Chapter 27
*~* Whack *~*
Staring at two of the men in the shed, I am so angry I can’t put words to it. I could torture them myself, but that wouldn’t send a very good message. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they are going to feel my wrath and suffer the consequences.
Breaker and Griller! Just standing there, smirking for all they are worth.
Assholes. I can’t think of a single punishment right now that fits their crime.
Oh, I know all about defending their president and all that shit.
They knew I wanted to get my hands on someone, anyone, at the bar when it all kicked off, but oh no.
They had to stop me at every turn while they had all the fun.
Well, they won’t like it when I have my fun at their expense.
As for Stephan’s goons from the bar, because that's who they are, they sang like canaries after only a few punches. Not as satisfying when they are all trussed up, but I got to vent a little of my anger, at least.
Stephan’s empire isn’t enough for him, apparently.
He has his drugs, his prostitution and his human trafficking, but he is spending his ill-gotten gains faster than he is accumulating them.
He is also drawing negative attention from some of his ‘business acquaintances.’ If he gets himself noticed by the wrong people, and he undoubtedly will, he may lose more than his empire.
Protection and liquor supply, his two new ventures, according to this motley crew.
If this is all he can afford, I’d be surprised if he could offer protection to a kindergarten class.
He is stepping up his recruitment but doesn’t want to pay the going rate for qualified professionals.
That’s all good for us. If we are going to make a move on his ranch, and we are definitely going to do that, it looks like there won’t be any serious resistance.
Now what to do with these useless goons.
There are too many to kill off and dispose of, and too many to keep here for a few days.
A thought pops into my head. When I took the club out of the gutter, I gave all our illegal gun-running operation to Grazer, the president of the Dark Demonic Demons MC.
He still owes me for that favor. He can come and take these scumbags off my hands.
It doesn’t matter to me what he does with them either.
Suddenly grinning at my own brilliance has a detrimental effect on two of the goons as they piss themselves. Yuk. How does Stephan ever expect to become a force to be reckoned with in underworld circles if this is what he’s got for troops?
Marching back to my office, I tell the terrible twins to go find someone else to bother. I swear to God, if I have to keep looking at their stupid, grinning, smirking, ugly mugs for one more minute, I’ll punch their lights out.
Sitting in my office, I look in my drawer at the bottle of bourbon I keep there. No, dammit, it’s too early and I’m not going to be driven to drink by those two either. Calling out to Bull, he appears in the office in seconds, complete with a laptop.
“Yes, Pres?”
“I want everything you have on Stephan’s ranch. I want to put an assault plan in place.” I look at him as he takes a few sheets of paper that were hidden under the laptop and passes them to me.
“Ghost and Vortex already put a suggestion together for you. They don’t see it so much as an assault as a walk through the main gate and drive up to the house operation.
There are hardly any security features and very few guards on the grounds.
” Bull shakes his head as he tells me this.
“I don’t know how one of his goons hasn’t just taken over the operation themselves.
It wouldn’t be difficult to make Stephan disappear.
He doesn’t appear to have anyone loyal to him. Not that I can see, anyway.”
“I’ve got two he can have,” I mutter not meaning for it to be heard.
“Yeah, Breaker and Griller, no doubt. I heard they cramped your style at the bar.”
“Cramped my style? Those two knew exactly what they were doing and still went ahead and did it! Well, they’ll get theirs when the time is right. Don’t think they won’t.” I steeple my fingers as I lean back in my chair.
Bull shakes his head. “I’m glad I was here watching the clubhouse. I was babysitting the prospects, just in case. I don’t want to be tainted by anything those two lunatics get involved with.”
“I was going to use the women as a distraction to get onto the ranch, but I don’t think that’s wise now.
We don’t know if anyone slipped away in the confusion and can recognize any of them.
Besides, if Ghost and Vortex’s plan is as good as usual, we don’t need to risk them.
” Those two are experts at planning operations.
“Ghost mentioned the two deputies,” Bull adds.
“Meaning?”
“Meaning we should invite them along as our witnesses to any unpleasantness or as our get-out-of-jail-free card if things turn serious.” Bull sounds a little surprised that I didn’t make that connection.
“Ah, good thinking. A little law enforcement on our side can’t go amiss. Maybe they can witness Breaker and Griller do something and lock ‘em up for twenty years.” I give an evil smile as I say this. I’ll get Cannon on the case.”
“You’re not seriously…”
“I’ll get Cannon to contact the deputies and get their asses in here for a chat. Not to set those two up for a life term! What do you take me for?”
“I know they pissed you off, and you want revenge, but I thought that was taking things a little too far, Pres.”
“Get out! I need to let everyone know that there is a mission pending.”
*~* Cannon *~*
Sitting in the clubhouse waiting for Bill and Tanner to arrive, I chug my bottle of water and fetch another from the kitchen fridge.
I’m not going to keep taking them from behind the bar when there’s no one serving at the moment.
Pres has everyone in Church going over the plan to hit Stephan’s ranch to get revenge for Mateo’s beating, and to get my truck back.
I’ll take Bill and Tanner into Pres’ office and go over it with just the two of them.
