Chapter 36
Falcon
After paying attention around the club and piecing things together, I was able to eliminate a lot of brothers as the possible traitor.
I needed pretty hard evidence before taking it to Hawk. Of course, we all were suspicious of everything and everyone, but suspicion didn’t mean guilt. My gut was never wrong. I had my ideas, but I needed to get solid proof.
We went on a few local runs to move the weapons we had in stock and I was paying extra attention to everything. Those drops had been uneventful, but I still had asked Blaze and Rooster to hang around the clubhouse and keep an eye on Daisy. I also encouraged Hawk to put some extra guys at Destiny’s Desires, the strip club Mama Hen ran. The bar was already covered and not many bunnies were there; they mostly were at the strip club or the clubhouse. The bar was more of a pit stop for other bikers, nomads and weekend riders. It was right next to a hotel so they could get hammered and go sleep it off before hitting the road again. I wasn’t worried about our shop since it was near a shopping center and some fast-food places. We also had a couple of officers there along with a couple of members. Blaze and Scar had been with us for a long time, minded their business, and did what was asked of them.
A few of the nomads had been around for a few weeks now. I still wasn’t convinced any of them had anything to do with Raven’s assassination, but a couple guys kept trying to plant seeds. I just couldn’t see how anyone who wasn’t close to Raven would have been able to pull off what happened.
That really only left a few options in my mind.
“Hey, man,” I said when I saw Keys as I walked into the clubhouse after a drop.
“Hey. How was the drop?” he asked as he brushed his wavy hair from his eyes.
“Smooth. Anything strange to report?” I didn’t really think Keys would betray us, but if anyone had the opportunity, it would be him. He had access to everyone’s whereabouts at all times and could tap into their phones. He could tap into anything if given just a little info.
“Sorry. I’ve been scanning everything. Nothing stands out. But like I told Hawk, if I notice anything out of sorts, you’ll all be alerted.”
“Thanks man. And you still uh…”
“Don’t worry, brother, she’s on the rotation when you’re not with her.”
I gripped his shoulder. “I appreciate it. We gotta head back up soon. Keep an eye on her. I told her this time she wasn’t stuck here.”
His brows shot up. “You serious?”
A growl rumbled in my chest. “Well, I didn’t say she can go on a fucking road trip. She just doesn’t have to sit here. She’s been working at the shop and doesn’t see why she can’t go in just because I’m not there.”
“I gotchu, brother. When you guys leaving?”
“In a couple of days. Normal turnaround. Just keep an eye on her and the businesses.”
“You bet. Hawk asked me to check something, too, so I gotta run. But I’ll let you know if I see anything.”
“Thanks, Keys.”
I watched him go down the hall. I wanted to go find my woman, but my phone vibrated so I pulled it out. Church .
Fuck. I looked around and didn’t see her, so I shot a text that I had club business but to let me know where she was so I could find her when I was done.
I stopped at the bar and Sugar put a beer bottle down and gave me a tight smile before she turned and walked away. Her face wasn’t bruised anymore, but apparently she finally got the message. I didn’t want to put the woman out on her ass, but it was nice to not have her on my nuts for once .
Eagle caught up to me and we walked together. “Wonder what’s up now.”
“Not sure. But I’m ready to chill. It’s been a long couple of days and we have a run coming up.”
“Amen, brother.”
Red and Hawk were there when we walked into the room and sat. Once Butch came in, Hawk got straight to it. “Petrov called. Word floating around is this guy Tony Romano was trying to gain traction in Jersey. Failed with arms dealing.”
“So, he started dealing women,” I finished. I knew of Tony from Daisy, and Eagle had mentioned Lacy said something about him, too.
“What’s that got to do with us?” Butch asked.
Hawk’s piercing eyes shot at me. “Apparently, he’s pissed at, and I quote, ‘a group of dirty bikers from Georgia.’”
Eagle spoke up, “He had cameras? Because how else would he know where we’re from?”
Hawk tapped his finger on the table. “Maybe. Either way, he has a bead on us. But we still need to get our goods on schedule. We already have buyers waiting on the next shipment.”
I looked down at the table. Despite everything, I wasn’t sorry we caused Tony problems. I wouldn’t have Daisy if we hadn’t. Plus, there was some shit going down with that guy and it wasn’t anything we were okay with. “What’s your plan, Prez?” I had to say something so he knew I hadn’t checked out. I may have not been sorry about what went down but I didn’t want to bring more problems to our doorstep.
“We go as planned, but with a few changes to our route.”
My eyes shot to him. I was in charge of the route, and he hadn’t mentioned anything to me. Did he not trust me?
Hawk stood up. “Same security on the businesses as last time. We still haven’t nailed down this local crime ring, either. We can’t make the same mistake as Pops. I don’t think we’re in the clear.”
Red chimed in. “How do you know? We’ve all been watching and asking around. I haven’t heard shit besides what Jackal said, and we don’t know how good his sources are.”
“I won’t speak for everyone else, but I trust Jackal,” I said.
Hawk crossed his arms. “We’ll figure this out. But until then, everyone has to stay vigilant and make sure to communicate with each other.”
Hawk knocked on the table, so we all stood. I hung back and the other guys seemed to get the hint I wanted to talk to him alone.
“What’s up, Falcon?”
“What can I do to help?”
He looked me in the eye, his expression serious. “Just do your job and we’ll be good.”
“What changes do we have on the ride? We need to know.”
“We don’t have any changes. But I’m not sure everyone is with us. You get me? We run like normal, but I want to see if that prompts anything off. Whoever this is probably plans shit based on our normal schedule, our known routes, our routine. We don’t have to change, we just need to see who gets tripped up with that info.”
I walked to the door and pulled it open, making sure nobody was eavesdropping. I closed it again and walked closer to Hawk. “I get you, brother. I spoke to Keys. I think he’s clean.”
Hawk nodded. “Me, too. And I’ve given him a special project to get done for me. Hopefully we’ll know more when we get back. Enjoy the next few days and get some rest. Petrov has extra eyes on the route and his reach for cops has been extended, but only through Northern Virginia. I’ve spoken to our friends in blue, but that only goes so far. We need to be cautious. Now more than ever.”
I grabbed my beer and followed Hawk out of the room. I pulled my phone out and almost smiled when I read the text.
Daisy had replied she’d wait in the bar for me. She was sitting with Lacy and a few bunnies when I walked in. She turned and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling in the bar lights. I wished I could speed up time and slow it down all at once. I couldn’t get enough of her and wanted to be at her side. But I also wished I could help get all this shit figured out and behind us. I wasn’t sure we could really move on until things were settled with this crime ring, and I wouldn’t rest until Tony was dead.
We’d find and end this ring, but I was going to end Tony.
I wanted revenge for Raven, and for Daisy.