Chapter 2 #2
“Detective Sergeant Remy Allen,” he says. “I’ll be your lead on this. Anything gang-related goes through me.”
He skirts the podium and stops in front of the first row of chairs. He’s a lot less buttoned up than his boss. A lot younger too. Mid-thirties maybe, like me. And all muscle. Easily twice the size of most of the guys in the room.
South Bay is a small town with big time criminals. It’s a fucking magnet for guys like this. The chance to nab a guy like Axe Donovan and bring down his chrome-plated criminal empire? The asshole is practically salivating.
This guy’s gonna be a problem.
“Our unit,” he continues, “uses advanced surveillance and infiltration tactics to target key operations. The end goal, like Detective Inspector Morgan mentioned, is to disrupt and dismantle the organization. A key focus on disruption.” He stands even straighter, his chest puffed out.
“I wanna know where they are and what they’re doing at all times.
I want to be in their face twenty-four seven.
I want to interrupt shipments, fuck up supply chain, disrupt cash flow.
I want to catch them on anything and everything.
Minor infractions are our friend. The more arrests, the better. ”
Yeah. This guy’s gonna be a big fucking problem.
“So… you wanna piss ’em off?” Miller calls out, wiping chip-stained hands on his pants, reddish blond hair standing on end.
Allen breaks into a menacing grin. “Exactly.”
“Is that wise?” I ask. This isn’t keeping the peace. It’s the exact fucking opposite. “You start putting that kind of pressure on a group of outlaw bikers, you’re bound to get some gunfire. You’re putting the people of South Bay at risk.”
“You want to shut down the Sinners? This is how you do it. And this method, coupled with the growing pressure they’re feeling from a rival gang in the west, will push them into a corner. They’ll make mistakes. We’ll catch them when they do.”
Arms crossed, I widen my stance. “Rival gang?”
Allen snags the remote from the podium and clicks it repeatedly, eventually stopping on a biker emblem—a skull with an eye patch and two crossbones beneath it. “The Road Raiders are rumoured to be pushing towards the east. They make headway, then in the coming months, we’ll see some friction.”
Irritation flares to life in my veins. “Friction? You mean a war.”
He shrugs. “Like I said, we back them into a corner, and there’ll be no way out. With any luck, they’ll all be in prison before war comes to South Bay. That’s it for this afternoon. You’re dismissed.” He shoves his hands into his pockets and pins me with a look. “Decker. A word?”
I stay where I am, and once the room clears, Allen approaches.
“I hear you’re my local liaison.”
I dip my chin. “That’s what I’m told.”
He uses the remote to bring the picture of Donovan back up behind him. “South Bay is in an interesting situation.”
“And what situation is that?”
“You have one of the most notorious outlaw biker gangs right here in your shitty small town. Doing business right out in the open. And nothing is being done about it. Why do you think that is?”
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. “You’re the expert. You tell me.”
“Could be a lot of things. Sloppy police work, messy casefiles, complete and utter incompetence.” With a shrug, he breaks into a smarmy smile. “Or it could be a lot bigger than that.”
Head tilted and gaze steady, I size him up like he’s doing to me. The implication is clear. He knows. Which means I have to tread carefully. Choose my next words like my life depends on them.
“Any guesses?” he asks.
Scrubbing my hand over my jaw, I lower my voice. “Before my old man took over as chief, Axe’s father had a cop or two in his pocket. Might be a different time, different Donovan, but it’s all the same shit. Guess it stands to reason it could happen again.”
A slow smile crawls up his face. “Gold star, Decker. The South Bay Sinners are still standing because someone in your department is making it so.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. “Why are you telling me this?”
“Did my research on you. You’re a decent cop. Shit attitude according to your chief, but your police work is sound. You’ve made more Sinner arrests than anyone in the department. You put Axel Donovan in jail. Twice. And if the reports are accurate, that last time, you shot him.”
Yeah. I did. But not for the reason he thinks. If I’d been shooting to kill, Donovan would have left the scene in a body bag instead of handcuffs. Much as I want him dead, keeping the Sinner president breathing is in my best interest. He’s made sure of that.
“Tore up his shoulder pretty good,” I say.
“That’s fuckin’ awesome.”
I arch a brow. “Is it?”
“Filling a Sinner full of lead? Hell yeah.” Allen stares up at the screen, at the leader of the Sinners glaring down at us. “I pored over that incident report. Top to bottom.”
My stomach drops. “Oh yeah?”
His smile only makes it sink farther. “Donovan lowered his weapon. Bastard gave himself up, didn’t he? But you shot anyway.”
I’ll admit that being the one who dropped him felt kind of nice.
Breath of fresh air, seeing the man I hate the most in this world crumple to the ground like he did.
It took fucking effort not to kill him. My whole body was screaming at me to reposition my gun a few inches higher and a little to the right.
I didn’t technically have to shoot him. It was just the most effective way of getting him out of that alive. The cops with me that day? They would have aimed for the head. They would have killed him.
That prick should be thanking me for saving his life.
I clear my throat, keep my tone even. “What are you getting at?”
“We want the same thing, Decker. The Sinners gone. Or better yet, dead. I’m willing to do whatever it takes to achieve that. I can tell you are too. We can help each other.”
Ah. I get it now. He thinks I tried to kill Donovan that day. And maybe he thinks I’ll try again.
The influence and authority that come with this job are a lot to shoulder.
Most of us are here to make things better, to protect.
Some are here for the other thing—the power of the badge.
That kind of power can be dangerous as fuck.
Even more so than the power I keep holstered at my side.
And this guy? He’s all about control and power.
I can smell it on him. This will not end well for the Soldiers of Sin. Or for me.
“What exactly do you want from me?” I ask.
“I want you to keep doing what you’ve been doing. Working to take out the trash. Only now you’ll have the resources to do it. And while we’re at it, we’ll get the piece of shit helping the Sinners stay afloat. One thing I hate more than an outlaw is a dirty cop.”
Yeah. Dirty cops are… definitely the worst.
“Well?” he says. “You in this with me or what?”
I force a smile. “Whatever it takes.”
“That’s what I like to hear. We’re gonna be fast friends, Decker.” He slips his phone out of his pocket and glances at it. “I ride with you tonight. I want everything you got on the Sinners and a tour of your town so I can get familiar with the area. Seven thirty good?”
Jaw tight, I nod. “Patrol car will be out front.”
When he leaves the room and I’m alone, I lean back against the wall, knock my head against the brick, and expel a big breath.
The OPP presence is a problem. But Allen? He’s a lot more dangerous than some run-of-the-mill ladder-climbing bureaucratic moron looking for a couple easy arrests. He thinks we’re after the same thing: Donovan dead and the cop in his pocket strung up right along with him.
But I got no interest in being besties with the guy looking to sniff out the rat in the South Bay PD.
Because the dirty cop he’s looking for is me.
So I need to wrap this shit up and get the OPP far the fuck away from South Bay. Otherwise, I’ll be the one in handcuffs. Or dead.