Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Dominic (Mace)
After Handlebars shock revelation and viewing the situation with very different eyes, I stalked back up to the van, reluctantly telling Handlebar to handle the idiot who started all this.
No one questions me verbally when I tell them to take their guns off the two people kneeling on the floor, or when Marshall hurries over and pulls his sister into him.
She curls against him, shaking and crying and I feel like a fucking shit for doing this to her.
Everyone is eyeing me, wanting to know what the fuck this is.
I’m still pissed, someone should have fucking told me.
Handlebar and I are going to be having a serious fucking conversation when we get to the drop off.
There are people meeting us at the other end to unload the van, I’ve got no idea how Marshall was going to get his sister out, or if the buyers are aware of her, if they even are true buyers.
Everyone watches Handlebar with open hostility and confusion as he moves to stand with them and talks in quiet whispers. It looks suspicious as fuck. Even the men who came to us from the Sussex chapter don’t understand. No one questions anything. That will come later.
The woman finally calms down and despite my reservations, I agree for Marshall to stay with her.
While he does that, I check the rest of the cargo to make sure we are transporting what we are supposed to be, and they just hitched a ride.
I kick myself for not doing this before we left, but this is a protection run, we’re not buyers or sellers, we’re getting paid to get the van from point A to B.
When I pop the crates, I root through them until I find the guns. This is a convenient way of moving her. And having us as protection along the way.
The last thing this woman needed was to be confronted by angry bikers pointing guns at her.
There is a lot of shit to unpack here. Handlebar reacted like he didn’t know what was going on, but once he openly admitted being a part of this so-called network, my first thought was he got on this job because he knew what we were transporting and fucking lied to me.
Which in turn makes me wonder if King knew and the switch from Felix coming to Handlebar was all a ruse. I intend to find out the truth.
As much as I don’t like it, having Handlebar speak to the woman helps. I’ve come across abused women before. Seen enough of that shit at the Kingsmen’s clubhouse towards the end of their reign.
None of it ever sat right with me and I did what I could to steer women away if I thought they were in danger. But I couldn’t help them all, some of them kept on coming back.
Handlebar eventually walks back to me, his expression is hard.
“The plan is to take her to a small hair salon in the town where we’re dropping off the cargo. She’ll be collected there by the Veil representative.”
“I take it no one else is allowed to be there to confirm this.”
“They’ll leave if they see anyone other than her. Not even Marshall can go in.”
“Secretive as fuck.”
“They have to be,” Handlebar’s expression hardens. It’s not aimed at me.
“Enough for now. We’ll talk later.”
He looks like he is about to argue but thinks better of it. Holding that over him is not my style. I may be the Prez but I treat people fairly, unless they cross me. Until Handlebar fully explains this shit, I’m keeping my thoughts to myself.
We get everything back where it is supposed to be and haul out. The driver is antsy to get to the meeting point. He doesn’t want to be late for the actual shipment handover. Talon lifts his chin in question but I tell him we’ll talk later and get back on my bike.
Handlebar returns to the back in his position. I get the impression he won’t be talking to Marshall or his sister again.
It continues to bother me that I have a begrudging respect for Handlebar. Ever since he told me about this organization, the Veil Line, and he was a part of it, I can’t help but see that even though I don’t know him well, this fits him.
He comes across as a protector. Hell, if anyone could be good for Cassie it would be him. I find myself wondering what has happened between them as we continue the ride. Have they flirted around one another? Maybe he’s felt her up. Fucked her…
Shit that shouldn’t piss me off the way it does. It’s because of the situation that unfolded today, it has to be. I’m not mad at the thought of him being inside her. Not one fucking bit.
We get to the meeting point and I’m surprised no one is here. Marshall and his sister slip out of the van and without looking at anyone, they leave. The town is only a short walk away.
The driver stays back and when cars pull up, he goes over to meet with the man who gets out. We all watch one another warily but stay back as the exchange is made, the stranger gets in the van as his other men inspect it, watching us as they do.
For our part, we hang back but everyone is on guard. As tense as it is, the buy goes off without a hitch. The men drive away in the van, and our original driver takes their car and leaves us standing alone in the clearing.
