Chapter 21
The room was quiet for several minutes, no one moved until they heard the fax machine shut off, and it was Yvonne that went to get the papers. It took her several minutes to come back, and she laid stapled stacks on the table.
“I made copies for everyone to have one.” She watched as they all grabbed one, and she handed one personally to Kevin.
“This,” Harmon said to no one in particular, and looked at the men that had come with him.
“This is the first physical copy, concrete evidence that we have about this card. It was always rumors, and speculation what was on it. Don’t get me wrong, those rumors always panned out, but now we have the physical card. This is huge.”
“How dangerous are the Flying Dragons?” Erin asked. “And are all the members of Asian descent?”
“Yes, on the Asian descent. All the gangs around the country are in the Asian neighborhoods. Think China Town in New York City, or Los Angeles. But it’s not just one group.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s not just the Chinese, it’s also the Japanese, Hong Kong, Mongolia, China.
Everyone and anyone who has Asian in their blood.
I’m not a racist, but when it comes to these Flying Dragons, I am.
These guys are bad. You’ve seen on some cop shows on TV where people shake down store owners for money to keep their businesses safe?
Well, these guys do that, but they don’t just shake them down, if they are five minutes late on the weekly payment, yes, they demand money weekly, they beat up the store owners.
Up in Denver, and Chicago, the stores are starting to close.
It’s been known on a couple of occasions that the store owners pack up their personal belongings in the middle of the night and disappear.
They leave their store with all their inventory, just up and leave. ”
“What’s happening to the stores left behind?”
“The Flying Dragons are running them. However, they’re not the regular Mom and Pop corner store they used to be. They are now fronts for drugs and prostitution. Don’t quote me on this, but it might also involve human trafficking.”
“Jesus,” several said as they shook their heads and began reading the information sent to them. It was a good thirty minutes of everyone reading before anyone spoke.
“I have something to say,” Julie Monroe spoke, and everyone looked at her with raised brows.
She nodded once. “Most of you know that I served in the Navy. However, I was the Chief Communications Officer, I never saw combat, not like the rest of you. I’m going to take a page out of Erin and Naomi’s book.
I won’t be at Erin’s Way with them and Ducky when this goes down, but I will be over at Broken Two.
” When she saw frowns on several faces she sat back, scrubbed her face, and let out a pent-up breath.
“Again, other than when our submarine was attacked, and I was injured, I never saw combat.” She looked around at the others and nodded.
“Broken Two needs to be protected. Caleb isn’t here for this meeting, nor are the others.
Caleb, Katherine, Dr. Staci, they work there, what’s to say that these guys won’t have people come with them to try to take Kevin out.
Also, depending on the time of day this happens, there are Jason and Ilsa to think about also.
Oh, and don’t forget any civilians that are there for their appointments. ”
“I’ll join you,” Opal said.
“Me too,” Adele said.
It turned out that all the women agreed to be at Broken Two, or Erin’s Way to help protect the others that were in the dark about what they were planning.
“What are these locations you’re talking about?” Harmon asked. “What is Broken Two, Erin’s Way? I don’t know if I understand.”
“Where’s the map, Kevin?” Erin looked at him with a grin. He returned her expression, held up a finger, and walked into his office. He came back out with a tube, opened it, and he and Ryan mounted it on the wall.
As Erin described the other locations, Ryan and Kevin lowered the colored films.
Harmon looked at her with shock. “You own all this?”
“Well, me and my brother, Clark.”
“But,” Clark said with a grin and held up his hand. “It was Erin that thought of, planned, and executed The Broken Wheel, Broken Two, and New Double. Erin’s Way has been in our family since the eighteen thirties.”
The FBI agents all whistled, and then one of them asked about the last colored film that was dropped. “What’s that?”
“Five thousand acres across the road that Clark and his crews are constructing a rodeo ranch. When it’s done, we’ll have an arena, where rodeo people can come and practice.
Stables for them to board their animals in the off season.
Cabins for the people that will be working the ranch.
And there will be areas where we’ll house rodeo stock, specifically the horses and bulls,” Erin said with pride.
