CHAPTER NINETEEN
– XANE –
I hit the brakes and the tires shriek against the pavement as I bring my bike to an abrupt stop. Hitting the kickstand, I jump off and want to enter the clubhouse, but have to step aside to let EMS pass me by.
The text message Neo sent over half an hour ago cost me a few years of my life. My heart is still racing and I have no clue what the fuck happened. One step inside the clubhouse lets me know it’s bad.
Blood and bodies everywhere and in the midst of it all is Z, rattling off words to one of the EMTs. Her hands are bloody and there are discarded gloves on the floor at her feet. Within a few strides I have her in my arms.
She goes completely rigid for a breath or two before she melts against me. I bury my head into the crook of her neck to breathe her in. She’s here. Alive. Motherfucker. I tighten my arms and swallow hard. The mere thought of losing her is enough to completely destroy me.
Her body starts to shake and I hear a gut-wrenching sob. I rub her back and murmur soothing words.
“We lost Neo,” Z murmurs and I pull back to stare down at her tearstained face.
Fucking hell. For a moment there my only thought was Z.
The whole “the club comes first” went straight out of my brain the second I knew my old lady was in danger.
It’s fucked up. I pull Z’s head against my chest and glance around the clubhouse.
Fucked. Up. Motherfucking hell on earth.
The main room of the clubhouse is littered with bullets, bodies, and blood.
Z steps away and wipes her cheeks as she turns to Fawkes. “You need to get that arm looked at.”
“I’m fine,” he grits and is staring at the shattered bar.
My old lady grabs another pair of gloves, puts them on and grabs Fawkes’s arm. “No, you’re not. You’re going to need a few stitches. Sit down.”
Fawkes releases a sigh and I reach for a chair to put it upright. He takes a seat and lets Z treat his wound as I now notice her arms.
“Woman, what the hell happened to your fucking arms?” I snarl and snap my fingers at the EMT standing near the door.
“Glass. It’s fine,” Z says without giving me a glance. “I’ll get it treated after I finish up Fawkes.”
I’m staying right next to her and watch as she treats Fawkes’s wound. Spence, along with Roux, step inside the clubhouse right before she’s done. The EMT quickly pulls her to the side and starts to check her wounds.
Pressing a kiss on the top of her head, I murmur, “I’ll be right back.”
Spence and Roux walk up beside me and we stare at the destruction.
“Neo’s behind the bar. He saved my damn life. Fucking hell. I watched Luisa shoot him straight in the throat before she left,” Fawkes states.
“You saw Luisa? No wonder she wasn’t at the damn mansion. Fuck. She’s still on the loose.” Roux curses and steps over the debris to get to church.
I glance through the shattered window to watch the rest of the brothers when I tell Fawkes, “Neron is dead, along with four of his men. We managed to arrest two others who have been transported to a different location so they can be questioned. No money, guns, or drugs found at the mansion. We were just finishing up when Neo messaged.”
“Prez,” Roux bellows my name and I jump into a jog to head into church.
Spence and Fawkes are right behind me when we hear a female voice rattling through Roux’s laptop.
Roux points at it and explains, “I duplicated Neron’s phone at the scene and had Luisa’s number in there. He wasn’t using a burner, and I hoped his wife wasn’t either and I was right.”
“Phone tap,” I mutter and we fall silent to hear Luisa snapping at someone.
This is too damn easy. Why isn’t she more careful when she’s the sister of a cartel boss?
“Look.” He points at the screen that’s now filled with a map with lines jumping cell towers. “We now have the location of her brother.”
“Stupid not to use a burner. Why the hell would she fuck up like that?” Spence wonders out loud, and it’s the same thing that crossed my mind.
They must think they’re safe in this town and aren’t tracked by the feds or anyone else trying to bring them down.
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Roux mutters.
It’s then I realize what might happen and snap, “You need to cut the damn connection,” as I grab my phone.
Spence raises his eyebrow in question and it’s why I stare at him while I tell Remmer, “Heads-up, Luisa might be heading in your direction and you need to intercept her before she realizes we killed her husband. Make it seem like an FBI raid.”
“On it,” Remmer rumbles and disconnects the line.
Shoving my phone back into my pocket, I explain to the others, “Luisa probably acted without Neron’s knowledge. Those dead fuckers inside the clubhouse were dressed differently than the men at Neron’s mansion.”
“They’re probably cartel. Fuck, you’re right,” Spence snaps. “If so, they came straight here where Luisa was waiting for them.”
I give him a tight nod. “She’s currently unaware of the shit that went down at her own home.”
“Her phone is disabled and I listened back to the conversation. She demanded more men because the others failed. I just confirmed that the voice she was talking to is Alonso Mendoza, her brother, and leader of the cartel. The fucker told her he was going to send his own hitman since the guy needed to leave town due to assassinating a high official. I’m going to dive into this, give me a second. ”
“Gather all the information and send it to our government contact,” Spence orders and glances at me.
“I can deal with the cartel part from home, if you don’t mind me taking over.
It will free your hands to deal with all of this, the paperwork, and Luisa still missing.
Let’s hope Remmer manages to catch her. Besides, if you do manage to handle all of it you can always join in if needed.
Though, I’m guessing the government would like to handle the cartel themselves since they only needed the direct evidence, which Roux has if Alonso admitted to a crime during a call with his sister. ”
I rub the back of my neck. “Sounds good. You need to go back to Penny and your baby girl anyway. Let me know if you need help.”
He smacks my shoulder and walks out.
Looking at Roux who is typing away on his laptop, I rumble, “You heard the plan, right?”
“On it, Prez,” Roux mutters.
“Thanks, brother,” I fire back and glance at Fawkes. “You good?”
“Fuck no,” Fawkes grunts. “That was some fucked-up shit, Prez. Your woman was trying to keep Neo alive when I had a gun pressed against my head. Neo killed him, last thing he did before he died. He died protecting the president’s old lady and saving my ass.”
We fall silent for a few heartbeats. The sound of footsteps getting closer draws my attention. Z walks into church, both her arms covered with bandages.
“What do we do now?” she asks.
I want to say, “Fuck if I know,” yet, I can’t. I’m the president and the one who should have all the answers.
“Prez already handled the backlash,” Fawkes simply states.
I hold my hand out and feel my heart swell when she steps closer and leans into my body.
Placing a kiss on her head, I murmur, “What Fawkes means is that Roux managed to tap into Luisa’s phone.
She called her brother which gave us his location and he admitted something the government can use as evidence.
Spence left to handle the cartel. Luisa is still out there.
I called Remmer to keep an eye out in case she goes home.
They can place FBI magnets on the black SUVs that are still at the scene.
The way Luisa called in men from her brother shows they think we’re just a biker club. ”
“The fuck we are,” Fawkes snarls.
I give Fawkes my attention. “Did any of the brothers go with Stellan? If not, can you have one of them go to the hospital to check on him?”
“Okay if I go myself?” he asks.
“Absolutely, thanks brother,” I tell him sincerely, and not just for checking on our club brother.
“Anytime, Prez. Any. Fucking. Time.” He nods and smiles at Z before he adds, “Tough as nails in the heat of the moment, a true president’s old lady.”
Z’s arms tighten around my waist. “I would have shit myself if he’d pressed a gun to my head.
It’s safe to say that was some impressive shit you pulled out there yourself, Fawkes.
We were all pretty amazing, and like Neo said...
we can’t live like any second is our last...
tough as nails in the heat of the moment, just like he was. ”
Fawkes swallows hard and even my throat clogs at the thought of losing Neo. With what Z just said it’s clear they all shared a moment before things went to shit, and I’m thankful for it.