Frisco

42. Shane

42

SHANE

C alling Kali.

“The person for this account has not yet set up her voice–”

I hung up because what the fuck?

“What’s wrong?” Boise came over.

I sent off a text before putting the phone back in my pocket.

Me: Where are you? Call me.

“Can’t get a hold of Kali. She’s back at The Bonfire, right? You been in contact with the guys back there?”

“No. Our guys are here.”

“Kali is there.”

He grimaced. “Uh, if she was keeping her head down, I don’t think they would’ve known she was there. I didn’t tell them. Did you?”

Shit. “No. Everything was hitting the hay here.”

“None of the guys would’ve told them. We pulled the rest of our club here, they rode in with Crow and the others.”

This wasn’t sitting right with me. “I need to talk to Crow. We might need to send some guys back for her, some of ours.”

“Sounds good. You want me to send him out?”

I was outside, and it was nearing five in the morning. The night had been about interrogating Estrada’s men, who told us nothing. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe them. I did. We let Machete loose on them. He’d been feeling a certain way since they took his woman. But it was that they didn’t know anything. They were told to grab two Red Demon women. Kali had been specifically mentioned, but when she went missing, they had to improvise. It happened exactly as Kali guessed it had.

“And the two guys?”

The guy was crying and bleeding, but he wasn’t holding back. It only took two hits before he broke. His friends had been the same. “I don’t know. We were told two women. The other van might’ve been told to get people friendly to the Red Demons. They were easy pickings. Right there and talking. We saw the one at your table in the bar so we knew he was an ally of your club. That’s all I can say. Honest. You don’t get it. We have to go back with someone or it’s our head and our family’s hanging. You can’t mess up with our boss.”

“Yeah. He’s a great guy. We’re aware.”

I nodded to Boise now, and added, “Send Stripes too.”

He went inside. After we were done with the interrogations, we were getting ready to go to New Mexico and meet with Heckler. Or at least that was our plan. I’d not given Crow the exact details, instead announcing to everyone to get ready to ride.

He was coming now, and Stripes showed up a second later. He paused, seeing Crow with me. “You want me to come back?”

I motioned for him to come over.

He did, and I asked Crow, “I left my woman at your headquarters. Now I can’t get a hold of her. What guys do you have back there?”

“Some prospects. We cleared out the hangarounds until this was all cleaned up with Estrada, but I left a few of my most trusted guys there. Shelly’s there too. I asked her to watch over your woman, and the last she told me they were eating at the diner with my guys. She sent me a text saying they were buckling down until she heard more from us. That was it. You want me to call her?”

“I do.” I glanced at Stripes, who was taking in the exchange with narrowed eyes.

An unspoken question formed from him to me, and I gave him one slow nod.

He nodded back, already starting to pull his keys out, but we waited while Crow was putting a call through to Shelly.

He ended the call, frowning at the phone. “Called three times. Keeps going to voice message.” He hit another number, putting the phone to his ear, and telling us, “I’ll call my guy. Have them find Shelly or your woman.”

His guy answered.

“Yeah. Hey. Shelly around?”

We waited as his guy went to go and find her.

A second later, his voice came over the phone, “She’s not here, Boss. Neither’s her car.”

“What about Ghost’s old lady?”

I gave Stripes a nod, telling him, “Keep your phone close.”

He took off, lifting a hand to let me know he heard me. He went to his bike and a second later, he was tearing off.

The same time, the guy said, “Yeah. She ain’t here either. She was in the back room, but she’s gone and her bag’s gone too. You want us to keep looking for her?”

Goddammit. Heads would roll.

I growled, grabbing the phone from Crow. “You tear that fucking place apart . If you can’t find her, get your bikes and haul ass to where they might’ve gone. That’s my woman.”

“Yes, sir!”

I wanted to shove Crow’s phone down his throat, but he didn’t fuck up. I had. Kali was my woman. I should’ve designated one of my guys to watch over only her. Goddammit! What had I been thinking?

“What do you want to do?”

I wanted to find Kali, but my woman or my brothers? I had to pick right now.

I needed to rip everyone’s head off, including my own.

Crow’s phone started ringing.

I snatched it up, answering it, “Did you find her?”

“No, but Carol said that Shelly had her tell Kali to grab her bag and get ready to leave.”

“When was this?”

“Thirty minutes ago. Another one of our guys said he saw both of them dip outside, but he didn’t think anything of it because they’d been hanging out in front of the diner earlier anyway. Thought they just wanted some air.”

“What about the prospects? They would’ve been watching the bikes.”

“Prospect we had out there said he saw both of ’em go around the corner. A second later, he saw headlights leaving a block north. We’re thinking that was Shelly’s car since it’s missing too. They were heading east.”

