the information she wants or toss the search to Zane.”
Riley ran into the room with Andre. “No need for that, sir.”
“Did you get it?”
“I did.”
“What’s the verdict?”
“Dutch is definitely Doug Knight.”
“All right. We’ve established his identity. What’s your next task, Seth?”
“Figure out if Elias’ cousin is working with Eddie.”
“Keep your bags packed and ready. Unless you see a reason to do otherwise, let’s give this mission another 24 hours. If you feel the mission is too dangerous, get out of there, Seth.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I expect another update in six hours. If you don’t make contact, I’ll assume you can’t and will send two teams armed to the teeth to Red Rock. Am I making myself clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Maddox out.”
Seth’s expression was grim. “We need to work fast.”
“I can think of one way to get us into the clubhouse again with little suspicion.” And it would give him an opportunity to spend more time with Doug. Elias couldn’t believe he’d missed identifying a relative.
Grant folded his arms across his chest. “How?”
“Feed Blackthorn.”
Andre snorted. “Feed them what?”
“Hamburgers and hot dogs. You know, typical grilling food.”
“Grilling food?” Iona looked from one man to another. “When are you planning to feed the MC?”
“We’ll have to confirm with Dutch, but perhaps lunch tomorrow. It shouldn’t be hard, right? Just toss a few burgers on the grill and maybe a few hot dogs, and slap them on a bun when they’re finished. Easy peasy.”
The women looked at each other and laughed. “Easy for whom?” Iona shook her head.
Elias scowled. “What? This isn’t a seven-course meal.”
“Oh, it’s definitely not haute cuisine, that’s for sure,” Teagan said.
“So what’s the big deal?”
“Feeding a crowd of hungry motorcycle riders who will want more than burgers and hot dogs slapped on buns,” Iona said.
“Your part in this fiasco will be short. That leaves me and the rest of my team stuck on kitchen duty, where we can’t be your eyes and ears in the crowd. This isn’t a good plan, Elias.”
“If you have a better one, I’m all ears.”
“Look, I don’t object to feeding them the main course plus sides and desserts.
The problem is working in the kitchen during the entire meal.
We have to work out something different.
” She looked at the rest of them. “I propose we buy the sides or at least buy the ingredients and put them together tonight, and maybe desserts plus tea to drink.”
Noah chuckled. “Can’t wait to see the looks on their faces when they find out our Old Ladies have made them teetotalers.”
The rest of Echo laughed.
Iona scowled. “Go ahead. Laugh it up. But someone is accompanying me to the grocery store in Red Rock. Oh, and by the way, I’m not paying for this huge grocery bill. One of you fine gentlemen will have that pleasure since you came up with the idea.”
Elias flinched. “Ouch, Lady. You play rough.”
“You would be wise to remember that, Knight.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to his teammates. “Who’s man enough to go with us?”
A slow smile formed on Grant’s mouth. “The rest of you can catch a beauty nap. I’ve got this.”
“Wait a minute.” Andre looked from Elias to Grant and back. “That tactic won’t work, you know.”
“I’d say it already did.” Elias inclined his head toward the women who were in a group, making a list of ingredients needed for the meal. The rest of his teammates surrounded the women, suggesting ingredients.
That was ironic. Echo unit was a group of former Special Forces soldiers who grilled like experts, but that was all.
Except for Seth, they were all thumbs unless Artemis members who cooked took pity on them and guided them through every step, like Iona had done for him with the scrambled eggs.
One day soon, he would slide a ring on Iona’s elegant finger.
“You’re thinking about Iona again.” Grant shook his head. “Dude, you are pathetic.”
Yeah, he really was. “Don’t care. I’ve never been this happy in my life.”
Grant nudged him. “It shows. She’s special, Elias. If you let her slip through your fingers, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
“Believe me, I know. I’m not letting her go.”
“Good. Just checking to see if your head’s on straight. With Iona, you’ll get one shot, and that’s all. If you screw this up, you’re toast.”
He held up a hand. “I understand. I won’t mess up.” He’d do everything in his power to keep her. Elias knew an excellent thing when he had it. That was Iona.
After two more minutes, the women finished their list, and Iona joined him and Grant. She waggled the paper in her hand. “I’m ready. We need to go. They roll up the sidewalks in Red Rock at 9:00 p.m.”
“Rayne.” Grant held out his hand. Together, they left the cabin with Elias and Iona on their heels.
An hour later, Grant parked in the lot beside the grocery store. He glanced at his tactical watch. “We have thirty minutes. Should we divide the list?”
“That’s a good idea.” Iona took a picture of the list and sent it to Rayne before she reached for the door handle. “Rayne, you and Grant take the ingredients on the right side of the store. Elias and I will handle the left side, and we’ll meet at the cash register.”
“Copy that.”
After the cashier greeted them with a smile, the two couples separated and walked to opposite sides of the store.
Elias snagged a cart.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Iona murmured. “What about your shoulder?”
“I’ll be fine as long as we don’t load the cart down with heavy items.”
“No problem. We’ve got this. Now, let’s see if we can finish our side of the list before Grant and Rayne.”
Elias gripped the handle and pushed the cart into motion. This way, he could help Iona and perhaps encourage her silently to speed up. His skin was crawling. Even though he’d scanned the store when they entered and saw nothing suspicious, something was off. “Lead the way.”
Iona flashed him a grin and moved ahead of him. He took a second to appreciate the view, then yanked his mind back to the business at hand.
For the next fifteen minutes, he and Iona added several items to the cart. Although he was no kitchen expert, the ingredients she gathered looked as though they belonged in potato salad and baked beans. “I thought you were going to buy the sides.”