Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Gemini
We all gather downstairs and I take a moment to gather my anger and put it to the back of my mind.
“Looks like your initiations begin tonight, gentlemen. We weren’t going to ask y’all to move into the clubhouse just yet considering it’s under construction, but I’m not sure we have any other alternatives. ”
“Gemini, we’ve been in some shitholes with rough terrain, I think we can handle living in a rundown clubhouse,” one of Midas’ nephews states.
“There’s rundown, then there’s derelict and should be condemned,” Orion retorts.
“The good news is, Hercules and his crew have already made a great start since the fucker named Rocco destroyed it as one last fuck you to the Kings. Still, the house here is close enough we’ll figure shit out until it’s a little further along. ”
“What do you mean?” one of them asks.
“Oh, you know, running water, electricity, heat,” Orion rattles off.
“Ah, so it’s little more than studs,” another states.
“Pretty much,” Hercules admits before listing off his accomplishments.
“We’ve been working around the clock. All the plumbing and electrical wiring has been redone and brought up to code, we’re just waiting on the inspector to sign off, which should happen next week.
Then we’ll insulate, throw up the sheetrock and go from there. ”
“Y’all have gotten a lot done in just a few short days,” I praise.
Hercules shrugs. “I’ve got one helluva crew, Gemini.”
Pisces, who’s got his nose in his phone for some reason, says, “The stars have aligned, brothers.” Then he starts walking around the men who joined us today and states, “From now on, you’ll be known as Aries,” as he taps one of Midas’ nephews.
“You’ll be Lynx, Scorpius, Neptune, Bootes, Sexton, Draco, and Ursa,” he intones as he goes down the line, pointing at each of the men.
“We were once the Constellation MC, and now, we’re the Montana Kings!
” he bellows. “And while we have to get y’all up to speed on the club bylaws, the one thing you need to keep first and foremost is that nobody fucks with the Kings! ”
Despite the seriousness of the text that Sutton received, I feel pride toward my cousin, as well as the eight men who have turned us into a brotherhood of twelve. For now. I know that’ll change down the road, but I have a good feeling about the men in front of me.
“I think, until the clubhouse is fully functional, we need to spread out around our property to ensure that we’re protecting your woman,” Aries says. “The climate’s not completely forgiving, but we can get the equipment we need to set up small encampments to make sure she’s safe.”
“No need to do that, when we went to town a few days ago, Booker suggested that very thing. There are all-weather tents and shit in the back of the truck already,” Rio replies. “We planned to suggest that to y’all at some point today. The text merely brought it back to mind.”
I nod because I like the fact that with the exception of my cousins, none of these men even know Sutton outside of her name and the fact that she’s mine, yet they’re willing to protect her, as well as what we’re rebuilding for this Kings chapter.
“Then let’s get to it,” Aries decrees, looking at his cousins.
While they head out to get themselves situated, I look at my cousins as well as Rip and Rio and state, “This fucker is escalating a helluva lot quicker than we expected.”
Riptide, who had taken the phone from me, replies, “I gave Sutton’s phone number to Booker.
He’s going to see what he’s able to track down, although I personally suspect it’s one of those pay-as-you-go phones, which are virtually untraceable.
Still, if anyone can find out information for y’all, my money’s on him. ”
Rio nudges him and states, “Too bad Icer or Shade aren’t here, they’d track that fucker down in a heartbeat.”
“Mercury is on top of that,” I reply. At their look, I continue. “He’s one of the best trackers in this country, brothers. Hell, we’ve all got those skills, but his are next level as if he’s instinctively in tune with whatever he’s searching for.”
“That’ll definitely come in handy,” Rio muses.
“Okay, we’ve got a plan, time to execute,” Mercury commands.
As if we’ve been working together for years, instead of hours, the new guys help Aries get the tents and other equipment from the truck and soon, they’ve split up into groups of two and are getting their humble abodes set up while we make sure the huge bonfire is put out.
There may still be snow on the ground, but the last thing we need is for a fire to break out since we’re a bit isolated from town and help as far as the fire department goes.
I make a mental note to check into a fire suppression system for the clubhouse because we need to cover all of our bases where our security and protection are concerned.
As I begin to go up the steps to check on Sutton, my phone rings but what has me paying special attention to the caller I.D. is the fact that there’s no name or number attached to the incoming call. Deciding that the identity needs to be discovered, I answer, “Gemini.”
“Heard through the grapevine that you need me, pres,” a male voice says from the other end of the connection.
“Depends on who told you that and who the fuck you are,” I hiss, not liking the fact that my number is being spread to strangers.