Crow was waiting for my orders.

“A prospect just let them go? When we’re under attack by the cartel ?”

“He’s real sorry, Ghost. Me too. All of us. Carol is crying. There's no reason not to do what Shelly says, always done it before. Shelly’s the Lady Boss in this charter.”

“You find out exactly , word for word, what Shelly told Carol to say. I want to know every fucking thing she said or saw or did from the time she walked in that fucking bar until right now. You get me?”

“I get you. On it.”

This time there was no restraint.

I took Crow’s phone and whipped it as hard and as far as I could, and I was two seconds from whipping Crow himself right after it.

“Now, Ghost.” He began backing up, his hands going in the air. “Think, brother. We’re both Reds here–” He choked off the last part on the account that he couldn’t fucking breathe , on the account that my hand was around his throat and on the account that I was squeezing it harder with each second that passed.

“Hey!” Feet scrambled over gravel and I felt hands at my hand, trying to pull me off.

I wasn’t moving.

This fucker. His charter had been nothing but bad news from the beginning.

“Shane.” Boise wrapped an arm around my chest.

I felt others, all trying to pull me off.

Someone wedged his way between us and he pushed as Boise was pulling. Someone dipped down, and lifted me up. A few guys. I was carried back and only then did I stop squeezing.

I shoved off them, pushing Boise away and whoever else. “Get off me!”

I was going for Crow again.

He was being carried into the warehouse, and his club guys were getting between him and me. The same was going for my guys until Boise was in my face, and talking sense. “He is their president right now. VP or not, he’s theirs. They’re going to throw down for him, whether he’s in the wrong or not. You know that. I got no clue what transpired in the last five minutes, but I saw Stripes tear out of here so I’m assuming it has something to do with why he’s gone. You want to fill me in? Let someone who’s thinking a little clearer than you are at the moment know what’s going on?”

“That woman, Shelly, whoever the fuck she is to him she took my woman somewhere and Kali’s got her phone off. She’d only turn her phone off if she was taken or she was told to turn it off, and no reason she’d be told to turn that phone off unless it was a fucking lie!” I began pacing, fury raging through me, but dammit. Damn! Boise was right. The guys were looking at me a certain way.

Fuck this shit.

I started forward.

“Ghost–” Boise tried to get in front of me.

“I ain’t going to touch him, but I am going to deal with some shit right here and now.” I signaled to one of Crow’s guys. “You tell him what make and model Shelly drives and you,” I said to Boise. “Get the computer guys on it. She’s got Kali with her and I have no idea where they’re going. I want her car found now. Tell Stripes what’s going on. He lit out after her.”

He gave a firm nod, stepping back with Crow’s guy.

After that, it was time to clear the air. I was prepared for some digging to happen tonight.

Six feet down.

“Let’s have church.”

Everyone filed into the main warehouse after me. Crow’s guys stood to one side while mine went to the other. Roadie and Corvette lined the doors. Boise took my right side. I saw Claudia lurking in the background, but since this wasn’t actual church for us, I let her stay. Machete moved from her side, stepping in line with our other guys.

He raised his chin up, asking me, his eyes steady, “What are you doing, Boss?”

I motioned to Crow’s guys. “Your president called us here, for your charter. We were told there were members of your charter that we couldn’t trust. I was supposed to move in, take over, and suss out the guys who bled Red Demon and those who don’t. Now I’ve got the beginning of a war against the cartel happening under my watch, right here, and they tried taking my woman. Who knows. Maybe they got to Shelly and might get her in the end, but what I do know is that the fuck I want to be here when I should be on the road, riding to save my woman and her friends, and then after that, moving forward against the Estrada Cartel. Want to know what I’m doing instead? I’m here dealing with your charter’s politics. Who doesn’t bleed Red here? Let’s deal with this shit now. I got no time for politics.”

They were all quiet.

My guys looked resigned.

Crow stood in the back, and a lot of his guys kept sending him looks.

“Jesus, Crow. Your guys are giving you the call to step up for them. You are their current acting president. What do you have to say?”

He took a breath, also looking resigned, and stepped forward from the crowd. “You’re kinda blowing up my spot.”

“I don’t have time to deal with it. Estrada came to your charter, not where Prez was. Yours. I want to know why and I want to know why my woman and her people were targeted. Start talking or we’re doing shit the hard way.”

His eyes narrowed. “You want to run that by me? What ‘hard way’?”

I shook my head. “I don’t have time for this, but I’m sure as shit not going to ride into another fight and worry about who's got my back. We cut your group out and magically, we were able to get two of their hostages back. Doubt that’s a fucking coincidence.”

One of the other guys spoke up, “Our president called you in?”