“It’s a work in progress, we only broke ground last month.
It should be fully operational in two years. ”
“Jesus, do you need help?”
“Maybe,” she said with a grin. “We can talk after you guys take the Dragons down.”
“Is it possible to see all of this?” Harmon asked.
“Sure, there’s even room for you guys to stay at The Broken Wheel. It’s totally landlocked.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning that the only way to get to that ranch is either through Erin’s Way, or Broken Two.”
“Ah, now I understand,” Harmon turned to look at Julie, and the other women. “Is that why you decided to go there?”
“Yes, we don’t know if they would come through there. Though, New Double is totally separate from the other locations, it’s been my experience that you can’t be too careful.
“I agree,” he paused and scrubbed his face. He looked at Jake. “Remind me again who you are?”
“I’m Jake Cogburn, I’m in charge of the Brotherhood Protectors, and we do just what the name sounds like.
We protect. We also run background checks on everyone.
Erin used us in the past, but now she has Manchester, Wilson, and Lassiter to help.
Again, we are their backup. My boss, the owner of Brotherhood likes to keep his fingers in all the pies.
I’ll tell him about this mission, because that’s how we roll.
I’m not saying he’ll be here, but he might be. ”
“Hank?” Yvonne asked, and Jake nodded. She turned to Harmon. “Did you hear about how I took Arroy down?”
“Yes.”
“I used Hank Patterson to run the background check on him. Jake’s boss.”
“Oh, wow, okay,” he said as he scrubbed his face, then sighed heavily. He looked directly at Kevin with his next question. “When do you want to reach out to Shedrick and have him come here to look at a horse?”
“Today’s Tuesday, what if we call to see if he wants to come on Saturday? That will give us three whole days to plan.”
At Harmon’s look, Cole spoke. “It’s not unheard of to have potential buyers show up on the weekend. Nine times out of ten, that’s when they would have the time off. Ranching isn’t a nine to five, Monday to Friday gig. It’s twenty-four seven, three-sixty-five.”
“Okay, Saturday would work.”
“Do you have a picture of the people you’ll be inviting here?
” Jake asked. At their looks he shook his head.
“I’m only asking so that we can be prepared.
My father-in-law owns a bed and breakfast in Fool’s Gold.
What’s to say that they won’t arrive in town on Friday, stake out the area, then come to the meeting on Saturday?
I’d like to know what they look like so I can tell them the place is full.
Gunny, my father-in-law, was in the military, hence his name.
He’ll be prepared once I tell him what’s going on. ”
“Damn, I never thought of that.”
“Wait,” Kevin said as he turned on his heel to walk away.
He was back in seconds with more papers.
He went to one of the laptops, and started punching the keys.
On the screen, a man popped up. “According to the information he filled out on the application, I was able to come up with this.” He turned it so everyone could see it, then Yvonne put it up on the wall.
Beside it, the trainer, Strokes was there.
Everyone watched as the FBI agents started using their own laptops, and Harmon looked up with a grin.
“Outstanding felony warrants on both of these guys.” His words lifted a veil of tension, and everyone began to breathe easier, knowing that no matter what happened, they would still be arrested.
SSA Harmon leaned back in his chair. “Okay, now, before we plan, would it be alright for me and my guys to tour the area that we’re going to need to defend?
I know it’s a lot, but I would like to know what we’re dealing with.
I have no idea if this Shedrick character will be bringing anyone with him, besides Strokes. ”
“Suggestion,” Erin said with a raise of her hand.
She didn’t say anything until everyone looked at her.
“How many people in your gangs division do you have back at your office? I’m only asking, because now that we know who Shedrick is, and I know you don’t want to take him out there, you want to take him out on private property, because if that happens, I will be pressing charges against them, but do you have anyone undercover to keep an eye on them and possibly follow them here?
Get a head count of who’s coming. Or not who, but definitely how many, and what vehicles they’re driving. ”
“Are you sure you’re not former military?
” Jake asked her with a scowl. “Because from where I’m sitting, that suggestion is brilliant.
I can warn all my guys to look out for the vehicles, and we can call you if they go through town.
