Chapter Twenty-One
Hammer watched Camila as she stirred the food on her plate for what had to be at least the tenth time.
He doubted she realized he’d been watching so closely but he hadn’t missed that she’d eaten less than a half dozen bites.
She was lost in her mind somewhere, and he didn’t know how to pull her out of it.
It had to be because of what was coming up—he checked the time—in about half an hour.
He would wait until Bulldog called them to order and tell everyone what was going on, then he’d tell everyone what he’d found.
If it were up to him, Camila would get a chance to plead her case, but Hammer didn’t know what the president would do.
Whether or not he would call Camila up or if she could even speak, was another matter.
But looking around the group, he didn’t think it would matter either way.
He was confident his brothers, and the few women who were attached to them, would do the right thing.
“I’ve made arrangements with the Grave Bastards in Las Cruces.
I’m going to visit them for a little while.
Told them I have some business in El Paso, but I don’t want to be too easy to find.
They’ve agreed to put me up for a bit. I’m going to need some equipment, burner at least, maybe a few bugs, if you have any.
I’m going to figure out what’s up with her father and who else he’s connected to that we’re not finding online. ”
Hammer wanted to argue, but with recent developments, and finding out about Camila, he had to admit, going in person wasn’t a bad idea.
“I’ll get some things together for you. When you leaving? And is anyone going with you?”
“In the next couple of days if we can manage it. And I don’t know. I don’t know who would be beneficial and can be trusted. My first instinct says take a prospect, but can I trust him if he’s not patched in? And what do I do if he turns on me and I have no backup?”
Hammer thought about it for a moment, his gaze resting on the bar and the three prospects working back there tonight.
“You know, if it were up to me, I’d take Frank.
He’s been a prospect the longest, and he and Bullwinkle are joined at the hip, and have been since long before they prospected.
There’s no way he’ll risk not patching in with Bullwinkle.
That’s if you’re stuck on taking a prospect.
You could take Bullwinkle. He’s patched but hasn’t been for long.
You can probably get away with treating him like a prospect, if that’s a concern. ”
Mayhem turned toward the bar, his gaze following the direction of Hammer’s.
“You’re not wrong.” Mayhem sighed. “That gives me a couple of options. I’ll discuss it with Bulldog and make a decision, but you’ll get the shit I need?”
“I will. I’ll get it together first thing in the morning, and enough for two of you, just in case.”
“Thanks.” The VP knocked on the table once, then stood and headed for the bar.
“All right, all right, quiet down you lot,” Bulldog said as he stepped up onto a chair at one end of the room.
He stood, scanning the room and waiting for voices to die down.
“We’ve got something a little unusual tonight.
First, this was at the person in question’s request. Normally I would make a decision, and we would go with it.
That will not change. But I’m doing this to set their mind at ease.
Not for any other reason. Second, most of you already know about Hammer and his trip to Nogales, and that he brought someone back with him.
” The president paused, letting voices rise then fall around him as different people commented to those nearby.
Hammer remained quiet as he watched faces and saw people nod to each other or in Camila’s direction.
“Several of you have already met Camila. So far, she’s been a good addition to the club, insisting on pitching in and helping, not just coasting along because this is where life landed her.
We’re looking at the possibility of her staying and being part of the club, but she doesn’t want to force anyone into the trouble we think will be following her.
She wants us all to have a choice. That’s what this is about.
Most of you are already aware of who Camila is, as well as who her father is.
But Hammer’s going to tell you everything he’s found since we discovered he had a kid.
” Bulldog nodded to Hammer, then stepped down from the chair.
Hammer didn’t bother with a chair, he had an inch or two on most of his brothers, but there were a couple taller than he was. Besides, nearly everyone was seated, either at a table or the bar, so he had no trouble seeing everyone.
“You all know who Alejandro Montoya Mendoza is, or at least have heard of him. You know what kind of thing he’s into and that we’ve been butting heads with him and his people for years.
” Hammer paused, letting them look around or exchange a few words.
“You know that last week I found evidence that Brittney, one of the girls kidnapped and sold by Dwyer, was last seen at Montoya’s stronghold outside of Nogales, Sonora. ” Heads once again nodded.
“When we went down to see about finding Brittney, to see if we could rescue her or if she is even alive, we didn’t find any evidence of her.
But we did find something. There was a girl, well, woman, asleep in the house.
She didn’t seem to be a captive, but I woke her and we took her with us.
That is Camila.” He tilted the top of his head toward where Camila sat with Winter and Miranda at a table a few feet away.
“Turned out that Camila is Montoya’s daughter, though I’d found no record of him having any children.
I still haven’t found records that she’s his, at least not that I can get to online.
It looks like he’s gone to some extent to keep her from being tied to him, at least publicly.
As for her, she came along without a fight, and I’ve seen evidence that he beat her at least once, and from the way she acted when I asked, I think it’s safe to assume he didn’t start that in the week before we moved on his compound.
” Hammer paused to take a deep breath and gauge how the club was taking this so far.
“Camila has answered every question we’ve asked, without hesitation or any sign of deception. ”
“So she’s a good liar, so what?” A voice Hammer couldn’t place, came from the back.
“That’s a possibility, but I don’t think so.
You’re welcome to check with Bulldog to see what he thinks too.
Or with Wrench—she’s been working at the shop, answering phones and fielding visits so he can work—to see what he thinks.
But that’s not the point here. It’s that so far, she seems to fit with the Sons.
I know she fits with me.” He paused, waiting for people to shut the hell up and be ready to listen again.
“I wanted to give her my property patch and move on but we’re all here because she insisted on it.
She insisted we tell everyone who she is, and the risks of letting her stay.
You know who her father is. So far, we have no reason to think he knows where she is or even that she’s not at the hacienda where he left her.
But he will eventually realize she’s gone.
He may find her, then there is no telling what he will do.
He may send in someone to get her. He may try to blackmail us into giving her back.
With a man like Montoya, there are too many possibilities to guess what he’ll do.
For all we know, he may send us a thank you note.
I don’t think that one’s likely. But we’re going to leave it up to you.
Bulldog will tell you how this is going to work. ”
Hammer turned to Bulldog. “You know my vote. I’m going to take Camila for a ride, unless you need us around?”
“Go. I’ll let you know when it’s done.” He didn’t say he’d let them know the results. Hammer was pretty sure how things would go, but he nodded, went to Camila and held out a hand.
“Ride with me?”
She was pale as she gave him the ghost of a smile and put her hand in his. “I need to change.”
“Why?”
“This isn’t very warm and it’s already chilly out there.”
“We’re not hitting the highway. I have somewhere I want to take you. It’s not far.”
She watched him for several seconds then nodded.
With her hand in his, he led her out to the bikes and helped her get ready and mount up.
In minutes they were on the road headed for the dealership.
He wanted to get her a few things because he had no doubt how the vote would go, or at least how Bulldog would handle it.
And that left him with no doubts that Camila would be staying.