Chapter Five
Gambit
“Good to be here with my brothers at the mother charger again. This was all in a day’s work.
” The crowd of leather vested brothers stretches out through the new club house.
Built to withstand the damn apocalypse the concrete walls, reinforced bulletproof glass windows, and thick steel doors are offset by rugged leather furniture, and heavy wooden tables.
The bar behind me stretches out nearly six feet and has a stock worthy of any bar in an upper scale area. They’d spared no expense with the rebuild.
“He’s so fucking modest too,” War shouts.
I laugh as they boo, flip me the bird, and toss balled-up pieces of paper.
We never need much of a reason to party.
Downing half my beer, I take in the packed room.
There are new faces, and mature brothers who I remember being younger.
Time waits for no one. The Kings are no exception to that cosmic rule.
“Are you ready to head back to the office for a few?” Stone asks over the noise.
“Lead the way, boss.” He’s been more pensive this trip. The brothers can sense it, but no one knows the source. I think I’m about to find out. I nod at War, who’s seated at the bar with Jess perched on his lap.
The transfer to make San Diego his permanent home has been good for him.
He looks less cagey. Forever alert, but more relaxed, he sits at an angle scanning the room and talking with Freeze.
The wheelchair bound man has his own wife seated across his legs.
He hasn’t let the loss of his ability to walk slow him down one damn bit. It’s admirable as fuck.
The abrupt injury unlocked long-buried leadership vibes. Seeing him mentor the younger set amuses the fuck out of me. King chasers try to catch my eye, flashing sultry glances and cleavage as I travel through the crowd.
My cock stirs. I ignore the aroused response. I’m human but not looking to dip my wick tonight. Shit with Tracy and the kid has me lost in my head. Worrying about my sister and family back home in the wake of the hurricane is a buzzkill. When we hit the hallway, the noise begins to fade.
I follow Stone down to the wing he has set up with offices.
Renovations have turned this place into a multipurpose fort.
The lockdown and expansion of families ushered in major change.
He taps in a code, and the door clicks open.
I follow him inside the office, plopping into the leather seat across the desk from his.
Sinking into the dark brown leather, he places his hands on the rounded arms, leans his head back against the chair, and closes his eyes. Respecting the silence, I wait for him to speak.
“We’ve had a season of rapid growth and change recently. Not everyone is happy about that. I can control my own people. But outside forces are starting to take notice of our success.”
Kicking my legs out in front of me, I cross my ankles and lace my fingers over my stomach.
“People want in on the action. They’ve asked to buy out our stores. When that didn’t work, they started trying to destroy our reputation. Stupid petty shit at first. Bad reviews, obviously planted customers raising hell. They gave names after gentle persuasion.”
“Always do. Who was the source?”
“The mambas: a new, reasonably sized, mid-grade MC looking to grow.”
“So, they figured they’d try to cannibalize the Kings?” I frown. “Who goes for the head man on the totem pole right out the gate?”
“That’s why I figure they’re being guided by someone else.” He grips the arms hard. The veins in the backs of his hands flex. “They’re just puppets. I need to get to the master.”
“You think they’re pushing them to the forefront to hide?”
“Exactly. I don’t have proof yet. It’s a theory I’ve been working on since the Mambas kept picking at us. This is an illogical move for them, unless they have backing. The crew is many things: cocky, reckless, and hungry, but not stupid.”
“What do you need from me?”
“Have presence. Info gathering, and handling problems the minute they arise.”
I grunt, biting the inside of my cheek as I tilt my head in thought.
“Say what’s on your mind.” Stone waves his hand toward me.
I frown, tensing. “That’s an extreme response for a simple gut feeling.”
Stone laughs. “Can’t get anything past ol’ Gambit, can I?”
“I’m more curious about why you’d try.” Narrowing my gaze, I try to read his stoic expression. I’m not into playing guessing games.
“I don’t like to rock boats unnecessarily. But there have been whispers of a snitch.” His brows dip and he leans his head back against the headrest of his chair. His face falls, and I see the wariness he’s stopped hiding.
I sit up in my chair. “In Kings?”
“No. In another club, collecting evidence on all of us, dismantling small crews from the inside.” Closing his eyes, he rubs his eyelids.
“It’s not unusual for the small groups to fall off, though. What makes this different?” Has he become paranoid?
“The frequency and the way the men disappear after they disband has me nervous.”
I raise an eyebrow. “None of them have pledged to bigger clubs?”
Stone shakes his head.
“Yeah, that doesn’t track.” I rub my chin. “You think the cops are what, relocating them?”
“Some and putting others in protection to wait until they have enough to build a case. We have our rivalries, hold grudges, and fight for the top spot often enough. But the truth is, this life can only survive if we all follow the same set of rules. It’s a house of cards that way. Take too many out,” he trails off.
“And it all falls.” I get it. “What do you want to do about it?”
“Once we identify the problem makers, I want to make sure they’re never found again.”
“Tricky with the law involved.”
“It is. But you’re one hell of a strategist with a good grasp on how law thinks.”
It’s no secret my father was a small-town cop who died in the line of duty. It’s what turned me away from the right side of things. My sister, too. Thinking of the dark path she once traveled seeking a father figure still makes me ill.
“You’re going to need help outside of the club for this to work. It’ll take a lot of eyes to flush out the rats and coordinate one big irrevocable strike. It wouldn’t hurt to have some diversion either.”