We know it’s anywhere from forty-seven minutes to an hour to get here.
Then again, here is closer than Erin’s Way, or Broken Two. ”
“Actually,” Harmon said. “I agree with what you just said. I do have some undercovers at my disposal. I can call them and read them into the situation. It will also be good because if they’re following, then that’s our backup.”
“What about the police?” Stone asked. “Locals?”
“What about them?”
“I’m married to a deputy from the sheriff’s office. Can I read her in? I know she, or her boss, Sheriff Jim Faulkner won’t step on your toes, but they might want to be read into what’s happening in their county.” He looked over at Erin with wide eyes. “Wait, is New Double in his county?”
“Yes, but Broken Two isn’t.” She walked over to the map, and took the yardstick Yvonne handed her. She used it to map out the county line, and Harmon shook his head.
“How much land do you own?”
“This is three thousand acres, this is roughly fourteen hundred, and across the road is five thousand. When I had someone try to come after me, they came onto my land from here, and because it was in Jim’s county, they could take them down.”
Duane explained about that and how he had been undercover for the arms dealer, and how they had taken the people out.
“Where are these people now?”
“Still sitting in jail. I have a lawyer, a federal prosecutor working on a case against them as we speak.”
“Where is this prosecutor based out of?”
“He lives at Broken Two, but works out of a building on Erin’s Way. He and another lawyer.”
“Harmon,” Yvonne said gently, but with a grin. “Did you hear about how Grayson was taken down out in LA?”
“Jesus, that was a clusterfuck, but yeah.”
“Jason Black, the federal prosecutor did it, because the woman he tried to arrest for his own son’s stupidity arrived here for protection.
I don’t know the entire story, but it was investigated, and Grayson is now serving a life sentence.
Along with all their accomplices. Erin Riceman doesn’t fuck around when someone goes after what she owns. ”
“That’s good to know,” he said and scrubbed his face again.
“I would like to see the locations mentioned, then I should have a better understanding on how we should go about this. I’m not going to step on any of your guys’ toes, I just want a visual, and not on a map.
” He looked around at everyone. “I’m that type of guy, once I see it in person, I can recall everything.
I think after that, we can start planning. ”
“How about this?” Clark asked. “Why don’t we clean up here, we’ll take you to all the ranches, and then take you over to Broken Wheel, where the cabins are.
There are four that have four bedrooms each in them.
Plenty of room for you guys to stay. I’m sure there are enough people to get you some food, so you won’t starve, and you won’t have to go back into town.
” He looked at everyone, and they all agreed.
Kevin looked up and spoke into the silence. “I’m going to stay here and get things organized.”
The others agreed they would go back to their jobs, and it was Cole and Naomi that took the agents further onto New Double to show them why they were selling the horses, and then over to the other areas of the ranch. Jake and his men went along, just to refamiliarize themselves with the areas.
By the time the agents returned to where Yvonne and Kevin were working, in order to pick up their vehicles, they wore dumbfounded expressions. Kevin took one look at them, laughed, and put his fingers to his temple and threw them away from him, indicating the mind-blown signal.
“Jesus, Wilson, how did you ever find something like this?” Harmon asked with a shake of his head.
“I had a case, Myrna Trenton, a local cop up in Lakewood had a family member steal her horse. It snowballed from there. When I had to come here and meet her, Erin and I got to talking, and she offered me a job. I couldn’t resist.”
“Is she hiring for more?”
“I don’t know about security, because once RRR is up and running, either Kevin or I will move over there. I do know she’s looking for hands for here and over there. The only requirement is that you show up on time, and listen to directions. Why? Are you thinking about coming to work here?”
“It’s got to be better than the scum I’m trying to take off the streets.”
“I hear you.” They all agreed, and Kevin had them follow him back over to The Broken Wheel. Once at the cabins, he took them inside to have the look around, and when they went out the back door, he pointed out who lived where.
“I know you’re FBI agents, but everyone who lives in these cabins are the former SEALs, so you’ll be surrounded, and you can bet your ass, they’ll have you covered during your stay.” He shook their hands, and made sure they had his personal phone number before he left them for the night.