2. Stupid Boy
Stupid Boy
Fly
I’m going to kill that kid. Seriously, kill him.
That is, if he doesn’t get himself killed first.
“Rogue, welcome back, brother. I never got a chance to say that in all the chaos of the last few days.” I stop in the hallway as he walks up to me. “Heard the news. Congrats.”
“Thanks. It’s probably the craziest thing I’ve ever done, but also the best. Did you hear about the serial killers we found out about right before Havoc’s woman got kidnapped?”
“Vaguely. My focus has been on the drug dealers. And keeping our three brothers alive.”
Rogue’s brow wrinkles even as he grins. “What are they doing now?”
Giving me gray hairs. “Ryot is selling drugs, while Vandal is making friends with a few dealers, and Torque is doing a perfect rendition of a drunk frat boy. Did you hear that computer whiz kid gave us access to their phones so we could listen to them at all times?” It’s a great safety feature…
if I have to listen to one of my brothers burp or fart in stereo ever again…
“No. That’s awesome. Who’s monitoring them?”
I am listening to one of them at all times. “We’ve set up a team to monitor them as well as a rapid response team if they get in over their heads.”
“Great. If you need someone to help monitor, I have some free time.”
Really? I’ve never heard of a newlywed having free time.
My brothers would have to send a team in to drag me away from my old lady. Not that I’m ever going to find an old lady. Some people were meant to travel the road of life alone. A woman would just get in the way…“What is this meeting about?”
“The serial killers involved in kidnapping Dylan.” Rogue’s hands flex into fists.
What? “I thought you found the guy that kidnapped Dylan and took care of him.” In a way that they never come back from.
Rogue’s smile turns feral. “I did, but he has friends that enjoy doing the same thing as he did.”
Friends that enjoy…“Are they coming for your old lady?”
A blend of rage and violence shimmers to the surface as Rogue shakes his head. “Not going to give them a chance. We’re going to hunt them down.”
“Understood.” But we’re one club and stretched pretty thin already. How are we…
Oh…Rogue isn’t playing. Vex. Talon, Max, and the computer whiz kid are standing outside of the church door.
So, it seems we pulled in all the big guns. People are going to die. Those three men together…
This is going to be fun.
***
“Right now, all the women but two are on their way here via the Vincentis’ and my jets.
They think they are coming to help celebrate Rogue and Dylan’s recent nuptials.
That excuse should keep them safe and distracted for several weeks, which should be plenty of time to take out the threats. ” Vex turns to glare at Max.
“The guy coordinating all of this is smart. He moved everything again and is hosting it overseas. We’re sifting through information as fast as we can, but it’s like looking for a single grain of sand on the beach.
But on a good note, the others that are in the club don’t seem to be as smart.
So we’re hoping with a little time and effort, we’ll be able to find something on one of their snuff videos to identify them. ”
That’s it? We just sit and wait while they sift through the sand of the dark web? Why even bother having a meeting? “Do we really think any of these women are targets?”
All eyes turn to me.
Exactly what I didn’t want. “We have a lot going on right now. Chasing around silly women who don’t even know they need to be protected isn’t going to be the easiest job.
” Vex already almost killed us all for some silly excursion—not that those women weren’t fun, because they were—but we don’t need a brother dying when Vex gets trigger-happy.
He already looks like he wants to kill everyone on principle.
Rogue steps forward. “This is my old lady and her friends we’re talking about. Not some stranger off the street. I get that we have a lot going on. The Vincentis and Vex’s men will help keep the women safe most of the time. But it’ll be easier to keep track of them here in Silent Valley.”
That’s logical, but hard to wrap my head around, especially since Havoc’s woman was kidnapped right next door to him. But Havoc didn’t know there was anyone after her.
We have that warning.
Vex is going to kill one of us before this is done…
***
Thankfully, Vandal was quiet during the meeting. I didn’t need him in my ear, distracting me from the plan, as convoluted as it was. Someone needs to stop inviting lethal strangers to church.
Everyone pours out of the space as I linger there against the wall.
“You’re trying to figure out how we’re going to have time for it all, aren’t you?” Bishop whispers.
“Someone’s going to die.”
Bishop grins. “That’s a given. We’ll make it work.”
“Do you think a few more of these women will end up as old ladies?”
“We’d have to be as crazy as them. Probably. Watch your back, or you’ll end up with one.” Bishop thwaps me on the shoulder and walks away.
“That was a fun party you threw Saturday,” a voice I’ve heard all too frequently pops up in my ear.
It’s the drug dealer Vandal has been working with for the last few weeks. He doesn’t seem to be associated with the cartel we’re looking for, but just in case, Vandal is stringing him along.
“When is your next one? I need to make sure I leave my schedule open,” the dealer pushes.
It would be so easy to just take this kid out and move on.
“I don’t know.” Vandal plays his part well. “I’ve been throwing a lot of parties. Maybe I should go out of town for the weekend. Soak up some rays. Hit a few waves.”
“What if I invite a few people? Make sure you have all the fun…Let’s say Friday night?” And who is getting desperate? Yes, introduce him to some other people. People who can lead us to The Ghost.
“I guess so.” Vandal sounds so bored. It’s impressive how apathetic he can be about something so important. “But it better be amazing.”
“You’re going to lose your mind. It’ll be the party of the semester.” A drug dealer saying that really isn’t surprising.
What exactly is he going to do to make it that big? We need to get more eyes in there. Eyes that can’t be easily identified as the bikers who are trying to take them down…Maddox is going to hate us so much.