If they have any issues with what we’re doing, we don’t want them to be voiced in front of the brothers.
That could cause issues we don’t need at this stage.
If the deputies don’t like it, they can sit this one out and just suck it up.
Hearing my phone ping, I know that will be Neil, the prospect on the gate, letting me know my guests have arrived. Standing, I walk to the door ready to greet them. I’m surprised they are still in uniform, as their shifts ended some time ago.
“Working overtime, guys?” I ask them as they enter.
“Well, we figured we’d be better suited to this mission of yours if we were acting in an official capacity, if we are needed. Being involved and in civilian clothes wouldn’t look good on our records.” Bill tells me, and Tanner shakes his head.
“I would’ve come in my PJs rather than miss this. My clothes don’t mean diddly squat when it comes to stopping criminals.”
“So, what’s the plan, Cannon?” Bill asks and I take them into Pres’ office.
“Well, our information tells us that Stephan doesn’t have any class acts working for him.
It seems his wage budget is barely enough to get him some of the poorest criminal types we’ve come across.
His muscle lacks any muscle, has no ability to attack or defend themselves, and they turn on him as soon as the going gets mildly irritating.
The plan is to rock up to the gates, drive through them without asking permission and then pull up at the ranch house.
From there we will split into two groups.
Pres will politely invite himself into the ranch house via the front door.
I will take a team and re-appropriate my truck.
Simple as that, guys. Our planning team has gone over the layout of their so-called security and apart from it lacking in a few key areas, they basically don’t have any security worth talking about.
Old Man Haroldson must be turning in his grave, seeing what his son has done to the family business.
” I give them a shameful nod of the head.
You couldn’t wish for an easier target to hit.
“Where do we fit into this masterful piece of planning?” Tanner asks.
“Well, I should tag along with Pres if I were you. I’m going to perform grand theft auto, though I’m actually repossessing my own stolen property, so that should be fairly boring. He’ll be confronting Stephan, so that’s where the juicy stuff should be happening.”
Noise from outside the office signals the end of the briefing next door in Church. The door pops open and Pres walks in. “All ready and waiting. You boys coming along for the ride?” Pres asks the two deputies.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Tanner states as he jumps out of his chair and grins.
“Hell, I ain’t got nothing better planned so why the hell not,” adds Bill.
Walking into the compound, we all start mounting hogs, climbing into vans or SUVs. At this point Pres calls for Bank and Pens to step forward.
“You two are on special assignment. You are temporarily promoted to club enforcer. You will ride with me and have my back. Breaker and Griller. You are also on special assignment. You will ensure the safety of the women, clubhouse and oversee the prospects while we are gone.” Before either Breaker or Griller can say a word, he adds, “I don’t want to hear it.
As President of the club, I am protected by two club enforcers.
Shut the fuck up, both of you, and we’ll tell you all about it when we get home.
” Laughing maniacally, Pres hops into the lead SUV with Bank and Pens and slams the door.
The cavalcade of vehicles leaves the compound behind and also two very unhappy officers.
Approaching the gates to the ranch, we notice they are open.
There’s a small hut near the gates, but it appears to be unoccupied.
As we pass it, we see a pair of feet sticking out from behind the hut.
Pres halts the convoy, and I hop out of the second SUV in line to take a cautious look.
Peering around the corner, the man on the floor has a bullet hole in the center of his forehead.
Telling this to Pres, we both agree that someone else may have paid Stephan a visit and beaten us to it.
As we trundle along the road to the main house, we see several sedans heading our way.
The vehicle in the middle, however, is a large limousine.
As they approach, we are all on alert. They close to a hundred yards and then they stop.
The limousine passenger door opens, a man walks to the rear door and beckons us forward.
Pres stays in the SUV and drives forward.
When he is level with the man, the man speaks.
“Are you the president of the men?” He asks in a heavily accented German voice.
Taking a moment, Pres then replies, “Yes. That would be me. And you are?”
“I am of no importance. My employer wishes to speak with you, in private.”
Pres thinks this over, and he is obviously not going to get in the limo for any private chats, so he slips from the vehicle then steps twenty yards into the field on the side of the limo.
The door opens, and a man steps out. He is a tall, well-built man and by his movements, extremely fit.
I couldn’t begin to guess his age, but I see touches of silver at his temples.
He walks over to Pres, offers his hand, and they talk quietly for a few seconds.
I see Pres stiffen up at something, and the man shakes his head.
They nod to each other, and both walk back to their respective vehicles.
The sedans and the limo drive away, and then Pres’ SUV shoots forward as though it’s on fire. Arriving at the ranch house, we all note the lack of any guards or any movement whatsoever. Pres jumps out of the SUV before the dust settles and calls for all officers to follow him inside.
Charging through the front doors, he runs for another set of doors to the right.
Without stopping, he barges through them and stops dead in his tracks.
As we all catch up and join him, we see a terrible sight.
There are dead bodies along one wall, where they had been executed.
In the center of the room, on the floor, is Stephan Haroldson. His throat cut.
Behind him, bound in a chair, is the dead body of our brother, Bandit.