“Name’s Orbit,” he tells me, identifying himself. “LoneStar gave me your digits. I am the master of the keyboard and I travel through the dark web like a rock star. Tell me what you need and it’ll be yours.”
“You the tech guru LoneStar told me about?” I ask, turning on my heels and heading back into the central part of the house.
“That’d be me,” he proudly states. “Ready and willing to prove myself so you can’t live without me.”
“We’ll see,” I say, noting that this guy is quite conceited. There isn’t room in my club with men who have bigger egos than Orion. “Tell me about your qualifications.”
“Already told you. Nobody is better than me at uncovering people’s skeletons. I enjoy what I do because it’s like I’m a detective, only there’s no place anyone can burrow that I can’t find.”
“Which tells me squat,” I growl out, unamused.
Part of me realizes he doesn’t know us and vice versa, but I had gotten the impression from LoneStar that he had given a brief overview of our situation.
So, in my mind, it’s common sense for him to tell me what he truly does bring to the proverbial table.
He whistles before admitting, “Look. Here’s the deal. I’m not great about talking about myself even though I came across as if I could. I had a script that I printed off, one I thought would touch you as the man in charge of a motorcycle club. I wanted to sound badass.”
“You want my honest response to your so-called script?” I ask. “It fucking sucks. Makes you sound like a conceited, entitled jackass, which isn’t how LoneStar described you.”
He laughs and I hear what almost sounds like a sigh of relief.
“Yeah, I’m a bit awkward since I spend more time with my computers and zinging through the underworld of evil, but the only thing I think I’m entitled to is access to an internet connection.
I tend to be introverted, as well. Comes from growing up a sickly kid, so you can blame my overprotective mother for that aspect of my personality. ”
“So, how will you deal with being surrounded by a clubhouse full of brothers? Because if you end up coming here, you won’t be able to carry on with your social awkwardness.”
“Will I have a room to myself? One I can escape to? Because I need a room outside of my assigned living quarters to hold all of my equipment,” he tells me.
“I can make that work. We will have enough spare rooms for you to claim,” I admit.
“Tell me what kind of specifications you require for your computer room so I can let Hercules know,” I instruct.
Not that I’m planning on moving him here quickly, there are some things I need to have in place before bringing in another member.
However, if he’s anywhere near as good as LoneStar claims, I will need him to move here sooner rather than later.
“Hercules, huh?” he asks. “If you’re good with it, I’ll send you an email because that way I don’t forget anything. The room definitely will need to be temperature controlled, kind of like those fancy storage facilities, because my computers are sensitive.”
“You do know we’re located in Montana, right?” I question. “It’s not exactly known for temperate weather, Orbit.”
“Maybe not, but there are devices and equipment out there that can regulate it,” he states. “I can order what I want and have it delivered there as long as you have somebody around when it arrives. It can’t be manhandled either, it has to stay in an upright position or it destroys the motherboard.”
“There are plenty of us here who will handle your packages with kid gloves,” I state, rolling my eyes. I have a feeling this guy will be needy and he’s going to have to buckle up and grow some thicker skin or these guys will eat him alive.
“Tell me what you need from me, pres. LoneStar mentioned you have another tech working on the case, and since I don’t know what all he’s found, I need to start from scratch.”
“I don’t see anything wrong with that, Orbit.”
“You will when I tell you that I’m fixing to dig deep and there’ll be nothing kept private. I need to know every intricate detail of everyone’s lives if you want me to find the connection between this Allen Jeffries, Sutton, and potentially the club.”
“The club? What does the club have to do with this?” I growl, taking offense.
“I don’t know anything for certain, but we shouldn’t leave anything out, don’t you agree, Mr. President?”
“Gemini or pres, nothing in between,” I warn.
“Aye, aye, captain,” he says, and I picture him giving me a mock salute.
“Word to the wise, I’m not a fan of smartass commentary, either,” I admit. Fuck knows I get enough of that shit from my cousins shoveled down my throat on a daily basis.
“Right. Zipping my lips. Do I have your permission to go into places you’re not comfortable with? Even if it means doing a deep dive into you?”
“Go as deep as you need to go, Orbit,” I instruct.
“Here are everyone’s names, including the guys who are going to be joining the club.
” Some of the information I have is limited, of course, but if he’s as good as he’s implied, he’ll be able to ferret out anything I don’t already know.
I think a dossier on everyone is a good idea because forewarned is forearmed.
Thinking of one other thing, I add, “Many of these guys have a military background so their information might be redacted based on their missions.”
“Got it, pres.”