Chapter 23
He didn’t like this idea, but he knew in his gut that Val was right.
“We do it when we leave for Drumheller on Thursday,” Jesse explained. “Somehow, we gotta get the stalker here that day. That means making contact with this person and convincing them to come out here.”
“How do we do that?” Val asked.
“Do we have a visual on what this person looks like?” Avery asked. “Or, if there’s more than one person?”
Xander shook his head. “The car has tinted windows. We need a crew member to head into town today to make contact and another to tail them. Someone that won’t draw suspicion. Maybe Sage. She can follow them into the local diner and chat them up.”
“Speaking of, we gonna let Sam go back to his restaurant?” Dante asked. “Or do we think the Krypt might try and grab him?”
“Unlikely at this point, they’re keeping low,” Gage replied. “I say we send him back. He and Sage can tag team on the stalker. Sage can drive Sam back into town, and be his temporary waitress. Holy Sacrifice knows that Val works at the diner, so chances are, they’ll be hanging around there at some point. Sage makes contact or lets whoever it is overhear a conversation with Sam about Val’s whereabouts and what’s happening Thursday. We go from there.”
“I want to survey this op,” Dante demanded. “Just in case something goes to shit in town. I’m not leaving Sage alone.”
Gage nodded. “Do what you need to. Let’s get a mic on Sage to record what’s going on.”
The meeting was called to a close.
While Avery and Sage pulled Val aside to talk, Xander headed for his office to grab the mic, and Jesse followed.
“You think this is going to work?”
“We don’t have any other choice. And Sage can hold her own.”
“I know that,” Xander replied. “I just don’t like the idea of getting close to someone who’s unhinged.”
“We’re not going to let Sage or any of our crew, out of our sight. We got this,” Jesse reassured him, squeezing his shoulder tight.
Xander nodded and rummaged through his desk for a flat disk mic, a camera bug, and an ear comm. Once he and Jesse tested the device, they re-joined the others and got Sage fitted up.
Jesse left the clubhouse to get Sam from the bunker and they met up in the parking lot.
“Remember, let Sage lead the conversation,” Jesse warned Sam. “And if you see or hear anything strange, you type the code we agreed upon, you hear?”
Sam nodded. Jesse was still nervous about sending Sam back to his diner, but Gage had given the order, so it was done. Sage pulled Sam aside and a few minutes later, the man seemed calmer.
A half hour later, Sage and Sam took off in one of the club’s SUVs, with Dante trailing behind. Val headed off with Avery and Rochelle, while Jesse wandered back to Xander’s office. Xander opened his laptop and launched the listening software. They could hear Sage’s conversation loud and clear. He could also see everything around her thanks to the body cam.
“It’s all good,” Xander whispered.
Sage arrived in town ten minutes later and parked in front of the diner. Her and Sam got out of the car and walked into the diner. The place had been closed for days, and Xander could hear Sam talking about all the missed voicemails from his cook. Once he called and reassured her that he was okay, he and Sage got to work on opening up the diner.
An hour later, some of the locals started to trickle in, sitting down to order their usual meals. No one questioned why Sam had closed the place for days, why Sage was working here, or where Val was. In this town everyone minded their own business.
Xander always disliked this type of operation. Where he had to sit around and listen to conversation. No action. And he was worried that Val’s stalker might elude them.
Until an hour later, when an unfamiliar figure walked into the diner. But he was too far away to get a clear look at.
Sage turned to face the kitchen and whispered. “I think it”s him. Never seen this guy before. Six two, in his sixties, with dark grey hair that’s receding, blue eyes, tan button-down shirt and khakis, black jacket, no visible tattoos or other markings.”
She then turned to face the customers again and headed over to greet ‘the customer’ with a big voice. Xander finally got a clear shot of their suspect.
“Holy shit, that’s him!” Xander blurted out. “That’s Simeon Darling. He’s here to claim Val for himself.”
Jesse
“Are you sure?”
Xander googled the leader’s name and up popped his picture. Sure enough, the guy in the diner was the same man. Fucking hell. Simeon was here to take Val back to Mosley, but that wasn’t happening. Not ever.
Xander frantically typed, letting everyone in the crew know what was going on and what the guy looked like.
“Why don’t we just have Sonny head into town now and he can pop this guy off when he leaves the diner?” Jesse asked.
“You know our rule. Not in town,” Xander replied. “The folks around here agree to look the other way as long as we don’t kick up any fuss in the town proper. Unless it’s absolutely necessary. An emergency.”