He smiles. “I knew you were the man to help with this.
Shifting my weight, I go into planning mode. “Are there any people you trust enough to partner with?”
He nods. “Possibly. I want to look into them longer before I pull the trigger.”
I nod in approval. He’s being as smart as he can be about it. “Wise. Get them on board, and we can see what they’ve observed. Then we’ll make more detailed plans from there. I figure there’s a common denominator; we just need to find it.”
“One step ahead of you there. I know who not to trust according to the eyes and ears on my payroll. A few people have been acting out of character.” He taps his fingers on the desk.
“That’s a start.” I pull a toothpick from the inner pocket of my vest, and pop it into my mouth. Chewing I let my brain race. “The informant could be working with a higher up looking to wash his hands of the life because shits heating up.”
“Damn, I hate to even consider that.”
“The best villains hide in plain sight,” I tell him gently.
Exhaling, he fixes me with an intense stare. “How would you launch this?”
Showtime. “Discreetly. I’d run all the info of the people I wanted to deal with. Look for missing times or new members who showed up out of nowhere in the past two to five years.” I’m good at what I do because I have family on both sides of the law.
“Can you oversee this? We’re only going to get one crack at it. I’m man enough to admit I could easily fumble this.”
It means relocating. Leaving Texas behind to travel to the west coast and place another brother in charge of the home base in my stead. It's severing a deep tie with my roots. Maybe it's time.
“Whatever you need, boss.” I’m not going to let this ship go down without one hell of a fight.
“Good. I want to keep this between us for now. Let them think you’re coming here in response to the increased aggression from surrounding clubs.”
“Is that happening?”
Stone laughs. “Always. The stupid kids think knocking out the established clubs will build their reputation fast.”
“Has that ever worked?” I ask incredulously.
“Fuck no. Who wants to work with a snake in the grass? You know it’s only a matter of time until they bite. They eventually end up frozen out unanimously, losing any traction they manage to gain.”
“I’ll start making arrangements to get to the mother charter. You keep working on information gathering.”
“Whatever you need, it’s yours.”
“I appreciate it. Let me sit down somewhere quiet and see what I can come up with.” My mind is a chalkboard I mentally write on with chalk. Every move I make has an effect I need to try to account for.
“You can use the office next to mine. The code is 4327.”
“Does anyone else have access?”
Stone shakes his head. “No, I reprogrammed it today.”
“Alright. Let me go get started.” Pushing the chair back, I stand. Already immersed in the task he’s issued.
“You want me to send anything down, food, drinks?”
“I’m good, brother.”
He holds out his hand, and we shake. “I owe you.”
I know better than to refuse a future favor from the King. “I’ll hold you to that one day.”
Exiting, I walk to the door and punch in the code. Pushing the door open, I flick on the light.
The mid-sized room has a mahogany desk with a pricy black leather office chair. The strange shape probably has something to do with back support. The beige walls are dull, but non-distracting, and there is a stack of yellow legal note pads and pens on the black bookshelf across the room.
I grab a fresh notebook and pen and sink into the chair. Cradled by the chair, I start with a word dump. Getting all my thoughts down, I make notes on things I need to research. Time melts away, and papers pile up beside me.
My pocket vibrates and I jerk, startled. Rubbing a hand over my face, I pull out my phone. Seeing my sister’s name, I answer.
“Frere, Rowan is missing.” The four-word sentence captures my complete attention, and the fact that she’s using French has me on full alert. Rarely does she pull the brother card in our parents’ native language. The fear in her voice makes my stomach lurch.
“Tell me everything.”
“She never checked in before the storm. And when I went to her apartment, there was no sign of her.”
“What about her family home?”
“Still too flooded to access, and of course, the phones are down. Plus, she planned to evacuate with her sister. You know she takes that seriously.”
“Merde.” I rub my temple. “Where else could she be?”
“I don’t know. I checked everywhere. The hospital staff said she left with plans to hunker down in her apartment with Betti.”
“And you haven’t talked to her sister?”
“I can’t find her either.”
My thoughts go to their father. The drunk’s always been off. “Fuck.” I shove the dark thoughts from my mind. If he placed so much as a finger on either of them, I’ll kill him myself.
“I’m coming.”
“Thank you. I know the two of you are in a weird place, and she’ll kill me for calling you—”
“Hey. You did the right thing.”
There’s nothing Rowan could ever do that would make me not care.
I had plans to catch up with my kin and pick their brains before relocating to San Mateo anyway.
This will be two birds with one stone. A president can’t disappear without an official table meeting.
Stone knows that. My personal side quest during that time is my business.
“I’m going to get off here and book a flight now. I’ll arrive as soon as humanly possible. Until then, I need you to sit tight. I can’t do what needs to be done if I’m worried about you.”
“I will.”
“Lotte.”
She exhales. “I promise.”
“I’m counting on you keeping your word. I know you’re worried, but adding another missing person to the mix won’t help a damn thing.”
“Yes, big brother, I know. It’s why I called you to come in with the cavalry.”
“Smart assed brat,” I mumble.
“Overprotective asshole,” she counters without missing a beat.
“It’s going to be okay. Rowan’s smart. She’s a survivor.” The words are just as much for me as they are for her. There’s too much left unsaid between us. I can’t lose her like this.