“Yeah. I mean it, guys. Start talking or we’re cutting all of you and starting new. I do not give one shit what that might mean moving forward. Every second we’re not on the road, is a second my other brothers are going into a fight without us at their backs. START. FUCKING. TALKING!”

“It’s Crow.”

“Rash!”

“I’m sorry, but it is.” Rash stepped forward, looking tired. “You’re my cousin, but it’s you. Some of the guys know, some don’t. You set up Prez. He went to prison covering your ass, he just didn’t know it was you. But I do.”

“Rash, I swear to God–” Crow launched himself at him, but he was caught by some of his own men.

Rash didn’t jump back. He didn’t react. He just seemed tired, that same resigned look coming from him too. He jerked his chin toward Crow. “It’s him. He was selling to minors, which is against club policy. He roped in about five others in the club. When it fell apart, they planted evidence on Prez, who was getting suspicious. I got proof of it all.”

“You’re goddamn fucking lying!”

Rash barely blinked, just shaking his head. “I heard you. You called Marco Estrada. I heard you the first time, and after that, I made sure to hear all the other times. You told him about the vote. He showed up when he did because you also told him the national VP was coming our way. He came in, sussed everything out, and left. You told him who Ghost’s woman was, and that she had friends that they were going to Fallen Crest to meet. You gave him the location. You gave him the time. You told him everything, but when they fucked up, you also fucked up. You gave them too much, and a man like that, Marco Estrada, he’s a snake. He’s always going to turn on you. Mark my words.”

“You’re the snake.” Crow was glowering, but one by one his men were starting to distance themselves from him.

“I got it all on tape. Like I said, it was luck when I caught the first call. I was pissing outside and you hadn’t closed the window. Dumb luck on my part, but the rest, yeah. I made sure to put something on your phone. Got all your calls recorded. Some of that shit no one needs to hear.”

That was enough. That was all I needed to hear. I stepped forward. “You got the proof here?”

He nodded, closing his eyes a moment, his shoulders slumping. He reached into his pocket, brought his phone out, and after a second of fiddling on the screen, Crow’s voice sounded out. “Yeah. They did a vote. The whole club is leaving. They’re deserting you. All of them. But those of us loyal, Se?or Estrada, we weren’t given the proper chance to voice our feelings on the matter. I guarantee you that there’s more than just me who don’t want to stop working for you. I promise you that.”

Marco’s voice was next, eerily calm. “You like the money, but I need more proof than your word before I make a move.”

“YOU FUCKING PIECE OF SHI–”

Crow was quieted. My guys moved in, replacing theirs and Corvette punched him, knocking him unconscious.

Rash was waiting, watching me.

I jerked my chin toward him. “I need to hear more.”

He went back to the phone, and a second later, Crow’s voice came out again, “Just got word. Maxwell is sending the national VP our way. I think our charter Prez snitched on us, that’s why, but he’s coming here. The fucker terrifies me, but if you want to move on them, here’s your shot. He’s going to be as alone as you can get him.”

Rash stopped it, but I shook my head. “More.”

For the first time, uncertainty lit up his gaze, but after hesitating, he played another one.

“Yeah, yeah.” Crow’s voice again. “No, listen. I got him. Told him some of our guys can’t be trusted. I’m working him, and I think he’s buying it. Even mentioned maybe teaming up with some folk up north. He seemed open to it.”

“I need to know his weaknesses. Where do we hit him?” Marco’s voice, still calm.

“He’s got a woman. He brought her here, and he seems real into her. They’re heading to Fallen Crest tonight, and he’s alone or more alone than normal. Only a few guys are with him. There’s territory issues there, but yeah. You want to take out his knees, take his woman. He’ll go crazy to get her back, and,” Crow’s voice rose, his excitement was audible. “She’s got friends in Fallen Crest too. That’s why they’re going there, to meet with her friends.”

Rash stopped it, but held his phone up. “You want more?”

A stillness came over me. It didn’t calm me, but it made me go slow. With purpose.

I was closing in on a kill. Didn’t matter who it was that I was going to kill, but it’d be someone and I walked forward, and held a hand out. “I’d like that phone.”

Rash looked from me to the phone, did it twice, before handing it over. “You get in this way.” He showed myself and Boise, who’d walked with me toward him, how to get into his phone. Boise nodded, taking the phone for me. I knew within the hour, he’d go through whatever evidence was on that phone.

But we had another matter.

I asked Rash, “I want the names of the men Crow was working with.”

“Done.” He listed them off, and those guys began running, cursing.

It was short work, but their own caught the men, and handed each one over to my club. They were hauled off and we’d handle them after this. After that, there was one more item.

“Where is your sister taking my woman?”

Rash hesitated this time before saying, “I got no clue. She’s going rogue.”