“This asshole is after our Val. I’d call that an emergency!” Jesse snapped. “And we did what we had to that day in the diner.”
“That was different. That was necessary. And no one got shot up,” Xander reasoned. “Now button it, I’m trying to hear the conversation.”
Jesse bit back an answer and instead, replied to Xander’s group text, suggesting they grab the guy now. But he was overruled by his father and Sonny. Fuck.
“Think, Jesse,” Xander whispered. “We don’t want to raise any public awareness about this guy or make any fuss. The last thing we need is police on our ass. We stick to the plan, we trap him at our place, and dispose of the problem. Quick, clean, quiet.”
Jesse’s temper calmed and he reluctantly nodded, sitting back, watching Xander work.
“I just hate sitting here waiting,” Jesse admitted. “I’m not good at that.”
“You and me both, hot stuff.”
Jesse gripped Xander’s neck, tight, and gave him a hard kiss. Now he felt better.
Sage was making the usual customer service chat with Simeon, seating him at a booth and pouring him a cup of coffee. When she returned to take his food order, he asked if she was the only person working in here. Sage replied no, they were just short staffed today.
Sam came out with Simeon’s food order and welcomed him. Soon, Sam was invited to sit with Simeon. Now things were getting good.
Sage stood nearby, drying off glasses and recording every word.
But when Sam casually asked what brought Simeon to town, the answer made Jesse’s blood run cold.
“I’m here to find my wife, Alessia Darling. She disappeared several years ago. The poor thing has mental health problems, you see. I’ve been searching for her ever since. I got a lead from my private investigator that she was living in this area. I just want to find her and bring her home safely.”
His wife? No fucking way.
Sam replied that he didn’t know anyone by that name, then called Sage over. Simeon told Sage all about Alessia again, and her running away.
“Do you have a picture, hon?” Sage asked. “I’m better with faces than names.”
Simeon held up his phone and a grainy picture of Val appeared. She was wearing a high neck dress, and looked young, very young. It must have been taken shortly before she left Mosley, when she was a teenager.
“Well, I’ll be. She looks like Val, doesn’t she, Sam?” Sage replied.
“You recognize her?” Simeon smirked, like he’d hit the jackpot, and the look made Jesse’s skin crawl.
“One of the waitresses who works here is the spitting image of this picture. But her name is Val Renn. Val’s great with the customers but quiet. Keeps to herself. Never talks about where she comes from, though,” Sage sighed. “But don’t mind me, I’m probably mistaken.”
“It’s possible that she changed her name. She’s done it before,” Simeon added. “Where can I find this Val? I want to speak to her.”
“She’s been gone a few days now, called in to say she needed a week off,” Sam replied and ran a hand over his face. “Between us, she’s gotten in over her head with some men, if you know what I mean. Taken up with these criminal biker fellas, the Hellions and Hellraisers, at their place in the country.”
“Really? Where?” Simeon asked.
“Oh, now, you don’t want to do that,” Sage warned him. “Those guys are dangerous.”
“I’m not afraid of anyone or anything. I’ve got God on my side,” Simeon preened.
Sam’s phone rang and he excused himself and walked away. Leaving Sage alone with Simeon.
“Please help me,” Simeon added. “I need to know if this Val is really my Alessia. I need to find my wife.”
Sage patted his shoulder, playing her role.
“If you really want to find Val, I might be able to help you,” she whispered. “You head west and take route 2 for about three miles and you’ll come upon a gated property, you can’t miss it. But fair warning, chances are, you won’t be able to talk to anyone. Bikers only let their trusted contacts into the place. But you might have luck on Thursdays, when they have their parties. Plenty of people coming and going then. Otherwise, that compound is locked tighter than Fort Knox. No way you’re getting in. But still, you can try and see if they’ll let you talk to her?”
“Thank you. I’m sure if I tell them who I am and why I need to speak with her, they’ll see reason.”
“Best have cash on hand, hon. That’s the kind of reason they understand.”
Simeon nodded. “Noted.”
Another customer called out for a coffee refill and Sage went back to work. Simeon threw a wad of cash on the table and quickly left.
“He’s heading out,” Sage whispered into her mic. “I think he bought it.”
“Over to you, Dante,” Xander replied. “Sage, good work, on the story and on placing the tracker on his jacket.”
“I love this shit,” she replied. “I should have been an actress.”
“There’s still time if you want to leave for Hollywood,” Xander quipped.
“Over my dead body,” Dante’s voice echoed loudly.
Jesse and Xander bit back a laugh. Dante was just a little bit possessive of his woman.
And Jesse totally understood.