“Okay,” I turn to face everyone once I’m sure we’re alone. “The Ohio chapter is expecting us. Head over, have some fun, we’re staying one night so don’t do anything fucking stupid. I want to be back in Stroudsburg by tomorrow afternoon.”
On that directive everyone gets on their bikes. I turn to Handlebar.
“You, wait.”
He nods, no argument. Talon watches us and as the others ride into formation, they pause as he comes over. We take a few steps away from Handlebar. He gets the idea and walks further away.
“What the fuck is going on?” Talon asks.
He’s angry that he is out of the loop and I get it but right now, I have to deal with Handlebar. Talon deserves at least some kind of explanation.
I fill him in on who the woman was and his face changes, his eyes darting to Handlebar and back.
“This was his play?” he asks.
“No, I don’t think so. But I’m going to get answers. Take the men to the clubhouse, keep them occupied within reason.”
Talon smirks. No one can control bikers. If it keeps them off my back right now, then I’m all for it.
“Watch out for Hozier. I didn’t like the way he handled the situation down there.”
“Meaning what?”
“He spooked, I’m pretty sure he was on the verge of shooting someone.”
“Fuck,” he stares at the floor a second.
Then nods and heads back to the others. That is a whole other problem to worry about another time. Talon can handle it for now. He dips his chin then heads over to his bike.
Everyone defers to him and as VP he takes my place at the head of the formation and pulls out.
It takes a while for the noise and dust to die down. I don’t want to hang around here, not in the place where the meeting went down. Handlebar is standing away from me, watching the direction that Marshall took his sister.
“Did you ask to be put in this run so you could oversee this and not tell me?” I demand.
Handlebar turns to face me. He’s pissed at the question, but he bites his tongue.
“My Road Captain told me I was replacing a brother who was sick. Until the moment that man rolled up on us, I had as much knowledge about what was in that van as you did. Less even. I didn’t question what you were moving.”
We stare at one another in silence. He’s defiant, but he knows his place. All he’s told me pertains to what I asked.
“This Veil Line. You still a part of it?”
He sighs and looks in that same direction as before. “Not for a long time. But I never forgot it.”
“They can be trusted?”
His eyes narrow. “What are you suggesting?”
“There is a lot of dark shit in this world. And I’m not talking about the MC world.”
He rolls his shoulders, relaxing. “They’re the real deal. The people who introduced me to them trusted them.” He pauses and rubs a hand over his hair. His next words are begrudging, like he is tired of this conversation. “There are no guarantees. Once they’re gone, they disappear forever.”
“You went on blind faith?”
Handlebar stares at me. Something flashes in his eyes, briefly, and then it’s gone but I don’t miss it. Whatever he did, or how he did it, he’s going to keep to himself. Somehow, he knows the women going through this line are safe and not being lost into further trouble.
“It takes a lot to find the network. Very few women end up in their hands. I wish they could help more but the way they work guarantees the ones they do help, stay gone.”
“They cherry pick who deserves it more?” I frown.
“They handle high danger cases. Like I said, they’re hard to find.”
Makes me wonder how the hell a guy like Marshall found them. Again, a slither of guilt runs through me at the thought of us putting his sister on her knees with a gun to her head, if what Handlebar is saying is true, there is no way to know how bad her situation was.
Turning away, I look out to the highway. Traffic is sparse, it’s getting late and will start to go dark soon. I’m not comfortable hanging around here, if there are any watchers they will want to know what the fuck we’re doing.
“Head out. Unless you were planning something else?”
“We already covered this,” he sighs.
I don’t say anything more and walk to my bike. We’re not going to ride in any kind of formation given there are only two of us, but Handlebar does keep behind me as we make our way to the Hamilton chapter clubhouse.
He goes his own way as I greet Ragnar, the President. We don’t know each other given I was a Kingsmen for years and I can tell the minute I step foot in the clubhouse that this chapter of the Devil’s Chaos may be playing at being welcoming, but they’re not on board like the Sussex chapter.
There is a tension in the air that I don’t particularly like but after a brief word with Ragnar, he assures me he’s spoken with King more than enough times over this and we wouldn’t be here if he was concerned. He does tag on so long as I keep my men in line.